A year ago, Sainsbury’s (SBRY) chief executive Mike Coupe was caught on camera singing “We’re in the money” before a televised interview to talk about a proposed merger with Asda. Last month, the Competition and Markets Authority told him to go whistle.
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The CMA decided to block the deal based on competition concerns, making the announcement just days before Sainsbury’s was due to announce its results for the year to March. Management took advantage of the timing, using the results announcement to outline its strategy for growth in a bid to put the failed merger behind it.
The group has introduced commitments to deleveraging, and investment in the store portfolio and digital capabilities in an attempt to spur further growth. To underpin their confidence, Mr Coupe and finance director Kevin O’Byrne both bought a chunk of shares on the day of the results announcements. The share price was marked up on the day, but since then has been sliding steadily downward.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus | Deborah Guthrie | 30 April 2019 | 2,345 | 1,054.65 | 24,732 | 4,690 | 0.014 |
| Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus | Deborah Guthrie | 30 April 2019 | 2,345 | 1,060.35 | 24,865 | 2,345 | 0.007 |
| Accrol Holdings | Daniel Wright (ch) | 25 April 2019 | 607,500 | 24.5 | 148,838 | 3,077,808 | 1.576 |
| Aeorema Communications | Michael Hale (ch) | 29 April 2019 | 25,000 | 26.8 | 6,700 | 1,770,000 | 19.557 |
| Alliance Trust | Karl Sternberg | 01 May 2019 | 1,595 | 783.9999 | 12,505 | 15,706 | 0.005 |
| Alliance Trust | Christopher Samuel | 29 April 2019 | 10,097 | 788.236 | 79,588 | 50,684 | 0.015 |
| AstraZeneca | Philip Broadley | 30 April 2019 | 520 | 5,738 | 29,838 | 5,735 | 0.000 |
| AstraZeneca | Pascal Soriot (ceo) | 29 April 2019 | 17,100 | 5,825.50 | 996,161 | 45,353 | 0.003 |
| Avon Rubber | Petrus Vervaat | 01 May 2019 | 2,500 | 1,450 | 36,250 | 5,500 | 0.018 |
| BMO Global Smaller Companies | David Stileman | 01 May 2019 | 2,000 | 1,336 | 26,720 | 3,000 | 0.005 |
| Cobham | James Pike (ch)♥ | 01 May 2019 | 87,420 | 114.39 | 100,000 | 87,420 | 0.004 |
| Concepta | Adam Reynolds | 26 April 2019 | 416,667 | 3 | 12,500 | 1,834,722 | 0.692 |
| Concepta | Matthew Walls (ch) | 26 April 2019 | 1,000,000 | 3 | 30,000 | 1,525,000 | 0.576 |
| Concepta | Barbara Spurrier (fd) | 26 April 2019 | 333,333 | 3 | 10,000 | 579,390 | 0.219 |
| Devro | Malcolm Swift | 01 May 2019 | 5,000 | 199 | 9,950 | 10,000 | 0.006 |
| EP Global Opportunities | Tom Walker | 25 April 2019 | 7,000 | 316.5 | 22,155 | 7,000 | 0.017 |
| FireAngel Safety Technology | Michael Stilwell (cfo) | 30 April 2019 | 55,538 | 36 | 19,994 | 55,538 | 0.073 |
| Gamma Communications | Henrietta Marsh | 29 April 2019 | 1,000 | 1,100 | 11,000 | 1,000 | 0.001 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Vivienne Cox | 01 May 2019 | 339 | 1,568 | 5,316 | 4,196 | 0.000 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Manvinder Banga | 01 May 2019 | 458 | 1,568 | 7,181 | 58,784 | 0.001 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Urs Rohner | 01 May 2019 | 458 | 1,568 | 7,181 | 9,206 | 0.000 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Philip Hampton (ch) | 01 May 2019 | 2,790 | 1,568 | 43,747 | 58,998 | 0.001 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Judy Lewent | 01 May 2019 | 908 | 20.335 | 18,464 | 51,826 | 0.001 |
| IndigoVision | Max Thowless-Reeves (ch) | 01 May 2019 | 10,000 | 156.5 | 15,650 | 157,383 | 2.095 |
| IndigoVision | Max Thowless-Reeves (ch) | 30 April 2019 | 10,000 | 160 | 16,000 | 147,383 | 1.962 |
| Jupiter Fund Management | Roger Yates | 01 May 2019 | 25,000 | 377 | 94,250 | 25,000 | 0.005 |
| Mereo BioPharma | Peter Fellner (ch) | 29 April 2019 | 30,000 | 128 | 38,400 | 40,000 | 0.056 |
| Nektan | Gary Shaw | 29 April 2019 | 4,566,667 | 15 | 685,000 | 9,896,835 | 8.955 |
| nmcn | John Homer (ceo) | 29 April 2019 | 15,000 | 505 | 75,750 | 45,967 | 0.454 |
| Playtech | Alan Jackson (ch) | 26 April 2019 | 10,000 | 5.636639 | 56,366 | 35,000 | 0.011 |
| Polar Capital Technology | Charles Park | 01 May 2019 | 1,840 | 1,363.48 | 25,088 | 1,840 | 0.001 |
| PZ Cussons | Dariusz Kucz | 25 April 2019 | 7,500 | 201 | 15,075 | 7,500 | 0.002 |
| RDI REIT | Michael Watters (ceo) | 25 April 2019 | 16,000 | 128.336 | 20,534 | 1,346,686 | 0.354 |
| RDI REIT | Michael Watters (ceo) | 26 April 2019 | 4,185 | 23.9 | 100,022 | 1,350,871 | 0.355 |
| Rentokil Initial | Richard Solomons | 26 April 2019 | 25,000 | 390 | 97,500 | 25,000 | 0.001 |
| Sabre Insurance | Rebecca Shelley | 26 April 2019 | 7,205 | 275.35 | 19,839 | 7,205 | 0.003 |
| Sabre Insurance | Catherine Barton | 26 April 2019 | 7,198 | 276.3 | 19,888 | 7,198 | 0.003 |
| Saga | James Quin (cfo) | 29 April 2019 | 33,118 | 60.4 | 20,003 | 33,118 | 0.003 |
| Sainsbury (J) | Kevin O'Byrne (cfo) | 01 May 2019 | 70,000 | 229.5 | 160,650 | 250,000 | 0.011 |
| Sainsbury (J) | Michael Coupe (ceo) | 01 May 2019 | 100,000 | 230.65 | 230,650 | 1,702,727 | 0.077 |
| Scottish American Investment Co (The) | Nicholas Macpherson | 26 April 2019 | 4,000 | 394.13 | 15,765 | 34,000 | 0.024 |
| Scottish American Investment Co (The) | Nicholas Macpherson♥ | 26 April 2019 | 5,000 | 394.16 | 19,708 | 39,000 | 0.027 |
| SimplyBiz (The) | Neil Stevens (ceo) | 01 May 2019 | 50,000 | 205 | 102,500 | 1,611,975 | 2.108 |
| SOCO International | Michael Watts | 26 April 2019 | 11,452 | 75.4 | 8,635 | 539,496 | 0.163 |
| SOCO International | Janice Brown (cfo) | 26 April 2019 | 11,452 | 75.4 | 8,635 | 406,102 | 0.122 |
| Telit Communications | Harald Rosch | 30 April 2019 | 250,000 | 184.6 | 461,500 | 250,000 | 0.190 |
| VPC Specialty Lending Investments | Mark Katzenellenbogen | 01 May 2019 | 140,000 | 71.5 | 100,100 | 140,000 | 0.041 |
| Yourgene Health | Chia-Han Chang | 25 April 2019 | 4,634,146 | 10.25 | 475,000 | 79,490,142 | 13.838 |
| Yourgene Health | Lyn Rees (ceo) | 25 April 2019 | 243,902 | 10.25 | 25,000 | 743,902 | 0.130 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Colefax | David Green (ch/ceo)♥ | 26 April 2019 | 93,600 | 550 | 514,800 | 2,501,379 | 25.506 |
| Colefax | Robert Barker (fd)♥ | 26 April 2019 | 2,527 | 550 | 13,899 | 192,680 | 1.965 |
| Colefax | Robert Barker (fd)♥ | 26 April 2019 | 6,127 | 550 | 33,699 | 186,553 | 1.902 |
| Colefax | Robert Barker (fd)♥ | 30 April 2019 | 6,127 | 550 | 33,699 | 180,426 | 1.840 |
| Curtis Banks | Louis "Jules" Hydleman | 26 April 2019 | 6,500 | 304 | 19,760 | 36,818 | 0.068 |
| Ferrexpo | Christopher Mawe (cfo) | 25 April 2019 | 150,000 | 268.03 | 402,045 | 191,132 | 0.032 |
| GlobalData | Michael Danson (ceo) | 25 April 2019 | 2,000,000 | 600 | 12,000,000 | 79,028,349 | 66.802 |
| Midwich | Stephen Fenby | 26 April 2019 | 1,000,000 | 625 | 6,250,000 | 19,040,000 | 23.965 |
| Ten Entertainment | Graham Blackwell | 29 April 2019 | 297,000 | 232 | 689,040 | 95,395 | 0.147 |
| * placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party | |||||||
