Shareholders in tobacco giant Imperial Brands (IMB) should feel more confident after the company’s non-executive director Simon Langelier brought 24,100 shares last week in a transaction worth £830,666. The shares have slipped by around 14 per cent over the past year as falling tobacco volumes have made investors nervous. This volume decline has also fuelled speculation that Imperial Brands could be the next takeover target as part of wider industry consolidation, although chief executive Allison Cooper played down the idea at time of the half-year results.
If Imperial Brands continues to go it alone, it's done well to keep up with market trends. Despite the fall in cigarette volumes it's managed to increase revenue by promoting its more expensive brands and by exploring alternative products, such as vaporisers and low calorie energy products. Continued free cash flow and high cash conversion has also allowed it to commit to increasing the dividend by at least 10 per cent each year over the medium term.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Aberdeen Japan Investment Trust♥ | Neil Gaskell (ch) | 19 Jul 17 | 17,578 | 566 | 99,491 | 35,078 | 0.234 |
| Animalcare* | Edwin Torr | 13 Jul 17 | 85,455 | 350 | 299,093 | 107,455 | 0.179 |
| Animalcare* | Jan Boone (ch) | 13 Jul 17 | 50,171 | 350 | 175,599 | 50,171 | 0.084 |
| Apax Global Alpha | Sarah Evans | 13 Jul 17 | 20,000 | 152.3 | 30,460 | 40,000 | 0.008 |
| Apax Global Alpha♥ | Sarah Evans | 13 Jul 17 | 35,000 | 152.5 | 53,375 | 75,000 | 0.015 |
| Autins | Adam Attwood (ch) | 19 Jul 17 | 35,778 | 139.4 | 49,875 | 455,428 | 2.061 |
| Autins | Ian Griffiths | 19 Jul 17 | 14,311 | 139.4 | 19,950 | 14,311 | 0.065 |
| Autins | Michael Jennings (ceo) | 19 Jul 17 | 71,557 | 139.4 | 99,750 | 71,557 | 0.324 |
| Bahamas Petroleum* | Edward Shallcross | 19 Jul 17 | 2,750,000 | 1 | 27,500 | 3,070,000 | 0.203 |
| Bahamas Petroleum* | Adrian Collins | 19 Jul 17 | 2,000,000 | 1 | 20,000 | 2,200,000 | 0.146 |
| Bahamas Petroleum* | James Smith | 19 Jul 17 | 1,850,000 | 1 | 18,500 | 1,850,000 | 0.122 |
| Bahamas Petroleum* | William Schrader (ch) | 19 Jul 17 | 2,825,000 | 1 | 28,250 | 3,075,000 | 0.204 |
| Bahamas Petroleum* | Ross McDonald | 19 Jul 17 | 1,850,000 | 1 | 18,500 | 2,100,000 | 0.139 |
| Bahamas Petroleum* | Simon Potter (ceo) | 19 Jul 17 | 2,000,000 | 1 | 20,000 | 4,000,000 | 0.265 |
| Dixons Carphone | Ian Livingston (ch) | 14 Jul 17 | 19,087 | 260 | 49,626 | 50,976 | 0.004 |
| GB | David Rasche (ch) | 13 Jul 17 | 14,695 | 338.875 | 49,798 | 855,473 | 0.562 |
| Imperial Brands | Simon Langelier | 19 Jul 17 | 24,100 | 3,446.75 | 830,666 | 24,100 | 0.003 |
| Inspired Energy* | Mark Dickinson | 18 Jul 17 | 344,828 | 14.5 | 50,000 | 689,655 | 0.125 |
| Inspired Energy* | Richard Logan | 18 Jul 17 | 344,828 | 14.5 | 50,000 | 344,828 | 0.062 |
| Intercede | Chuck Pol | 17 Jul 17 | 70,537 | 55 | 38,795 | 70,537 | 0.142 |
| Micro Focus International | Kevin Loosemore (ch) | 18 Jul 17 | 49,000 | 2,170.60 | 1,063,594 | 750,418 | 0.327 |
| Mid Wynd International Inv Trust | David Kidd | 17 Jul 17 | 7,500 | 446.7 | 33,503 | 17,500 | 0.054 |
| NCC | Brian Tenner (cfo) | 18 Jul 17 | 27,493 | 180.91 | 49,738 | 27,493 | 0.010 |
| NCC | Brian Tenner (cfo) | 18 Jul 17 | 27,499 | 180.87 | 49,737 | 83,810 | 0.030 |
| NCC | Brian Tenner (cfo) | 18 Jul 17 | 27,499 | 180.87 | 49,737 | 111,309 | 0.040 |
| NCC | Brian Tenner (cfo) | 18 Jul 17 | 28,818 | 179.5 | 51,728 | 56,311 | 0.020 |
| NCC | Chris Batterham | 18 Jul 17 | 28,000 | 179.5 | 50,260 | 50,000 | 0.018 |
| NCC | Chris Stone | 18 Jul 17 | 50,000 | 180.75 | 90,375 | 50,000 | 0.018 |
| NCC | Jonathan Brooks | 18 Jul 17 | 30,000 | 179.5 | 53,850 | 30,000 | 0.011 |
| NCC | Thomas Chambers | 18 Jul 17 | 8,234 | 181.09 | 14,911 | 29,134 | 0.011 |
| NCC♥ | Debbie Hewitt | 18 Jul 17 | 6,946 | 179.96 | 12,500 | 51,289 | 0.019 |
| NCC♥ | Debbie Hewitt | 18 Jul 17 | 6,954 | 179.45 | 12,479 | 44,343 | 0.016 |
| Northgate | Andrew Page (ch) | 18 Jul 17 | 30,000 | 422.22 | 126,666 | 40,000 | 0.030 |
| Omega Diagnostics* | Jag Grewal | 19 Jul 17 | 53,333 | 18 | 9,600 | 153,246 | 0.121 |
| Omega Diagnostics* | Andrew Shepherd (ceo) | 19 Jul 17 | 111,111 | 18 | 20,000 | 2,819,291 | 2.222 |
| Omega Diagnostics* | Colin King | 19 Jul 17 | 277,777 | 18 | 50,000 | 277,777 | 0.219 |
| Omega Diagnostics* | David Evans (ch) | 19 Jul 17 | 1,111,111 | 18 | 200,000 | 4,154,745 | 3.274 |
| Personal Assets Trust | Jean Sharp | 17 Jul 17 | 4 | 40,572.31 | 1,623 | 952 | 0.047 |
| Personal Assets Trust | Hamish Buchan (ch) | 18 Jul 17 | 4 | 40,756.90 | 1,630 | 1,128 | 0.056 |
| Personal Assets Trust | Robin Angus | 18 Jul 17 | 4 | 40,756.90 | 1,630 | 4,549 | 0.226 |
| Personal Assets Trust♥ | Robin Angus | 18 Jul 17 | 5 | 40,800 | 2,040 | 4,565 | 0.227 |
| Personal Assets Trust | Robin Angus | 18 Jul 17 | 5 | 40,868.60 | 2,043 | 4,554 | 0.226 |
| Personal Assets Trust♥ | Robin Angus | 18 Jul 17 | 6 | 40,756.90 | 2,445 | 4,560 | 0.226 |
| Polar Capital | Tom Bartlam (ch) | 18 Jul 17 | 50,000 | 430 | 215,000 | 100,000 | 0.109 |
| QinetiQ | Steve Wadey (ceo) | 13 Jul 17 | 15,000 | 261.6816 | 39,252 | 37,069 | 0.007 |
| Renewi♥ | Toby Woolrych (fd) | 13 Jul 17 | 58,413 | 85.15 | 49,739 | 149,908 | 0.019 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Animalcare* | Ian Menneer | 13 Jul 17 | 305,000 | 350 | 1,067,500 | 601,932 | 1.005 |
| Animalcare* | Nick Wills | 13 Jul 17 | 250,000 | 350 | 875,000 | 60,446 | 0.101 |
| Animalcare* | Chris Brewster | 13 Jul 17 | 164,000 | 350 | 574,000 | 280,513 | 0.468 |
| Conviviality♥ | Diana Hunter (ceo) | 19 Jul 17 | 30,000 | 337.1 | 101,130 | 763,476 | 0.442 |
| IronRidge Resources | Geoffrey Crow | 19 Jul 17 | 1,000,000 | 35 | 350,000 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Kalibrate Technologies | Neville Davis | 13 Jul 17 | 25,000 | 85.5 | 21,375 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Kalibrate Technologies | Philip Lawler | 13 Jul 17 | 63,532 | 85.5 | 54,320 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Premier Technical Services | Roger McDowell | 17 Jul 17 | 269,828 | 115 | 310,302 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Wizz Air | Tierry de Preux | 19 Jul 17 | 5,000 | 2,600 | 130,000 | 56,384 | 0.078 |
| Wizz Air | Tierry de Preux | 19 Jul 17 | 5,000 | 2,626 | 131,300 | 61,384 | 0.085 |
| Wizz Air | Tierry de Preux | 19 Jul 17 | 5,000 | 2,644 | 132,200 | 51,384 | 0.071 |
| YouGov | Doug Rivers | 14 Jul 17 | 250,000 | 260 | 650,000 | 1,238,135 | 1.178 |
*Placing/tender/open offer ♥Spouse/connected party
