Piping and ventilation specialist Polypipe’s latest results revealed a record performance for the group in 2017. Pre-tax profits were up 4 per cent over the year, in spite of a relatively subdued repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sector.
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Chairman Ron Marsh and recently-promoted chief executive Martin Payne clearly believe the group has further to go. Both made large share purchases in early April, increasing their holdings by 57 per cent each.
The group's optimism is easy to understand, with demand for new housing in the UK boosting residential systems – its largest division. Revenues for the business were up 10.3 per cent in 2017, as the government’s Help-to-Buy scheme helped prop up demand among first-time buyers. Elsewhere in the UK, the group’s infrastructure division benefited from strong demand for stormwater collection and storage.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Anglo Pacific | Robert Stan | 03 Apr 18 | 11,225 | 153 | 17,174 | 196,765 | 0.109 |
| Anglo Pacific | Robert Stan | 03 Apr 18 | 15,000 | 152.25 | 22,838 | 185,540 | 0.103 |
| Arcontech | Matthew Jeffs (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 3,000 | 63 | 1,890 | 492,000 | 3.843 |
| Arcontech | Matthew Jeffs (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 5,000 | 63 | 3,150 | 489,000 | 3.819 |
| Arcontech | Matthew Jeffs (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 9,000 | 62.25 | 5,603 | 484,000 | 3.780 |
| Arcontech | Matthew Jeffs (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 25,000 | 61.99 | 15,498 | 475,000 | 3.710 |
| Arcontech♥ | Matthew Jeffs (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 30,484 | 62.4 | 19,022 | 522,484 | 4.081 |
| Best of the Best | Michael Hindmarch (ch) | 03 Apr 18 | 5,000 | 187 | 9,350 | 879,722 | 8.711 |
| Biffa | Kenneth Lever (ch) | 03 Apr 18 | 25,000 | 206 | 51,500 | 52,777 | 0.021 |
| Biffa♥ | Kenneth Lever (ch) | 03 Apr 18 | 25,000 | 206 | 51,500 | 77,777 | 0.031 |
| Computacenter | Gregory Lock (ch) | 04 Apr 18 | 4,600 | 1,162 | 53,452 | 584,600 | 0.512 |
| Computacenter♥ | Gregory Lock (ch) | 04 Apr 18 | 5,400 | 1,162 | 62,748 | 590,000 | 0.517 |
| F&C Global Smaller Companies | Anja Balfour | 04 Apr 18 | 2,000 | 1,280 | 25,600 | 4,000 | 0.007 |
| F&C UK High Income Trust | James Williams | 04 Apr 18 | 11,410 | 96 | 10,954 | 11,410 | 0.013 |
| First Property | Ben Habib (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 100,000 | 46.25 | 46,250 | 16,850,000 | 15.914 |
| Foxtons | Nic Budden (ceo) | 04 Apr 18 | 1,000,000 | 80.34 | 803,400 | 1,000,000 | 0.363 |
| Gfinity* | Neville Upton (ceo) | 04 Apr 18 | 166,666 | 12 | 20,000 | 14,877,245 | 5.437 |
| Hiscox | Anne Macdonald | 29 Mar 18 | 1,507 | 1,445 | 21,776 | 23,692 | 0.008 |
| Hiscox | Colin Keogh | 29 Mar 18 | 1,807 | 1,445 | 26,111 | 18,823 | 0.007 |
| IP Group | Greg Smith (cfo) | 03 Apr 18 | 10,000 | 121 | 12,100 | 298,351 | 0.028 |
| IP Group | Alan Aubrey (ceo) | 03 Apr 18 | 81,000 | 121 | 98,010 | 2,647,428 | 0.250 |
| IP Group | David Baynes | 04 Apr 18 | 16,000 | 121 | 19,360 | 262,975 | 0.025 |
| IP Group | Jonathan Brooks | 03 Apr 18 | 17,210 | 116.4 | 20,032 | 81,826 | 0.008 |
| IP Group | Mike Townend | 03 Apr 18 | 20,000 | 121 | 24,200 | 1,156,902 | 0.109 |
| IP Group | Mike Humphrey (ch) | 03 Apr 18 | 20,000 | 119 | 23,800 | 106,153 | 0.010 |
| IP Group | David Begg | 03 Apr 18 | 1,763 | 116.9 | 2,061 | 42,391 | 0.004 |
| IP Group | Lynn Gladden | 03 Apr 18 | 8,281 | 120 | 9,937 | 8,281 | 0.001 |
| Immunodiagnostic Systems | Jaap Stuut (ceo) | 29 Mar 18 | 2,500 | 222 | 5,550 | 2,500 | 0.009 |
| JPMorgan American Investment Trust | Kevin Carter (ch) | 04 Apr 18 | 6,000 | 371.29 | 22,277 | 30,000 | 0.013 |
| K3 Business Technology♥ | Johan Claesson | 29 Mar 18 | 227,907 | 172 | 392,000 | 5,087,697 | 11.847 |
| Lamprell | Mel Fitzgerald | 29 Mar 18 | 11,770 | 74 | 8,710 | 11,770 | 0.003 |
| Non-Standard Finance | Nick Teunon (cfo) | 29 Mar 18 | 31,770 | 62.6 | 19,888 | 87,980 | 0.028 |
| North Midland Construction♥ | Daniel Taylor (fd) | 03 Apr 18 | 1,536 | 323 | 4,961 | 35,635 | 0.351 |
| North Midland Construction | Daniel Taylor (fd) | 03 Apr 18 | 2,000 | 320 | 6,400 | 29,896 | 0.295 |
| North Midland Construction | Daniel Taylor (fd) | 03 Apr 18 | 2,000 | 321 | 6,420 | 34,099 | 0.336 |
| North Midland Construction | Daniel Taylor (fd) | 03 Apr 18 | 2,203 | 323 | 7,116 | 32,099 | 0.316 |
| Obtala | Miles Pelham (ch) | 29 Mar 18 | 2,857,143 | 12.5 | 357,143 | 18,514,286 | 5.615 |
| Polypipe | Martin Payne (ceo) | 03 Apr 18 | 40,000 | 345.6 | 138,240 | 109,726 | 0.055 |
| Polypipe | Ron Marsh (ch) | 03 Apr 18 | 100,000 | 350.5 | 350,500 | 275,000 | 0.139 |
| Shires Income | Robin Archibald | 03 Apr 18 | 7,640 | 259 | 19,788 | 7,640 | 0.025 |
| Smiths | John Shipsey (cfo) | 03 Apr 18 | 25,000 | 1,494 | 373,500 | 25,000 | 0.006 |
| Spirax-Sarco Engineering | Jane Kingston | 04 Apr 18 | 1,500 | 5,645 | 84,675 | 2,580 | 0.004 |
| Standard Life Aberdeen | Kevin Parry | 03 Apr 18 | 14,246 | 356.64 | 50,807 | 64,246 | 0.002 |
| Standard Life Aberdeen | Roderick Paris | 29 Mar 18 | 22,673 | 367.7 | 83,369 | 625,083 | 0.021 |
| Taptica International | Hagai Tal (ceo) | 03 Apr 18 | 47,500 | 300 | 142,500 | 9,501,259 | 14.057 |
| Taptica International | Yaniv Carmi (cfo) | 03 Apr 18 | 15,428 | 300 | 46,284 | 110,000 | 0.163 |
| Tasty | Keith Lassman (ch) | 29 Mar 18 | 165,000 | 11.9 | 19,635 | 333,185 | 0.557 |
| Venture Life♥ | Jerry Randall (ceo) | 04 Apr 18 | 49,510 | 41 | 20,299 | 3,881,619 | 10.537 |
| Venture Life | Jerry Randall (ceo) | 04 Apr 18 | 49,510 | 41 | 20,299 | 3,931,129 | 10.672 |
| XLMedia | Ory Weihs (ceo) | 03 Apr 18 | 40,000 | 149 | 59,600 | 4,182,929 | 1.898 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Alumasc♥ | Andrew Magson (fd) | 04 Apr 18 | 6,452 | 124 | 8,000 | 127,540 | 0.353 |
| Greggs | Richard Hutton (fd) | 04 Apr 18 | 9,209 | 1,219.62 | 112,315 | 21,611 | 0.021 |
| Independent Investment Trust (The) | D McDougall (ch) | 04 Apr 18 | 30,000 | 705 | 211,500 | 8,269,500 | 14.908 |
*placing/tender/open offer ♥spouse/connected party | |||||||
