Bosses at cyber security specialist Sophos (SOPH) recently upgraded their full-year forecasts, after a 28 per cent increase in deferred revenues and a 22 per cent rise in billings during the first half. Sophos had more than 280,000 customers at last count, thanks to an improved renewal rate and client wins.
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The shares have climbed over 150 per cent in the last year, buoyed by strong trading and hacking events such as the Wannacry ransomeware attack. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that some directors have chosen this moment to cash in.
Chief executive Kris Hagerman sold 185,500 shares worth £1.1m. While chief financial officer Nick Bray has in fact sold 450,000 shares to date worth £2.6m, we're assured that Mr Bray maintains a stake in the group. Meanwhile, non-executive director Steve Munford and the Munford Family Foundation offloaded 750,000 shares valued at £4.4m in total.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Aeorema Communications | Richard Owen | 14 Nov 17 | 30,000 | 30 | 9,000 | 80,000 | 0.884 |
| BlueRock Diamonds | Adam Waugh (ceo) | 10 Nov 17 | 1,714,000 | 1.75 | 29,995 | 6,566,273 | 4.696 |
| Capital & Counties Properties♥ | Charlotte Boyle | 10 Nov 17 | 10,000 | 256.94 | 25,694 | 10,000 | 0.001 |
| Capital & Regional | Lawrence Hutchings (ceo) | 10 Nov 17 | 38,710 | 51.25 | 19,839 | 38,710 | 0.005 |
| Essentra | Paul Forman (ceo) | 14 Nov 17 | 20,000 | 502.54 | 100,508 | 120,000 | 0.046 |
| Essentra | Ralph Wunderlich | 14 Nov 17 | 5,000 | 505 | 25,250 | 47,300 | 0.018 |
| Essentra | Ralph Wunderlich | 15 Nov 17 | 5,000 | 500 | 25,000 | 52,300 | 0.020 |
| Fiske | Gerrard Luchini | 10 Nov 17 | 14,000 | 70 | 9,800 | 68,990 | 0.597 |
| Fiske | James Harrison (ceo) | 10 Nov 17 | 31,208 | 70 | 21,846 | 2,312,010 | 20.000 |
| Galliford Try | Peter Ventress (ch) | 13 Nov 17 | 6,324 | 1,179.67 | 74,602 | 10,574 | 0.013 |
| Inmarsat | Abraham Peled | 10 Nov 17 | 4,000 | 544.0076 | 21,760 | 24,000 | 0.005 |
| Inmarsat | Abraham Peled | 10 Nov 17 | 5,000 | 540.2033 | 27,010 | 15,000 | 0.003 |
| Inmarsat | Abraham Peled | 10 Nov 17 | 5,000 | 544.0076 | 27,200 | 20,000 | 0.004 |
| Inmarsat | Abraham Peled | 10 Nov 17 | 6,000 | 540.2033 | 32,412 | 30,000 | 0.007 |
| Inmarsat | Andrew Sukawaty (ch) | 10 Nov 17 | 19,260 | 519.21 | 100,000 | 1,172,352 | 0.256 |
| Inmarsat | Rupert Pearce (ceo) | 10 Nov 17 | 19,260 | 519.21 | 100,000 | 920,623 | 0.201 |
| Land Securities | Robert Noel (ceo) | 14 Nov 17 | 18,365 | 933 | 171,345 | 293,848 | 0.040 |
| Mattioli Woods | Carol Duncumb | 10 Nov 17 | 2,520 | 792.5 | 19,971 | 8,800 | 0.034 |
| Mattioli Woods | Ian Mattioli (ceo) | 10 Nov 17 | 63,080 | 792.5 | 499,909 | 3,299,235 | 12.790 |
| McCarthy & Stone | John White (ch) | 14 Nov 17 | 100,000 | 157.68 | 157,680 | 1,750,192 | 0.326 |
| McCarthy & Stone | Rowan Baker (cfo) | 14 Nov 17 | 6,552 | 151.47 | 9,924 | 7,664 | 0.001 |
| Mucklow (A&J) | Ian Cornock | 9 Nov 17 | 3,838 | 505 | 19,382 | 3,838 | 0.006 |
| Next | Michael Roney (ch) | 9 Nov 17 | 405 | 4,313.50 | 17,470 | 19,466 | 0.013 |
| Next | Michael Roney (ch) | 9 Nov 17 | 4,613 | 4,313.59 | 198,986 | 24,079 | 0.016 |
| PROACTIS | Alan Aubrey (ch) | 10 Nov 17 | 16,500 | 155 | 25,575 | 1,119,820 | 1.207 |
| PROACTIS | Rodney Potts | 10 Nov 17 | 16,500 | 155 | 25,575 | 8,983,427 | 9.682 |
| PROACTIS | Tim Sykes (cfo) | 10 Nov 17 | 16,500 | 155 | 25,575 | 240,735 | 0.259 |
| Plus500 | Daniel King | 14 Nov 17 | 5,323 | 939.3 | 49,999 | 24,140 | 0.021 |
| Restaurant Group | Andy McCue (ceo) | 15 Nov 17 | 20,000 | 277.75 | 55,550 | 75,617 | 0.038 |
| Restaurant Group♥ | Debbie Hewitt (ch) | 14 Nov 17 | 17,996 | 277.83 | 49,998 | 53,638 | 0.027 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr♥ | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 3,000 | 1,063.30 | 31,899 | 42,500 | 0.139 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 4,000 | 1,062 | 42,480 | 23,500 | 0.077 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr♥ | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 4,000 | 1,062 | 42,480 | 27,500 | 0.090 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr♥ | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 4,000 | 1,065.30 | 42,612 | 46,500 | 0.152 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr♥ | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 7,000 | 1,064.80 | 74,536 | 60,500 | 0.198 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr♥ | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 7,000 | 1,075.58 | 75,291 | 53,500 | 0.175 |
| Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's Tr♥ | Jeremy Whitley | 14 Nov 17 | 12,000 | 1,064.20 | 127,704 | 39,500 | 0.129 |
| Spirent Communications | Bill Thomas (ch) | 9 Nov 17 | 20,633 | 96.93 | 20,000 | 46,119 | 0.008 |
| Spirent Communications | Gary Bullard | 9 Nov 17 | 5,000 | 94.6675 | 4,733 | 30,000 | 0.005 |
| Spirent Communications | Gary Bullard | 9 Nov 17 | 10,000 | 95.14 | 9,514 | 40,000 | 0.007 |
| Ultra Electronics | Amitabh Sharma (fd) | 14 Nov 17 | 823 | 1,202 | 9,892 | 1,727 | 0.002 |
| Ultra Electronics | D Caster | 13 Nov 17 | 8,160 | 1,215 | 99,144 | 308,160 | 0.396 |
| Ultra Electronics | J Hirst | 14 Nov 17 | 2,055 | 1,204 | 24,742 | 4,055 | 0.005 |
| Victoria Oil & Gas* | Ahmet Dik (ceo) | 14 Nov 17 | 199,361 | 57 | 113,636 | 1,148,110 | 0.791 |
| Victoria Oil & Gas* | John Bryant | 14 Nov 17 | 1,754 | 57 | 1,000 | 21,754 | 0.015 |
| Victoria Oil & Gas* | Kevin Foo (ch) | 14 Nov 17 | 87,719 | 57 | 50,000 | 2,345,357 | 1.617 |
| XLMedia | Ory Weihs (ceo) | 10 Nov 17 | 30,000 | 161 | 48,300 | 4,000,240 | 1.958 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Fiske | Clive Harrison (ch) | 10 Nov 17 | 104,792 | 70 | 73,354 | 2,080,036 | 17.993 |
| Fiske | Clive Harrison (ch) | 10 Nov 17 | 150,000 | 70 | 105,000 | 2,184,828 | 18.900 |
| Hiscox♥ | Bronek Masojada (ceo) | 09 Nov 17 | 100,000 | 1,444.49 | 1,444,490 | 3,062,910 | 1.069 |
| Hiscox | Richard Watson | 10 Nov 17 | 50,000 | 1,449.97 | 724,984 | 593,194 | 0.207 |
| Intermediate Capital | Philip Keller (fd) | 14 Nov 17 | 130,000 | 1,007.27 | 1,309,451 | 721,531 | 0.249 |
| Sophos | Kris Hagerman (ceo) | 14 Nov 17 | 185,500 | 585.007 | 1,085,188 | 1,226,221 | 0.263 |
| Sophos | Nick Bray (cfo) | 10 Nov 17 | 135,756 | 587 | 796,888 | 113,663 | 0.024 |
| Sophos♥ | Steve Munford | 10 Nov 17 | 300,000 | 587.9 | 1,763,700 | 2,436,059 | 0.523 |
| Sophos♥ | Steve Munford | 13 Nov 17 | 200,000 | 582.8778 | 1,165,756 | 2,236,059 | 0.480 |
| Sophos♥ | Steve Munford | 13 Nov 17 | 250,000 | 582.8788 | 1,457,197 | 1,986,059 | 0.427 |
| *Placing/tender/open offer ♥Spouse/connected party | |||||||
