In October last year Merlin Entertainment (MERL) warned that poor summer weather and fears around terrorism made for a disappointing summer season. Fast forward to the annual results at the beginning of March and a record number of visitors during 2017 helped make up for this. Legoland continued to be the star attraction, with sales up by nearly a fifth to £609m, while a new location in Japan opened on time and on budget. Another is now slated to open in New York. Midway attractions in London had a tougher time, so some of the cash that was previously budgeted for this division will be diverted to open new accommodation.
Management is optimistic about the current financial year, with plans to open nine attractions and 644 rooms during 2018. The recent share purchase by non-executive director Charles Gurassa supports this sentiment. He bought around £250,000-worth of shares, or 69,504 at 359.69p each.
Buys | |||||||
Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
Admiral | Annette Court (ch) | 01 Mar 18 | 1,740 | 1889 | 32,869 | 5,215 | 0.002 |
Barratt Developments | John Allan (ch) | 05 Mar 18 | 9,000 | 537.586 | 48,383 | 51,705 | 0.005 |
BlackRock World Mining Trust | Ian Cockerill (ch) | 02 Mar 18 | 20,000 | 389.25 | 77,850 | 60,789 | 0.034 |
Bodycote | Anne Quinn (ch) | 06 Mar 18 | 9,000 | 932 | 83,880 | 9,000 | 0.005 |
Bovis Homes | Greg Fitzgerald (ceo) | 05 Mar 18 | 8,253 | 1,144.73 | 94,475 | 450,733 | 0.335 |
Brewin Dolphin | Simon Miller (ch) | 01 Mar 18 | 5,000 | 344.1 | 17,205 | 80,000 | 0.028 |
Burberry | Orna NiChionna | 07 Mar 18 | 3,067 | 1,621.56 | 49,733 | 3,067 | 0.001 |
Burberry | Ron Frasch | 07 Mar 18 | 885 | 1,635.50 | 14,474 | 885 | 0.000 |
Centrica | Iain Conn (ceo) | 01 Mar 18 | 100,000 | 143.52 | 143,520 | 731,746 | 0.013 |
Coats♥ | Echo Lu | 06 Mar 18 | 15,000 | 84 | 12,600 | 15,000 | 0.001 |
Derwent London | Helen Gordon | 01 Mar 18 | 858 | 2,897.64 | 24,862 | 858 | 0.001 |
Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust | David Simpson (ch) | 07 Mar 18 | 21,739 | 116 | 25,217 | 87,134 | 0.095 |
Fisher (James) & Sons♥ | Justin Atkinson | 01 Mar 18 | 3,150 | 1,570 | 49,455 | 3,150 | 0.006 |
Gama Aviation* | Marwan Khalek (ceo) | 02 Mar 18 | 255,105 | 245 | 625,007 | 14,179,607 | 22.291 |
Harworth | Andrew Kirkman (fd) | 06 Mar 18 | 60,000 | 110.814 | 66,488 | 200,000 | 0.062 |
Harworth | Alastair Lyons (ch) | 07 Mar 18 | 90,000 | 110.5 | 99,450 | 90,000 | 0.028 |
ITV | Salman Amin | 02 Mar 18 | 6,835 | 155.1 | 10,601 | 6,835 | 0.000 |
ITV | Margaret Ewing | 01 Mar 18 | 16,000 | 155.7 | 24,912 | 22,700 | 0.001 |
ITV | Carolyn McCall (ceo) | 02 Mar 18 | 96,583 | 154.2 | 148,931 | 96,583 | 0.002 |
ITV | Peter Bazalgette (ch) | 02 Mar 18 | 64,402 | 154.5 | 99,501 | 313,497 | 0.008 |
Man Group | Andrew Horton | 02 Mar 18 | 50,000 | 161 | 80,500 | 100,000 | 0.006 |
Man Group | Lord Livingston (ch) | 01 Mar 18 | 29,651 | 167.4183 | 49,641 | 62,789 | 0.004 |
Meggitt | Colin Day | 02 Mar 18 | 20,000 | 448.74 | 89,748 | 72,454 | 0.009 |
Merlin Entertainments | Charles Gurassa | 02 Mar 18 | 69,504 | 359.69 | 249,999 | 101,250 | 0.010 |
Mi-Pay* | Allen Atwell | 06 Mar 18 | 201,048 | 12.5 | 25,131 | 336,920 | 0.737 |
Mi-Pay* | Michael Dickerson (ceo) | 06 Mar 18 | 2,000,000 | 12.5 | 250,000 | 2,570,553 | 5.621 |
Miton Global Opportunities | Ekaterina Thomson | 07 Mar 18 | 6,000 | 283.605 | 17,016 | 6,000 | 0.023 |
Murray Income Trust | Peter Tait | 06 Mar 18 | 3,000 | 742.3926 | 22,272 | 3,000 | 0.004 |
Oxford Instruments | Ian Barkshire (ceo) | 01 Mar 18 | 6,000 | 753 | 45,180 | 11,982 | 0.021 |
Oxford Instruments | Alan Thomson (ch) | 01 Mar 18 | 5,000 | 761 | 38,050 | 5,000 | 0.009 |
Oxford Instruments | Gavin Hill | 01 Mar 18 | 1,500 | 732 | 10,980 | 5,500 | 0.010 |
Oxford Instruments | Gavin Hill | 01 Mar 18 | 4,000 | 738 | 29,520 | 4,000 | 0.007 |
Pantheon International♥ | John Burgess | 02 Mar 18 | 39,982 | 1,860 | 743,665 | 39,982 | 0.074 |
Pantheon International | John Singer | 02 Mar 18 | 39,982 | 1,860 | 743,665 | 39,982 | 0.074 |
Persimmon | Marion Sears | 01 Mar 18 | 850 | 2,581.89 | 21,946 | 12,850 | 0.004 |
Persimmon | Marion Sears | 01 Mar 18 | 1,000 | 2,581.89 | 25,858 | 11,000 | 0.004 |
Persimmon | Marion Sears | 01 Mar 18 | 1,000 | 2,589 | 25,890 | 12,000 | 0.004 |
Polar Capital Global Healthcare Trust | Neil Ransome | 07 Mar 18 | 10,073 | 192.2 | 19,360 | 10,073 | 0.008 |
SDL | Adolfo Hernandez (ceo) | 07 Mar 18 | 20,000 | 386 | 77,200 | 140,000 | 0.170 |
Spire Healthcare | Justin Ash (ceo) | 06 Mar 18 | 46,500 | 215.2 | 100,068 | 220,100 | 0.055 |
St Modwen Properties | Mark Allan (ceo) | 05 Mar 18 | 40,000 | 373.4 | 149,360 | 225,427 | 0.101 |
Standard Life Aberdeen | Richard Mully | 05 Mar 18 | 20,000 | 364.5 | 72,900 | 72,990 | 0.002 |
VPC Specialty Lending Investments♥ | Richard Levy | 07 Mar 18 | 69,930 | 79.8 | 55,804 | 2,734,826 | 0.742 |
Velocity Composites | Mark Mills (ch) | 06 Mar 18 | 100,000 | 68 | 68,000 | 2,034,024 | 5.682 |
Wilmington | Pedro Ros (ceo) | 02 Mar 18 | 14,444 | 249.23 | 35,999 | 135,000 | 0.155 |
Sells | |||||||
Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
BP Marsh & Partners♥ | Brian Marsh (ch) | 01 Mar 18 | 39,000 | 271 | 105,690 | 17,729,581 | 60.735 |
FastForward Innovations | Lorne Abony (ceo) | 07 Mar 18 | 12,248,436 | 17.6 | 2,155,725 | 12,248,434 | 9.369 |
GB | Nick Brown | 02 Mar 18 | 3,884 | 420.32 | 16,325 | 877,585 | 0.575 |
GB | Nick Brown | 02 Mar 18 | 21,116 | 418.5 | 88,370 | 881,469 | 0.577 |
GB | Nick Brown | 02 Mar 18 | 100,000 | 418.5 | 418,500 | 902,585 | 0.591 |
GB♥ | Nick Brown | 05 Mar 18 | 13,560 | 407.5 | 55,257 | 864,025 | 0.566 |
Harworth | Jonson Cox | 07 Mar 18 | 150,000 | 110 | 165,000 | 716,504 | 0.223 |
Symphony International | Georges Makhoul | 01 Mar 18 | 2,274,523 | 80.5 | 1,830,991 | 665,477 | 0.136 |
Watkin Jones♥ | Mark Watkin Jones (ceo) | 07 Mar 18 | 3,825,000 | 195 | 7,458,750 | 3,825,000 | 1.498 |
Wynnstay | Bryan Roberts (fd) | 07 Mar 18 | 3,000 | 452 | 13,560 | 98,498 | 0.501 |
*Pacing/tender/open offer ♥Spouse/connected party |