It was a game of two halves when Associated British Foods (ABF) announced its half-year results just a week ago. The Primark owner blamed the abolishment of sugar quotas by the EU last year for a sudden oversupply of the commodity, which hurt prices and thus, ABF’s sugar division. In fact, ABF’s sugar division reported a 12 per cent decline in sales at constant currency to £938m during the first half, while operating profit fell by a quarter to £90m.
Now it seems chairman Michael McLintock is doing his bit to buck up confidence among investors by spending over £200,000 on doubling his holding in the group. But, considering the 1.5 per cent decline in underlying sales at retail chain Primark during the first half, it might take more than this to soothe investors’ concerns.
Buys | |||||||
Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
AA | Simon Breakwell (ceo) | 17 Apr 18 | 17,006 | 117 | 19,897 | 142,249 | 0.023 |
AA | Simon Breakwell (ceo) | 17 Apr 18 | 125,243 | 119 | 149,039 | 125,243 | 0.020 |
AIB♥ | Carolan Lennon | 13 Apr 18 | 5,700 | 516.5 | 29,441 | 7,700 | 0.000 |
Amerisur Resources | Dana Coffield | 16 Apr 18 | 233,000 | 15.11 | 35,206 | 384,000 | 0.032 |
Amerisur Resources | Dana Coffield | 18 Apr 18 | 216,000 | 15.82 | 34,171 | 600,000 | 0.049 |
Amerisur Resources♥ | John Wardle (ceo) | 17 Apr 18 | 322,000 | 15.5 | 49,910 | 21,494,505 | 1.772 |
Amerisur Resources | Chris Jenkins | 16 Apr 18 | 200,000 | 15.06 | 30,120 | 1,250,000 | 0.103 |
Associated British Foods | Michael McLintock (ch) | 18 Apr 18 | 7,500 | 2,687.88 | 201,591 | 15,000 | 0.002 |
Athelney Trust | S Moore | 13 Apr 18 | 8,000 | 235 | 18,800 | 40,000 | 1.854 |
C4X Discovery | Clive Dix (ceo) | 16 Apr 18 | 20,000 | 101.5 | 20,300 | 1,344,936 | 2.889 |
C4X Discovery | Clive Dix (ceo) | 17 Apr 18 | 10,000 | 108.5 | 10,850 | 1,354,936 | 2.910 |
C4X Discovery | Clive Dix (ceo) | 17 Apr 18 | 60,000 | 113 | 67,800 | 1,414,936 | 3.039 |
ClearStar | Barney Quinn (ch) | 18 Apr 18 | 33,660 | 44 | 14,810 | 278,215 | 0.766 |
Computacenter | Peter Ryan | 13 Apr 18 | 900 | 1235.4 | 11,119 | 900 | 0.001 |
Ebiquity | Michael Higgins (ch) | 12 Apr 18 | 16,000 | 69 | 11,040 | 80,500 | 0.109 |
Ferguson | John Martin (ceo) | 18 Apr 18 | 5,523 | 5418 | 299,236 | 112,229 | 0.045 |
Grafenia* | Conrad Bona | 13 Apr 18 | 250,000 | 12 | 30,000 | 865,000 | 1.819 |
Grafenia* | Peter Gunning (ceo) | 13 Apr 18 | 175,000 | 12 | 21,000 | 1,625,000 | 3.417 |
Midwich♥ | Andrew Herbert (ch) | 13 Apr 18 | 10,000 | 560 | 56,000 | 30,000 | 0.038 |
NetScientific* | Barry Wilson | 17 Apr 18 | 30,952 | 5.5 | 1,702 | 67,310 | 0.086 |
NetScientific* | Stephen Smith | 17 Apr 18 | 28,571 | 52.5 | 15,000 | 28,571 | 0.036 |
NetScientific* | Richard Sykes (ch) | 16 Apr 18 | 30,952 | 52.5 | 16,250 | 93,452 | 0.119 |
Old Mutual | Alan Gillespie | 16 Apr 18 | 835,000 | 233.9 | 1,953,065 | 848,000 | 0.017 |
Old Mutual | Alan Gillespie | 17 Apr 18 | 835,000 | 236.16 | 1,971,936 | 1,683,000 | 0.034 |
Personal Assets Trust | Iain Ferguson | 13 Apr 18 | 50 | 39,271.33 | 19,636 | 58 | 0.003 |
Personal Assets Trust♥ | Iain Ferguson | 13 Apr 18 | 50 | 39,271.33 | 19,636 | 108 | 0.005 |
Petropavlovsk♥ | Bektas Mukazhanov | 17 Apr 18 | 926,026 | 6.96 | 64,451 | 926,026 | 0.028 |
Petropavlovsk | Adrian Coates | 16 Apr 18 | 142,255 | 6.995 | 9,951 | 142,255 | 0.004 |
Primorus Investments | Jeremy Taylor-Firth (ch) | 16 Apr 18 | 12,500,000 | 0.1585 | 19,813 | 12,500,000 | 0.447 |
Raven Russia | Anton Bilton | 18 Apr 18 | 1,250,000 | 42.5 | 531,250 | 43,867,676 | 6.641 |
Rotala | Graham Peacock | 12 Apr 18 | 50,000 | 54 | 27,000 | 2,791,666 | 5.813 |
Saga | Lance Batchelor (ce) | 12 Apr 18 | 15,629 | 127.32 | 19,899 | 178,854 | 0.016 |
Saga♥ | Lance Batchelor (ce) | 12 Apr 18 | 15,711 | 126.66 | 19,900 | 194,565 | 0.017 |
Schroder UK Growth Fund | Andrew Westenberger | 13 Apr 18 | 11,379 | 182 | 20,710 | 20,000 | 0.013 |
Schroder UK Growth Fund | Carolan Dobson (ch) | 13 Apr 18 | 10,989 | 182 | 20,000 | 26,949 | 0.018 |
Solid State | Tony Frere (ch) | 13 Apr 18 | 5,000 | 285 | 14,250 | 13,004 | 0.154 |
Solid State | John Macmichael | 13 Apr 18 | 2,000 | 279 | 5,580 | 122,222 | 1.446 |
Solid State | Matthews Richards | 13 Apr 18 | 2,400 | 282 | 6,768 | 4,800 | 0.057 |
Solid State | Peter Haining | 13 Apr 18 | 1,736 | 285 | 4,948 | 54,237 | 0.642 |
Solid State | Pete James (fd) | 13 Apr 18 | 684 | 285 | 1,949 | 684 | 0.008 |
Standard Life Private Equity Trust | Calum Thomson | 18 Apr 18 | 3,700 | 322.3 | 11,925 | 13,700 | 0.009 |
Tavistock Investments | Brian Raven (ceo) | 13 Apr 18 | 328,333 | 3.05 | 10,014 | 63,855,712 | 11.887 |
Time Out | Julio Bruno Castellanos (ceo) | 18 Apr 18 | 21,500 | 116 | 24,940 | 92,124 | 0.069 |
Walker Crips♥ | Lim Hua Min | 17 Apr 18 | 30,000 | 37 | 11,100 | 10,099,163 | 23.950 |
XLMedia | Ory Weihs (ceo) | 17 Apr 18 | 32,258 | 155 | 50,000 | 4,215,187 | 1.913 |
Sells | |||||||
Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
Crest Nicholson | Stephen Stone (ch) | 18 Apr 18 | 250,000 | 482.875 | 1,207,188 | 3,520,080 | 1.376 |
Ergomed | Miroslav Reljanovic | 16 Apr 18 | 4,000,000 | 190 | 7,600,000 | 11,132,237 | 24.898 |
Huntsworth | Neil Jones (cfo) | 16 Apr 18 | 144,590 | 96.87 | 140,064 | 255,410 | 0.077 |
Ideagen | Jonathan Wearing (ch) | 16 Apr 18 | 150,000 | 109 | 163,500 | 4,189,066 | 2.067 |
Independent Investment Trust (The) | D McDougall (ch) | 13 Apr 18 | 35,000 | 717.15 | 251,003 | 8,209,500 | 14.800 |
Independent Investment Trust (The) | D McDougall (ch) | 18 Apr 18 | 50,000 | 727.5 | 363,750 | 8,159,500 | 14.710 |
Mid Wynd International Inv Trust | Russell Napier | 12 Apr 18 | 4,100 | 470.5 | 19,291 | 175,225 | 0.506 |
Mid Wynd International Inv Trust♥ | Russell Napier | 12 Apr 18 | 15,300 | 470.5 | 71,987 | 159,925 | 0.462 |
Ubisense♥ | Oliver Scott | 16 Apr 18 | 1,600,000 | 45 | 720,000 | 19,045,493 | 26.062 |
*Placing/tender/open offer ♥Spouse/connected party |