Victoria (VCP) bosses have tried explaining why the interior design company's shares have fallen more than 40 per cent since early September. Chairman Geoff Wilding blamed "untrue" rumours about the company, although a warning in Ocotber about an expected margin squeeze likely didn't help. Indeed, the half-year results in November revealed that operating margins fell from 6.8 per cent to 5 per cent on a reported basis. Reported pre-tax profits also nearly halved, while after-tax profits fell from £6m to £0.7m.
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470p
Purchasing shares is often a tactic to try to shore up investor confidence, and Victoria executives appear to be doing just that. On results day, Mr Wilding bought £4.91m worth of shares at 491p each, while non-executive directors Alexander Anton and Andrew Harrison bought £243,245 and £49,956 worth of shares, respectively.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Amerisur Resources | Christopher Jenkins | 23 Nov 18 | 100,000 | 11.92 | 11,920 | 1,350,000 | 0.111 |
| Amerisur Resources | Christopher Jenkins | 23 Nov 18 | 50,000 | 12.048 | 6,024 | 1,400,000 | 0.115 |
| Amerisur Resources | John Wardle (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 8,125,000 | 12.3073 | 999,967 | 30,014,505 | 2.474 |
| Amerisur Resources | John Wardle (ceo) | 28 Nov 18 | 687,000 | 13.1 | 89,997 | 30,701,505 | 2.531 |
| Amerisur Resources | Elodie Grant Goodey | 23 Nov 18 | 36,959 | 13.5 | 4,989 | 36,959 | 0.003 |
| Amerisur Resources | Giles Clarke (ch) | 26 Nov 18 | 500,000 | 13.743 | 68,715 | 18,005,227 | 1.484 |
| Babcock International | Franco Martinelli (fd) | 22 Nov 18 | 7,000 | 550 | 38,500 | 322,509 | 0.064 |
| Babcock International | Archie Bethel (ceo) | 22 Nov 18 | 12,000 | 560.9 | 67,308 | 424,063 | 0.084 |
| Babcock International | Michael Turner (ch) | 22 Nov 18 | 7,500 | 566.4 | 42,480 | 107,384 | 0.021 |
| Charles Stanley | Ben Money-Coutts (cfo) | 23 Nov 18 | 5,236 | 285 | 14,923 | 18,009 | 0.035 |
| Charles Stanley | Paul Andrew Abberley (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 68,500 | 290 | 198,650 | 89,718 | 0.177 |
| Compass | John Bryant | 28 Nov 18 | 1,074 | 1,653.50 | 17,759 | 3,016 | 0.000 |
| Compass | John Bryant | 28 Nov 18 | 539 | 1,653.75 | 8,914 | 3,555 | 0.000 |
| Compass | John Bryant | 28 Nov 18 | 2,470 | 1,654 | 40,854 | 6,025 | 0.000 |
| Compass | John Bryant | 28 Nov 18 | 1,202 | 1,654.25 | 19,884 | 1,202 | 0.000 |
| Compass | John Bryant | 28 Nov 18 | 740 | 1,654.50 | 12,243 | 1,942 | 0.000 |
| Condor Gold | James Mellon | 22 Nov 18 | 952,380 | 22 | 209,524 | 2,889,883 | 4.302 |
| Condor Gold | Mark Child (ch & ceo) | 22 Nov 18 | 90,000 | 22 | 19,800 | 4,052,500 | 6.032 |
| Dalata Hotel | Dermot Crowley (dep ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 5,000 | 4.72 | 23,600 | 439,454 | 0.238 |
| Dalata Hotel | Stephen McNally (dep ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 10,000 | 4.745 | 47,450 | 449,538 | 0.244 |
| Dalata Hotel | Patrick McCann (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 20,000 | 4.75 | 95,000 | 1,274,515 | 0.692 |
| Findel | William Grimsey | 28 Nov 18 | 22,064 | 225 | 49,644 | 47,064 | 0.054 |
| Findel | Ian Michael Burke (ch) | 28 Nov 18 | 20,000 | 225.3 | 45,060 | 60,000 | 0.069 |
| Findel | Stuart Caldwell (cfo) | 28 Nov 18 | 10,907 | 228 | 24,868 | 35,727 | 0.041 |
| Findel | Francois Coumau | 27 Nov 18 | 21,755 | 228.674 | 49,748 | 40,558 | 0.047 |
| Findel | Philip Binns Maudsley (ceo) | 28 Nov 18 | 53,830 | 231 | 124,347 | 292,436 | 0.338 |
| Frontier Developments | James Gordon Mitchell♥ | 28 Nov 18 | 15,000 | 825.7 | 123,855 | 104,923 | 0.272 |
| Frontier Developments | James Gordon Mitchell♥ | 27 Nov 18 | 2,000 | 879.6 | 17,592 | 89,923 | 0.233 |
| Future | Zillah Byng-Thorne (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 13,360 | 514.85 | 68,784 | 83,806 | 0.103 |
| Future | Zillah Byng-Thorne (ceo) | 27 Nov 18 | 2,236 | 517.49 | 11,571 | 70,446 | 0.086 |
| Future | Zillah Byng-Thorne (ceo) | 28 Nov 18 | 13,050 | 536.25 | 69,981 | 96,856 | 0.119 |
| Hurricane Energy | Steven James McTiernan | 26 Nov 18 | 375,000 | 40.6139 | 152,302 | 375,000 | 0.019 |
| JPJ | Neil Geoffrey Goulden (ch) | 28 Nov 18 | 10,000 | 582 | 58,200 | 75,000 | 0.101 |
| JTC | Martin Fotheringham (cfo) | 28 Nov 18 | 46,800 | 318 | 148,824 | 718,586 | 0.648 |
| Majestic Wine | James Andrew Crawford (cfo) | 22 Nov 18 | 7,500 | 310.49 | 23,287 | 81,644 | 0.113 |
| Majestic Wine | James Andrew Crawford (cfo) | 22 Nov 18 | 3,500 | 311.24 | 10,893 | 85,144 | 0.118 |
| Majestic Wine | Rowan Gormley (ceo) | 22 Nov 18 | 15,700 | 316 | 49,612 | 4,394,581 | 6.092 |
| MITIE | Roger Yates | 23 Nov 18 | 50,000 | 150.4 | 75,200 | 50,000 | 0.014 |
| Scapa | Martin Trevor Sawkins♥ | 23 Nov 18 | 6,500 | 313.86 | 20,401 | 36,731 | 0.024 |
| Scapa | Brendan Patrick McAtamney | 23 Nov 18 | 14,150 | 317 | 44,856 | 14,150 | 0.009 |
| Scapa | Oskar Zahn | 22 Nov 18 | 1,000 | 319 | 3,190 | 1,000 | 0.001 |
| Scapa | Pierre Roger Michel Guyot | 22 Nov 18 | 15,000 | 322.58 | 48,387 | 15,000 | 0.010 |
| TalkTalk Telecom | Charles Dunstone (ch) | 23 Nov 18 | 379,593 | 117.35 | 445,452 | 327,678,890 | 28.593 |
| TalkTalk Telecom | Charles Dunstone (ch) | 26 Nov 18 | 307,085 | 118.21 | 363,005 | 327,985,975 | 28.620 |
| Victoria | Alexander Anton | 27 Nov 18 | 25,000 | 482 | 120,500 | 519,025 | 0.414 |
| Victoria | Andrew Harrison | 27 Nov 18 | 10,195 | 490 | 49,956 | 189,725 | 0.151 |
| Victoria | Geoffrey Wilding (ch) | 27 Nov 18 | 1,000,000 | 490.98 | 4,909,800 | 22,438,650 | 17.894 |
| Victoria | Alexander Anton | 27 Nov 18 | 25,000 | 490.98 | 122,745 | 544,025 | 0.434 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Avation | Roderick Mahoney (cco) | 26 Nov 18 | 133,000 | 253 | 336,490 | 700,000 | 1.086 |
| Future | Penny Ladkin-Brand (cfo) | 23 Nov 18 | 133,000 | 510 | 678,300 | 270,355 | 0.332 |
| Future | Zillah Byng-Thorne (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 235,608 | 510 | 1,201,601 | 95,006 | 0.117 |
| Future | Zillah Byng-Thorne (ceo) | 26 Nov 18 | 26,796 | 515 | 137,999 | 68,210 | 0.084 |
| Games Workshop | Kevin Rountree (ceo) | 27 Nov 18 | 17,659 | 2895 | 511,228 | 14,555 | 0.045 |
| GAN | Dermot Smurfit (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 215,000 | 51 | 109,650 | 8,863,447 | 10.421 |
| GAN | Dermot Smurfit (ceo) | 23 Nov 18 | 35,000 | 55.43 | 19,401 | 9,078,447 | 10.674 |
| Trifast | Glenda Roberts | 23 Nov 18 | 78,404 | 198.35 | 155,514 | 237,571 | 0.196 |
| * placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party | |||||||
