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Avast NED offloads shares

The group lifted its full-year revenue guidance within its recent half-year results
August 28, 2019

Erwin Gunst, a non-executive director at Avast (AVST), has sold 974,728 shares for around £3.6m. He retains 1m shares. Mr Gunst joined Avast’s board in 2012. Between 2008 and 2010, he was chief operating officer at SAP AG.

IC TIP: Hold at 388p

Avast, which describes itself as the world’s leading consumer cybersecurity company, floated in May 2018. Results for the half year to June 2019 revealed revenue growth of almost a tenth to $425m (£348m). Adjusted revenues rose by 5.8 per cent to $427m, bolstered by a 9.5 per cent improvement in the largest business by sales – consumer direct desktop – to $308m. This was facilitated by the cross-selling of privacy products, and performance products such as ‘Cleanup’ and ‘Driver Updater’.

Avast said it expected full-year like-for-like revenue growth to sit at the upper end of its previously stated high-single-digit percentage range.

Buys       
CompanyDirectorDateNo of sharesPrice (p)Value (£)Holding (shares)Holding (%)
Boohoo Pierre Cuilleret15 Aug 19100,000224.37224,370211,0960.018
Boohoo Iain McDonald15 Aug 1925,000225.3956,348465,0960.040
Boohoo Sara Murray15 Aug 19100,000226226,000117,9210.010
Boston International*William James (ch)16 Aug 193,000,0005150,0009,971,42826.136
Carr's Christopher Holmes (ch)19 Aug 1910,00013613,600749,0000.815
Centrica Iain Conn (ceo)19 Aug 19100,00065.1765,1701,641,4320.028
Centrica Christopher O'Shea (cfo)19 Aug 1942,75065.51628,00863,1370.001
Centrica♥Christopher O'Shea (cfo)19 Aug 1946,75065.53630,638109,8870.002
Cineworld♥†Moshe Greidinger (ceo)15 Aug 191,000,000221.63422,216,342na27.990
FirstGroup Ryan Mangold (cfo)15 Aug 1950,000118.459,20050,0000.004
FirstGroup♥Ryan Mangold (cfo)15 Aug 1947,500119.1656,60197,5000.008
Flowtech Fluidpower Bill Wilson15 Aug 1916,870118.920,05840,8950.067
Future Penny Ladkin-Brand (cfo)16 Aug 1910,05099599,998172,1620.209
Future Zillah Byng-Thorne (ceo)16 Aug 199,8641,00799,330234,1550.284
GVC Rob Wood (cfo)20 Aug 1918,000578.37104,107244,0870.042
GVC Jane Anscombe 21 Aug 1912,000588.1770,58017,1690.003
GVC Kenneth Alexander (ceo)21 Aug 19833,334588.174,901,4212,522,1260.433
GVC Peter Isola21 Aug 1916,800588.1798,81336,1350.006
GVC Pierre Bouchut21 Aug 199,000588.1752,93527,0000.005
GVC Virginia McDowell21 Aug 198,000588.1747,05415,0000.003
Ibstock Claire Hawkings 20 Aug 1910,000213.0121,30110,0000.002
KAZ Minerals♥Charles Watson15 Aug 193,246451.914,66913,7900.003
Lookers♥Tony Bramall16 Aug 192,746,41445.46571,248,67670,412,82518.090
Lookers♥Tony Bramall21 Aug 191,745,22649.4248862,57572,158,05118.540
Metro Bank♥Vernon Hill (ch)16 Aug 19100,000275.206275,2066,121,3443.550
Mondi Peter Oswald (ceo)16 Aug 195,0001,533.2476,662204,2740.042
Murray International Trust Kevin Carter (ch)15 Aug 195,0001,120.4456,02250,0000.039
Murray International Trust David Hardie20 Aug 19861,1731,00913,8540.011
Murray International Trust♥David Hardie20 Aug 19531,17362213,9070.011
MyCelx Technologies Connie Mixon (ceo)16 Aug 19450,00055247,5001,457,7037.497
MyCelx Technologies Tim Eggar (ch)16 Aug 198,182554,500140,5110.723
Naked Wines James Crawford (cfo)20 Aug 1915,000266.5239,978128,4990.177
National Grid Amanda Mesler15 Aug 191,500850.23312,7531,5000.000
nmcn Michael Holt 16 Aug 192,000538.49510,7704,5000.043
Pennant International John Ponsonby 15 Aug 1913,65572.59,90013,6550.038
Renewables Infrastructure Group (The) Shelagh Mason16 Aug 1947,000125.3658,919114,2070.008
RPS John Douglas (ceo)15 Aug 1925,000124.8231,205526,9920.233
Tritax Big Box ReitAubrey Adams 15 Aug 1936,957142.9952,845150,0000.009
Universe Malcolm Coster20 Aug 19318,3684.7114,9951,347,0930.525
Universe Jeremy Lewis (ceo)20 Aug 19265,1634.912,993532,3870.207
Universe Andrew Blazye (ch)20 Aug 19200,0005.1510,300300,0000.117
Universe Ivan Brooks20 Aug 1950,0005.392,69550,0000.019
Vela Technologies*Antony Laiker (ceo)19 Aug 1925,000,0000.125,00060,190,0004.073
Sells       
CompanyDirectorDateNo of sharesPrice (p)Value (£)Holding (shares)Holding (%)
Avast Erwin Gunst 21 Aug 19974,728367.23,579,2011,000,0000.102
Hiscox♥Bronek Masojada (ceo)15 Aug 1937,5001,575.34590,7533,036,8361.053
Riverstone Energy♥††Ken Ryan16 Aug 19323701.532,2666,977,4248.733
Riverstone Energy♥†††Ken Ryan16 Aug 19408701.532,8626,977,0168.733
Riverstone Energy♥††Ken Ryan20 Aug 1924,129640154,4267,002,8878.765
Riverstone Energy♥†††Ken Ryan20 Aug 1930,519640195,3226,922,3688.664
Young & Co's Brewery Patrick Dardis (ceo)20 Aug 197,4681,620120,98297,7740.327
        
*Placing/tender/open offer/right issue ♥Spouse/connected party       
†Current shareholding represents that of Global City Theatres B.V. and its parent company Global City Holdings B.V. Shares in both entities are held in trust for the benefit of the children of Cineworld's CEO and deputy CEO.
††24,452 shares sold by Riverstone Energy Limited Capital Partners, a person closely associated with three Riverstone directors including Mr Ryan.
†††30,927 shares sold by REL Coinvestment LP, a person closely associated with three Riverstone directors including Mr Ryan.