BT’s (BT.A) numbers for the first quarter to June – delivered in August – were in keeping with its expectations. Revenues and adjusted cash profits both fell by 1 per cent to £5.63bn and £1.96bn, respectively, with the latter reflecting declines in the consumer and enterprise division partly mitigated by an improvement in its global business.
IC TIP:
Hold
There’s still a question-mark over whether the telecoms giant will ultimately cut its dividend. Within the respective trading update, chief executive Philip Jansen – who joined in February – said “we welcome the government's ambition for full fibre broadband across the country and we are confident we will see further steps to stimulate investment”. BT is “ready to play our part to accelerate the pace of roll-out”. The group had already upped its ambitions for fibre-to-the-premises within its FY2019 results.
At 173p, the share price isn’t far off its five-year low. Perhaps identifying a buying opportunity, Mr Jansen purchased nearly £1m-worth of shares on 16 September.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Abcam | Gavin Wood (cfo) | 13 Sep 19 | 2,500 | 1157 | 28,925 | 14,412 | 0.007 |
| Advanced Medical Solutions | Christopher Meredith (ceo) | 13 Sep 19 | 8,800 | 224 | 19,712 | 1,503,377 | 0.700 |
| Angus Energy♥ | George Lucan (md) | 17 Sep 19 | 1,455,798 | 1.367 | 19,901 | 1,455,798 | 0.269 |
| Arena Events | Gregory Lawless (ceo) | 13 Sep 19 | 100,000 | 18 | 18,000 | 7,024,088 | 4.600 |
| Benchmark Holdings | Peter George (ch) | 13 Sep 19 | 1,000,000 | 47 | 470,000 | 1,000,000 | 0.179 |
| Benchmark Holdings | Yngve Myhre | 13 Sep 19 | 75,000 | 47 | 35,250 | 400,000 | 0.072 |
| BT | Philip Jansen (ceo) | 16 Sep 19 | 584,000 | 171 | 998,640 | 2,840,602 | 0.029 |
| Character Group | David Harris | 16 Sep 19 | 4,500 | 368 | 16,560 | 64,681 | 0.303 |
| Craneware | George Elliott (ch) | 17 Sep 19 | 1,500 | 2200 | 33,000 | 11,500 | 0.043 |
| Craneware | Keith Neilson (ceo) | 17 Sep 19 | 4,527 | 2200 | 99,594 | 3,387,174 | 12.687 |
| Craneware | Ron Verni | 17 Sep 19 | 1,095 | 2200 | 24,090 | 1,095 | 0.004 |
| Craneware | Colleen Blye | 17 Sep 19 | 547 | 2200 | 12,034 | 547 | 0.002 |
| Craneware | Russ Rudish | 17 Sep 19 | 1,095 | 2200 | 24,090 | 1,095 | 0.004 |
| Cropper (James)♥ | Martin Thompson (md) | 16 Sep 19 | 1,200 | 1225 | 14,700 | 31,127 | 0.326 |
| EJF Investments | Joanna Dentskevich (ch) | 13 Sep 19 | 29,000 | 172 | 49,880 | 29,000 | 0.045 |
| EnQuest | Amjad Bseisu (ceo) | 13 Sep 19 | 896,793 | 19.3 | 173,081 | 172,453,867 | 10.172 |
| GB Group | Nicholas Brown (md) | 18 Sep 19 | 32,521 | 556 | 180,817 | 1,024,717 | 0.530 |
| Hansa Investment Co | Jonathan Davie (ch) | 12 Sep 19 | 25,000 | 190 | 47,500 | 45,000 | 0.113 |
| Hunting | Keith Lough | 13 Sep 19 | 4,000 | 488 | 19,520 | 9,000 | 0.005 |
| Intermediate Capital | Michael Nelligan | 17 Sep 19 | 10,000 | 1415.1 | 141,510 | 140,042 | 0.048 |
| ITV | Salman Amin | 18 Sep 19 | 12,800 | 125.09 | 16,012 | 42,595 | 0.001 |
| Luceco♥ | Matthew Webb (ceo) | 13 Sep 19 | 36,013 | 96.7 | 34,825 | 215,078 | 0.134 |
| Luceco♥ | Matthew Webb (ceo) | 12 Sep 19 | 12,977 | 97 | 12,588 | 179,065 | 0.111 |
| Marlowe | Mark Adams (fd) | 18 Sep 19 | 7,500 | 399.5 | 29,963 | 7,500 | 0.018 |
| Midwich | Stephen Fenby (md) | 13 Sep 19 | 25,000 | 479 | 119,750 | 19,125,000 | 23.914 |
| Miton Global Opportunities | Ekaterina Thomson | 16 Sep 19 | 8,000 | 261.1 | 20,888 | 14,000 | 0.050 |
| Oakley Capital Investments | Laurence Blackall | 12 Sep 19 | 100,000 | 235 | 235,000 | 300,000 | 0.147 |
| Oxford BioMedica | Martin Diggle | 13 Sep 19 | 10,000 | 546 | 54,600 | 11,668,640 | 15.200 |
| Oxford BioMedica | Andrew Heath | 13 Sep 19 | 2,000 | 556 | 11,120 | 52,000 | 0.068 |
| Oxford BioMedica | Andrew Heath | 13 Sep 19 | 3,000 | 568 | 17,040 | 55,000 | 0.072 |
| Oxford BioMedica | Martin Diggle | 12 Sep 19 | 17,953 | 577 | 103,589 | 11,658,640 | 15.187 |
| Oxford BioMedica | Stuart Paynter (cfo) | 13 Sep 19 | 3,395 | 586 | 19,895 | 6,770 | 0.009 |
| Paragon Banking | Finlay Williamson | 13 Sep 19 | 3,000 | 467.7023 | 14,031 | 3,000 | 0.001 |
| Quixant | Gary Mullins | 17 Sep 19 | 6,410 | 156 | 10,000 | 2,209,481 | 3.326 |
| Quixant | Guy Van Zwanenberg | 18 Sep 19 | 1,750 | 161.75 | 2,831 | 27,837 | 0.042 |
| Quixant | Gary Mullins | 17 Sep 19 | 6,172 | 162 | 9,999 | 2,215,653 | 3.335 |
| Quixant | Jonathan Jayal (ceo) | 18 Sep 19 | 2,500 | 162.75 | 4,069 | 365,200 | 0.550 |
| Quixant | Nicholas Jarmany | 18 Sep 19 | 305,000 | 163 | 497,150 | 11,175,763 | 16.822 |
| Quixant | Michael Peagram (ch) | 17 Sep 19 | 10,000 | 163 | 16,300 | 253,674 | 0.382 |
| Quixant | Jonathan Jayal (ceo) | 18 Sep 19 | 2,500 | 165 | 4,125 | 362,700 | 0.546 |
| Real Estate Investors | John Crabtree (ch) | 16 Sep 19 | 45,901 | 53.9 | 24,741 | 272,567 | 0.146 |
| Sirius Minerals | Christopher Fraser (ceo) | 18 Sep 19 | 250,000 | 4.0088 | 10,022 | 123,997,368 | 1.770 |
| Springfield Properties | Colin Rae | 17 Sep 19 | 20,000 | 110 | 22,000 | 20,000 | 0.021 |
| Stagecoach | Karen Thomson | 13 Sep 19 | 11,071 | 132 | 14,614 | 11,071 | 0.002 |
| UNITE | Richard Akers | 13 Sep 19 | 2,000 | 1041.89 | 20,838 | 2,000 | 0.001 |
| Zoetic International | Nick Tulloch (ceo) | 12 Sep 19 | 400,000 | 4.7 | 18,800 | 600,000 | 0.406 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Berkeley Group♥ | Glyn Barker | 13 Sep 19 | 4,080 | 4080.789 | 166,496 | 6,540 | 0.005 |
| Berkeley Group | Glyn Barker | 13 Sep 19 | 1,802 | 4160.958 | 74,980 | 10,620 | 0.008 |
| Dechra Pharmaceuticals | Tony Rice (ch) | 17 Sep 19 | 20,000 | 2909.968 | 581,994 | 20,000 | 0.019 |
| Dechra Pharmaceuticals | Ian Page (ceo) | 17 Sep 19 | 200,000 | 2916.95 | 5,833,900 | 586,650 | 0.571 |
| Hiscox♥ | Robert Childs (ch) | 18 Sep 19 | 400 | 1640.8293 | 6,563 | 1,273,410 | 0.441 |
| Hiscox♥ | Robert Childs (ch) | 18 Sep 19 | 400 | 1640.8293 | 6,563 | 1,273,010 | 0.441 |
| Hiscox♥ | Robert Childs (ch) | 18 Sep 19 | 40,600 | 1640.8293 | 666,177 | 1,232,410 | 0.427 |
| Hiscox | Robert Childs (ch) | 18 Sep 19 | 40,600 | 1640.8293 | 666,177 | 1,191,810 | 0.413 |
| Motorpoint*† | David Shelton | 18 Sep 19 | 2,396,726 | 210 | 5,033,125 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Redrow | Barbara Richmond (fd) | 13 Sep 19 | 50,000 | 628.5 | 314,250 | 539,520 | 0.153 |
| Schroders | Michael Dobson (ch) | 16 Sep 19 | 40,185 | 3150.18 | 1,265,900 | 214,965 | 0.076 |
| United Utilities | Russ Houlden (cfo) | 13 Sep 19 | 7,300 | 778.01 | 56,795 | 37,049 | 0.005 |
| *Placing/tender/open offer ♥Spouse/connected party | |||||||
| †Shares sold via Shoby Investments Partnership. Transaction pertained to divorce proceedings. | |||||||
