Directors’ Dealings by Jenny Lowe

One company, in particular, has seen a number of its directors purchasing shares of late.

Last month saw Roger Wilson, chairman of voice and data telecommunications specialist AdEPT Telecom, purchase 20,000 shares priced at 12.5p and he has since purchased a further 17,500 shares at prices ranging from 13.5p to 16p, versus a recent 15.5p share price.

But he isn’t the only one seizing the opportunity to pick up shares in the AIM-listed firm, which are some far way from 2006’s high of 209p after a loss-making 2008.

Non-executive director Dusko Lukic has also made a number of investments, snapping up 32,500 shares at 13p, followed by a further 10,000, at prices ranging from 14p to 15p.

Property sector in play
The property sector has seen an increase in the number of active directors’ deals, despite share prices plummeting for most firms.

Residential and commercial developer Bulgarian Land Development, has seen its share price fall from the dizzy heights of 109p in April last year to just 30.5p today, but this hasn’t stopped locally based chief executive Christo Iliev from purchasing a total of 1,975,000 shares priced at 26.02p each, followed by a further acquisition of 1,100,000 shares at 26.05p.

Elsewhere in the sector, directors at pressured property management firm HML Holdings have been out in force, despite an earlier profit warning. In two separate transactions, financial director James Howgego purchased 150,000 shares at 4.5p and 4p per share to bring his total interest up to 1.59 per cent in the £2.3 million market cap business.

The company’s non-executive director Geoffrey Griggs also acquired 25,000 shares at 5p each for his Self Invested Pension Plan (SIPP), bringing his total interest up to 1.48 per cent.

Buying on the up
Meanwhile, over at Alkane Energy, a sharp rise in the company’s share price prompted non-executive director Julia Henderson to increase her stake to 0.06 per cent through her purchase of 60,000 shares at 16.5p.

Alkane, a fast growing owner and operator of ‘Gas to Power’ plants in the UK, recently published its preliminary results which revealed an increase in revenue of 21.5 per cent to £5.2 million. According to chief executive officer, Neil O’Brien, keen to expand capacity, the company’s balance sheet strength and ‘ongoing cash generation’ means ‘we are well funded to complete this growth cycle.’

Another to have recently benefited from a share price increase is building materials manufacturer, supplier and distributor, Ensor Holdings, quoted on AIM, where it commands a modest £5 million market cap.

The firm’s shares dropped from a high of 39p in June 2007 to a low of just 7p towards the end of last year. However, 2009 has brought with it an increase in the company’s share price, which now stands at 17p.

CEO Roger Harrison – believing a recent slide into interim losses is anomalous – has purchased a further 7,500 shares at 17p, increasing his family’s interest in the company to over 53.9 per cent.

Over at antibody manufacturer and retailer Abcam, non-executive chairman David Cleevly pocketed £4.6 million from selling a portion of his stake at 575p. Following the disposal, he still has a significant 7.2 per cent interest in the AIM-quoted firm.