Directors dealings: Head of Merlin's audit committee decides to buy a ride
Merlin Entertainments
454.60p
16:54 01/11/19
Ken Hydon picked up a sizeable amount of shares in Merlin Entertainments just under a week after the theme park operator reported a measly 0.3% gain in like-for-like sales for the latest three month period, as terror attacks and poor weather drained demand for its attractions.
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Analysts had pegged Merlin's LFL at up by 2.6%.
Indeed, underscoring to just what an extent Merlin had run off the tracks, towards the end of summer some analysts had confidently told clients to expect an acceleration in the operator's London recovery.
One of those also argued that the potential for Merlin's roll-out of hotels to drive growth was "underappreciated", adding that the company had a believable, disciplined and ongoing growth story.
Undeterred by the sharp share price drop which had ensued following that announcement, Hydon, who had chaired Merlin's audit committee for almost five years ago, decided to buy a ride on Merlin.
On 23 October, he picked up 30,000 shares at 376p a pop, for a total transaction amount of £112,710, the company said in a statement, even as the stock slipped to a fresh 52-week low.
Top Director Buys
Merlin Entertainments (MERL)
Director name: Hydon,Ken J
Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 375.70p
Value: £112,710.00
Amerisur Resources (AMER)
Director name: Snow,Alex
Amount purchased: 500,000 @ 19.00p
Value: £95,000.00
Aew Uk Reit (AEWU)
Director name: Sandhu,Bimaljit S (Bim)
Amount purchased: 75,000 @ 100.50p
Value: £75,375.00
Franchise Brands (FRAN)
Director name: Wray,Nigel
Amount purchased: 92,000 @ 58.50p
Value: £53,820.00
Franchise Brands (FRAN)
Director name: Poutney,David
Amount purchased: 91,000 @ 58.50p
Value: £53,235.00
Alumasc Group (ALU)
Director name: Pither,Jonathon Peter
Amount purchased: 18,250 @ 172.00p
Value: £31,390.00
Franchise Brands (FRAN)
Director name: Hemsley,Stephen
Amount purchased: 46,000 @ 58.50p
Value: £26,910.00
Franchise Brands (FRAN)
Director name: Hemsley,Stephen
Amount purchased: 46,000 @ 58.50p
Value: £26,910.00
Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust Ltd. (SLI)
Director name: Clifton-Brown,James
Amount purchased: 21,500 @ 91.69p
Value: £19,713.35
Aberdeen Asian Income Fund Ltd. (AAIF)
Director name: Cadby,Ian
Amount purchased: 7,000 @ 219.75p
Value: £15,382.50
B.p. Marsh & Partners (BPM)
Director name: Clarke,Stephen
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 257.00p
Value: £12,850.00
B.p. Marsh & Partners (BPM)
Director name: O'Haire,Sinead
Amount purchased: 3,845 @ 259.50p
Value: £9,977.78
Papua Mining (PML)
Director name: Johnson,Paul
Amount purchased: 500,000 @ 1.54p
Value: £7,675.00
City Of London Investment Group (CLIG)
Director name: Nicklin ,Susannah
Amount purchased: 1,332 @ 409.50p
Value: £5,454.54
Personal Assets Trust (PNL)
Director name: Rushbrook ,Frank
Amount purchased: 6 @ 40,970.00p
Value: £2,458.20
Aberdeen Asian Income Fund Ltd. (AAIF)
Director name: Arthur,Peter
Amount purchased: 457 @ 219.00p
Value: £1,000.83
Luceco (LUCE)
Director name: Hornby,John
Amount purchased: 120 @ 251.75p
Value: £302.10
On The Beach Group (OTB)
Director name: Vickerstaff,Kirsteen
Amount purchased: 22 @ 443.87p
Value: £97.65
Top Director Sells
Supergroup (SGP)
Director name: Sutherland ,Euan
Amount sold: 55,088 @ 1,839.85p
Value: £1,013,533.86
B.p. Marsh & Partners (BPM)
Director name: Marsh,Brian
Amount sold: 20,000 @ 257.00p
Value: £51,400.00