In our weekly series, James Norris looks at directors buying and selling shares in their own companies over the last week.
- Hostmore Chief Financial Officer buys 200k shares
- Senior Adriatic Metals board members purchase 100k shares
- Galantas Gold Chief Executive buys 30k shares
- Pets At Home CFO sells 60k shares
- Dialight board members purchase stock
Hostmore (LON: MORE) chief financial officer Alan Clark has, so far this month, bought a total of 200,000 ordinary shares at 41.9p each, for £83,940. The acquisitions mean Clark holds 2,621,518 shares. Chairman Gavin Manson bought an aggregate 349,127 shares at 43.00p, for a total of £150,125, while non-executive director David Lis bought 84,500 shares at the same price for £36,335. The hospitality company, which listed on 2 November 2021, had warned investors on 26 May that its margin may not meet the medium-term guidance, due to weakened consumer confidence. The stock price at close of trading yesterday was 41.00p, a return of -64.96% YTD.
Adriatic Metals (LON: ADT1) managing director and chief executive Paul Cronin on 2 June bought an aggregate 100,000 shares at an average price of A$2.39 per share on the Australian Securities Exchange, paying a total of A$239,819. Non-executive director Peter Bilbe sold 300,00 shares for a total of A$717,115. Adriatic Metals, a precious and base metals developer operating the Vares Silver Project in Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Raska Zinc-Silver Project in Serbia, said last month that the Vares silver project is on budget and on course to start production next year, despite rising inflation costs. The stock price at close of trading yesterday was 136.80p, a return of 3.64% YTD and -6.94% over 12 months.
Galantas Gold (LON: GAL) chief executive Mario Stifano on 2 June bought an aggregate 30,000 shares at C$0.525 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, for C$15,750. Stifano said last week he expects the company’s Omagh mine in Northern Ireland, the only gold producer in Ireland, to be in production by the end of June. First quarter losses more than doubled, due to an expanded exploration programme and to greater foreign exchange losses. The stock price at close of trading yesterday was 29.30p, a return of 19.11% YTD and -30.24% over 12 months.
Pets At Home Group (LON: PETS) group chief financial officer Mike Iddon last week sold 60,450 shares at 340p each, for a total of £205,711. Iddon exercised his 2019 Restricted Stock Plan through a sell to cover the tax, acquiring 122,398 shares, selling 60,450 shares and retaining 61,948 shares. Similarly, company secretary Louise Stonier exercised her 2019 Restricted Stock Plan through a sell to cover tax, acquiring 88,243 shares at the same share price, selling 43,582 shares and retaining 44,661 shares. At close of trading yesterday, shares in the company, the UK’s leading pet care business, were worth 338.11p, a return of -27.29% YTD and -22.17% over 12 months.
Dialight (LON: DIA) chief executive Fariyal Khanbabi, chief finance officer Clive Jennings and general counsel and company secretary Richard Allan have all bought stock in the company. Khanbabi bought 4,513 shares at 329p, worth £14,848; Jennings bought 4,556 for £14,989 and Allen bought 3,162 for £10,403. In March, the company reported a swing to profit last year thanks to strong customer demand and a recovery in its end markets. At close of trading yesterday, the stock price was 317p, a return of -3.94% YTD and 2.26% over 12 months.