Director dealing: Prudential and BHP veterans snap up shares

Following the life insurer Prudential's remarkably strong results on Wednesday, non-executive director Kai Nargolwala showed his belief in the value of the shares at the present level.

Nargolwala, who has worked in Asia at director level since the 1990s at Bank of America, Standard Chartered and Credit Suisse, bought 20,000 shares at a price of 1,342.51, spending £0.27m.

Results on Wednesday, where operating profit grew 22% to £4.0bn, coming in 10% ahead of consensus, with impressive performances in the UK and Asia, saw the shares possibly end the downward March since the start of the year due to worries about the economic slowdown in China.

As part of the results statement, chief executive Mike Wells said that while the current macroeconomic uncertainty and market instability clouded the near-term outlook, the group's progress "continues to remain underpinned by the structural demand for regular premium savings and protection products in Asia".

Over at BHP Billiton, whose stock had fallen from above £20 in mid-2014 to below £6 earlier this year, non-executive Malcolm Brinded, a 37-year Shell veteran who has been on the board at BHP since the slump began, also expressed his confidence in his company's shares.

Brinded snapped up 28,000 shares at 815p apiece.
Value: £228,199.99

Top Director Buys

Prudential (PRU)
Director name: Nargolwala,Kai S
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 1,342.51p
Value: £268,502.01

Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd. (singapore) (DFI)
Director name: Allan,Graham
Amount purchased: 40,000 @ $5.95
Value: $238,200.00

Bhp Billiton (BLT)
Director name: Brinded,Malcolm
Amount purchased: 28,000 @ 815.00p
Value: £228,199.99

Paddy Power Betfair (PPB)
Director name: McGann,Gary
Amount purchased: 1,400 @ € 122.65
Value: € 138,710.72

Vitec Group (VTC)
Director name: Bird,Stephen
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 556.00p
Value: £55,600.00

Asian Total Return Investment Company (ATR)
Director name: Keljik,Christopher A
Amount purchased: 976 @ 2,036.00p
Value: £19,871.36

Interquest Group (ITQ)
Director name: Bygrave,David
Amount purchased: 24,750 @ 80.00p
Value: £19,800.00

Regenersis (RGS)
Director name: Woodward,Rob
Amount purchased: 7,500 @ 196.50p
Value: £14,737.50

St. Modwen Properties (SMP)
Director name: Shannon,William(Bill) Mervyn FrewCarey
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 289.00p
Value: £14,450.00

Marks & Spencer Group (MKS)
Director name: Swannell,Robert
Amount purchased: 3,000 @ 396.20p
Value: £11,885.91

Tristel (TSTL)
Director name: Soler,Francisco Angel
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 113.50p
Value: £11,350.00

Elegant Hotels Group (EHG)
Director name: Adams,David
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 109.00p
Value: £10,900.00

Sse (SSE)
Director name: Bruce,Sue
Amount purchased: 671 @ 1,471.69p
Value: £9,875.01

Eagle Eye Solutions Group (EYE)
Director name: Sharman-Munday,Lucy
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 166.50p
Value: £8,325.00

Diageo (DGE)
Director name: Humer,Franz B
Amount purchased: 441 @ 1,879.00p
Value: £8,286.39

Greggs (GRG)
Director name: McPhillips,Peter
Amount purchased: 500 @ 1,079.90p
Value: £5,399.50

Eagle Eye Solutions Group (EYE)
Director name: Blundell,Phill
Amount purchased: 2,978 @ 166.50p
Value: £4,958.37

Softcat (SCT)
Director name: Charlton,Graham
Amount purchased: 528 @ 340.50p
Value: £1,797.84

Drs Data & Research Services (DRS)
Director name: Tebbutt,Arthur M
Amount purchased: 1,262 @ 99.00p
Value: £1,249.38

Bp (BP.)
Director name: Gilvary,Brian
Amount purchased: 88 @ 356.00p
Value: £313.28

Share Plc (SHRE)
Director name: Thomas ,Gareth
Amount purchased: 556 @ 27.00p
Value: £150.12

Share Plc (SHRE)
Director name: Ecsery,Francesca Eva
Amount purchased: 555 @ 27.00p
Value: £149.85

Share Plc (SHRE)
Director name: Stone,Richard William
Amount purchased: 555 @ 27.00p
Value: £149.85

Share Plc (SHRE)
Director name: Birkett,Mike
Amount purchased: 555 @ 27.00p
Value: £149.85

Share Plc (SHRE)
Director name: Tolkien,Richard
Amount purchased: 555 @ 27.00p
Value: £149.85

Meggitt (MGGT)
Director name: Johnson ,David
Amount purchased: 30 @ 410.40p
Value: £123.12

Meggitt (MGGT)
Director name: Young,Stephen G
Amount purchased: 30 @ 410.40p
Value: £123.12

Meggitt (MGGT)
Director name: Webb,Doug
Amount purchased: 30 @ 410.40p
Value: £123.12

Meggitt (MGGT)
Director name: Green,Philip Ernest
Amount purchased: 30 @ 410.40p
Value: £123.12

Firstgroup (FGP)
Director name: Barker,Mick
Amount purchased: 121 @ 95.18p
Value: £115.17

Top Director Sells

Paddy Power Betfair (PPB)
Director name: Corcoran,Breon
Amount purchased: 43,500 @ 9,572.13p
Value: £4,163,874.81

Breedon Aggregates Ltd. (BREE)
Director name: Vivian,Simon N
Amount purchased: 6,000,000 @ 68.00p
Value: £4,080,000.04

Breedon Aggregates Ltd. (BREE)
Director name: Williams,David
Amount purchased: 5,000,000 @ 68.00p
Value: £3,400,000.04

Smith & Nephew (SN.)
Director name: Bohuon,Olivier
Amount purchased: 39,817 @ 1,136.62p
Value: £452,568.00

Tyman (TYMN)
Director name: Brotherton,James
Amount purchased: 108,313 @ 280.33p
Value: £303,629.51

Tyman (TYMN)
Director name: Eperjesi,Louis
Amount purchased: 102,944 @ 280.33p
Value: £288,578.81

Mid Wynd International Inv Trust (MWY)
Director name: Burns,Richard
Amount purchased: 69,500 @ 334.00p
Value: £232,129.99

Mid Wynd International Inv Trust (MWY)
Director name: Burns,Richard
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 334.25p
Value: £167,125.00

Smith & Nephew (SN.)
Director name: Bohuon,Olivier
Amount purchased: 13,554 @ 1,136.62p
Value: £154,057.48

Smith & Nephew (SN.)
Director name: Bohuon,Olivier
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 1,136.62p
Value: £113,662.00

Smith & Nephew (SN.)
Director name: Bohuon,Olivier
Amount purchased: 6,166 @ 1,134.00p
Value: £69,922.44