Director dealings: Chi-Med's Howell takes some profits

Hutchison China Meditech director Michael Howell has sold almost £270,000 worth of shares in the biopharma company.

Howell, who has been an independent non-executive on Chi-Med's board since 2006, sold 15,000 shares at a price of 1,790p per share.

Howell still had 138,600 shares after the sale. Since he started at the company it's shares have soared from below 200p to the peak above 2,800p at the turn of the year.

In August, Chi-Med posted interim results that showed group revenue up 27% to $104.5m but net income down to $0.5m due to a sharp increase in clinical investment as it funds the progress of seven drug candidates in 25 clinical trials, of which four are pivotal Phase III studies.

Through the coming three quarters, Chi-Med plans to publish proof-of-concept or pivotal trial data on four drug candidates.

Also in that month Chi-Med and FTSE 100 giant AstraZeneca announced an amendment to their 2011 global licensing, co-development, and commercialisation agreement regarding Chi-Med's savolitinib cancer treatment, which is currently undergoing trials for non-small cell lung cancer, kidney, gastric and colorectal cancers.

Top Director Buys

Blackrock Frontiers Investment Trust (BRFI)
Director name: Ruddick,Lynn
Amount purchased: 19,796 @ 138.56p
Value: £27,429.34

Merlin Entertainments (MERL)
Director name: Nesmes,Anne-FrancoiseÂ
Amount purchased: 4,500 @ 440.00p
Value: £19,800.00

Hvivo (HVO)
Director name: Ellertson,Jaime
Amount purchased: 8,546 @ 180.10p
Value: £15,391.35

Hvivo (HVO)
Director name: Winschel ,James
Amount purchased: 2,221 @ 180.10p
Value: £4,000.02

Indigovision Group (IND)
Director name: Lea,Christopher Paul
Amount purchased: 1,053 @ 170.90p
Value: £1,799.58

United Utilities Group (UU.)
Director name: Houlden,Russ
Amount purchased: 20 @ 920.50p
Value: £184.10

United Utilities Group (UU.)
Director name: Mogford,Steven L
Amount purchased: 20 @ 920.50p
Value: £184.10

Interserve (IRV)
Director name: Melizan,Bruce
Amount purchased: 42 @ 359.17p
Value: £150.85

Interserve (IRV)
Director name: Haywood,Tim
Amount purchased: 42 @ 359.17p
Value: £150.85

Easyjet (EZJ)
Director name: Findlay ,Andrew
Amount purchased: 17 @ 882.00p
Value: £149.94

Interserve (IRV)
Director name: Ringrose,Adrian M
Amount purchased: 34 @ 359.17p
Value: £122.12

Top Director Sells

Hutchison China Meditech Ltd (HCM)
Director name: Howell,Michael
Amount sold: 15,000 @ 1,790.00p
Value: £268,499.99

Private Equity Investor (PEQ)
Director name: Cazalet,Charles Julian
Amount sold: 42,620 @ 167.00p
Value: £71,175.40

Private Equity Investor (PEQ)
Director name: Cazalet,Charles Julian
Amount sold: 28,248 @ 167.00p
Value: £47,174.16

Private Equity Investor (PEQ)
Director name: Dicks,Peter
Amount sold: 12,338 @ 167.00p
Value: £20,604.46