Director dealings: Debenhams and NewRiver execs go bargain hunting

A pair of Debenhams directors have dipped into the market as shares in the department store group sank to a seven-year low, while the chief executive of NewRiver Retail has also looked to top up his holdings as the retail property investment group subsided to a 20-month low.

Senior independent director Terry Duddy, the former Dixons and Home Retail chief who was added to Debenhams' board earlier this year, spent £53,350 buying 100,000 shares at the price of 53.35p.

Stephen Ingham, a recruitment guru and an independent non-executive on the board since 2013, splashed out around £40,000 on 74,557 at a rock-bottom 53.25p.

Debenhams, whose shares last wallowed for any time below this level during the financial crisis, last month reported a 0.2% fall in like-for-like sales and decrease in expected margins but was encouraged by progress made with its strategy to diversify its product range and manage its stock better ahead of new chief executive, Amazon Europe's Sergio Bucher, taking the reins in October.

Goldman Sachs recently trimmed it short and medium-term forecasts and target price on the shares, but at 70p this offers the directorial pair plenty of upside on their purchases.

At NewRiver, CEO David Lockhart, has made three purchases of shares in the company since the Brexit result.

On Thursday he spend £76,771 on 28,000 shares, mostly at a price of 273p, following Wednesday's purchase of 25,000 at 287.5p. On the day of the referendum NewRiver's shares were changing hands for 325p, and in December were topping 355p.

May's final result showed a EPRA NAV of 295p per share.

At the time Lockhart said the year had been "truly transformational", delivering record financial results and significantly increasing all operations across the business.

"The scale of the business has grown exponentially and is now of a size befitting a FTSE250 Main Market company where we intend to be later this year as we move from AIM. Importantly, NewRiver has again demonstrated its ability to swiftly deploy new equity and debt capital to acquire strategic income producing assets, supporting our progressive quarterly dividend policy. The Company has significant further growth potential and we look forward to the future with great excitement and confidence."

Top Director Buys

Securities Trust Of Scotland (STS)
Director name: Evans,John
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 148.00p
Value: £74,000.00

Vietnam Enterprise Investments (di) (VEIL)
Director name: William Lawson,Gordon
Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 263.88p
Value: £65,970.00

Value And Income Trust (VIN)
Director name: Oakeshott,Matthew A
Amount purchased: 27,500 @ 233.50p
Value: £64,212.50

Newriver Retail Limited (NRR)
Director name: Lockhart,David
Amount purchased: 23,000 @ 273.00p
Value: £62,790.00

M Winkworth (WINK)
Director name: Neoh,Christopher
Amount purchased: 57,000 @ 110.00p
Value: £62,700.00

Zegona Communications (ZEG)
Director name: OÂ’Hare,Eamonn
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 109.00p
Value: £54,500.00

Londonmetric Property (LMP)
Director name: Livingston,Andrew
Amount purchased: 35,669 @ 139.90p
Value: £49,900.93

Londonmetric Property (LMP)
Director name: Pelmore,Alexander
Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 139.90p
Value: £34,975.00

Hayward Tyler Group (HAYT)
Director name: Lloyd-Baker,Ewan
Amount purchased: 32,395 @ 79.00p
Value: £25,592.05

Wynnstay Group (WYN)
Director name: Roberts,B Paul
Amount purchased: 4,500 @ 478.00p
Value: £21,510.00

Cvs Group (CVSG)
Director name: Connell,Richard A
Amount purchased: 3,000 @ 688.75p
Value: £20,662.50

Newriver Retail Limited (NRR)
Director name: Lockhart,David
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 279.63p
Value: £13,981.50

Cvs Group (CVSG)
Director name: Perrin,Nick
Amount purchased: 2,000 @ 698.50p
Value: £13,970.00

Vianet Group (VNET)
Director name: Dickson,James
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 96.97p
Value: £9,697.00

Greene King (GNK)
Director name: Weedall,Lynne
Amount purchased: 1,000 @ 720.82p
Value: £7,208.20

Cvs Group (CVSG)
Director name: Connell,Richard A
Amount purchased: 1,000 @ 688.63p
Value: £6,886.30

Cvs Group (CVSG)
Director name: Connell,Richard A
Amount purchased: 1,000 @ 688.25p
Value: £6,882.50

Qatar Investment Fund (QIF)
Director name: Wilson,Nicholas Vernon
Amount purchased: 1,200 @ $1.03
Value: $1,239.00

Mj Gleeson (GLE)
Director name: Harrison,Jolyon
Amount purchased: 46 @ 450.00p
Value: £207.00

Mj Gleeson (GLE)
Director name: Allanson ,Stefan
Amount purchased: 44 @ 450.00p
Value: £198.00

Countrywide (CWD)
Director name: Clarke,Jim
Amount purchased: 66 @ 229.50p
Value: £151.47

Countrywide (CWD)
Director name: Platt,Alison
Amount purchased: 66 @ 229.50p
Value: £151.47

Top Director Sells

Matchtech Group (MTEC)
Director name: Dyer,Tony
Amount purchased: 59,678 @ 310.00p
Value: £185,001.79

Matchtech Group (MTEC)
Director name: Dyer,Tony
Amount purchased: 4,839 @ 310.00p
Value: £15,000.90