Director dealings: Galliford director bought ahead of Edinburgh scandal

Shares in housebuilder Galliford Try hit their lowest since January last year, caught up in an Edinburgh schools scandal and tracking a sector-wide decline on Monday, despite deputy chairman Peter Ventress dipping into the market to snap up shares.

The FTSE 250 company's senior independent director bought 4,250 shares at a price of 1,399p on Friday, but the shares crossed below 1,300p by the close on Monday.

Seventeen schools in Edinburgh built under a £360m private finance initiative deal were closed by city officials due to safety fears over their construction by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), a consortium of Amey and Miller Construction and the Bank of Scotland.

Galliford Try bought Miller Construction in 2014.

Edinburgh Council has said it will not be footing the bill for any remedial work to make the schools safe, after problems came to light when a large section of a building wall was blown off during a storm.

Selling Trac

With Tracsis shares near their all-time high, almost a decade since floating, non-executive director John Nelson sold more than half his stake in the provider of software and technology led products and services for the traffic data and transportation industry.

Nelson sold 130,000 shares at a price of 500p apiece, leaving himself just over 100,000 shares, which were originally floated in November 2007 at placing price of 40p per share.

He also has an interest in 25,000 share options from an agreement dated 2013 with an exercise price of 175p per share.

Recent interims from the debt-free group seemed very positive, with revenue increased 19% to £14.3m after management's busiest transactional period, with the acquisitions of SEP and Ontrac and a strategic investment in Citi Logik.

Top Director Buys

Galliford Try (GFRD)
Director name: Ventress,Peter
Amount purchased: 4,250 @ 1,399.00p
Value: £59,457.50

Sig (SHI)
Director name: Robertson,Douglas
Amount purchased: 35,000 @ 138.89p
Value: £48,610.10

Henry Boot (BHY)
Director name: Littlewood,Darren
Amount purchased: 7,003 @ 216.45p
Value: £15,157.99

Surface Transforms (SCE)
Director name: Bundred,David
Amount purchased: 84,000 @ 18.00p
Value: £15,120.00

Primary Health Properties (PHP)
Director name: Rutter O.B.E,Ian
Amount purchased: 9,906 @ 100.94p
Value: £9,999.12

Personal Assets Trust (PNL)
Director name: Angus,Robin John
Amount purchased: 3 @ 36,173.00p
Value: £1,085.19

Personal Assets Trust (PNL)
Director name: Angus,Robin John
Amount purchased: 3 @ 36,140.00p
Value: £1,084.20

Foreign And Colonial Inv Trust (FRCL)
Director name: Bone,Roger
Amount purchased: 223 @ 436.80p
Value: £974.06

Foreign And Colonial Inv Trust (FRCL)
Director name: Hewitt,Jeffrey
Amount purchased: 108 @ 436.80p
Value: £471.74

Personal Assets Trust (PNL)
Director name: Angus,Robin John
Amount purchased: 1 @ 36,380.10p
Value: £363.80

Prudential (PRU)
Director name: Nicandrou,Nicolaos
Amount purchased: 15 @ 1,308.25p
Value: £196.24

Prudential (PRU)
Director name: Wells,Mike
Amount purchased: 14 @ 1,308.25p
Value: £183.15

Prudential (PRU)
Director name: Foley,John W.
Amount purchased: 13 @ 1,308.25p
Value: £170.07

Rolls-royce Holdings (RR.)
Director name: Smith,David
Amount purchased: 23 @ 655.50p
Value: £150.76

National Grid (NG.)
Director name: Bonfield,Andrew R J
Amount purchased: 15 @ 995.49p
Value: £149.32

National Grid (NG.)
Director name: Holliday,Steven J
Amount purchased: 15 @ 995.49p
Value: £149.32

National Grid (NG.)
Director name: Pettigrew,John
Amount purchased: 15 @ 995.49p
Value: £149.32

National Grid (NG.)
Director name: Bonfield,Andrew R J
Amount purchased: 15 @ 995.49p
Value: £149.32

Taylor Wimpey (TW.)
Director name: Jordan,James J
Amount purchased: 80 @ 186.30p
Value: £149.04

Taylor Wimpey (TW.)
Director name: Redfern,Peter
Amount purchased: 80 @ 186.30p
Value: £149.04

Mitchells & Butlers (MAB)
Director name: Jones,Timothy (Tim) Charles
Amount purchased: 50 @ 276.00p
Value: £138.00

Rolls-royce Holdings (RR.)
Director name: Smith,Colin P
Amount purchased: 19 @ 655.50p
Value: £124.54

Top Director Sells

Tracsis (TRCS)
Director name: Nelson,John Graeme
Amount sold: 130,000 @ 500.00p
Value: £650,000.00

Fisher (James) & Sons (FSJ)
Director name: Henry,Nick
Amount sold: 12,786 @ 1,294.00p
Value: £165,450.83

Fisher (James) & Sons (FSJ)
Director name: Kilpatrick,Stuart
Amount sold: 8,695 @ 1,294.00p
Value: £112,513.30

Surface Transforms (SCE)
Director name: Bundred,David
Amount sold: 84,975 @ 18.00p
Value: £15,295.50

Charles Taylor (CTR)
Director name: Roach III,Joseph G
Amount purchased: 2,164 @ 270.13p
Value: £5,845.51