Director dealings: Henderson Smaller Companies director invests, DS Smith CEO covers tax

Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust was at the top of the list of director buys on Friday afternoon, after one of its directors purchased 3,000 shares across two transactions.

The FTSE 250 firm said Kevin Carter picked up 1,500 shares at a price of 709.9p each, valuing the first transaction at £10,648.50.

In the second transaction, Carter paid 710.474p each for another 1,500 shares, giving the second tranche a value of £10,657.11.

Both transactions took place on 8 September, with the aggregate consideration being £21,305.61, or an average price of 710.187p per share.

Elsewhere, DS Smith group chief executive Miles Roberts was on the list of director sales, after he vested a number of nil-cost options and sold a portion of them to cover his tax bill.

The FTSE 100 packaging specialist said Roberts exercised vested options over 642,335 shares under its Deferred Share Bonus Plan that vested in July 2022, and the Performance Share Plan that vested in July this year.

He then sold 391,884 shares to cover the tax due on those exercises, at a price of 305.8p each, for a total value of £1,198,381.27.

The exercises and sale took place in London on 6 September.

At 1430 BST, shares in the Henderson Smaller Companies Trust were down 0.25% at 708.21p, while those in DS Smith were off 1.58% at 289.37p.

Reporting by Josh White for Shareceast.com.

Top Director Buys

Henderson Smaller Companies Inv Trust (HSL)
Director name: Carter,Kevin
Amount purchased: 3,000 @ 709.90p
Value: £21,297.00

Grafenia (GRA)
Director name: Brown,Iain
Amount purchased: 84,075 @ 9.00p
Value: £7,566.75

Finsbury Food Group (FIF)
Director name: Beveridge,Bob
Amount purchased: 268 @ 90.60p
Value: £242.81

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Roberts,Nick
Amount purchased: 19 @ 810.41p
Value: £153.98

(ITH)
Director name: Lewis,Iain Clifford Scobbie
Amount purchased: 107 @ 141.26p
Value: £151.15

Phoenix Group Holdings (PHNX)
Director name: Thakrar,Rakesh
Amount purchased: 29 @ 516.94p
Value: £149.91

(ITH)
Director name: Myerson,Gilad
Amount purchased: 106 @ 141.26p
Value: £149.74

(ITH)
Director name: Bruce,Alan Alexander
Amount purchased: 106 @ 141.26p
Value: £149.74

National Grid (NG.)
Director name: Pettigrew,John
Amount purchased: 15 @ 987.10p
Value: £148.07

National Grid (NG.)
Director name: Agg,Andrew
Amount purchased: 15 @ 987.10p
Value: £148.07

Phoenix Group Holdings (PHNX)
Director name: Briggs,Andrew
Amount purchased: 28 @ 516.94p
Value: £144.74

Mondi (MNDI)
Director name: Powell,Mike
Amount purchased: 11 @ 1,313.19p
Value: £144.45

Mondi (MNDI)
Director name: King,Andrew
Amount purchased: 11 @ 1,313.19p
Value: £144.45

Spectris (SXS)
Director name: Heath ,Andrew
Amount purchased: 4 @ 3,288.00p
Value: £131.52

Spectris (SXS)
Director name: Harding ,Derek
Amount purchased: 4 @ 3,288.00p
Value: £131.52

Top Director Sells

Smith (ds) (SMDS)
Director name: Roberts,Miles
Amount sold: 391,884 @ 305.80p
Value: £1,198,381.31

Grafenia (GRA)
Director name: Brown,Iain
Amount sold: 84,208 @ 9.00p
Value: £7,578.72