Director dealings: IHG boss's wife checks out, Curtis and Banks eye bargain

The wife of Intercontinental Hotels chief executive, Richard Solomons, has sold almost £1.2m worth of shares in the company despite the confident language employed by her husband in recent weeks.

Karin Solomons sold 37,340 shares at a price of 3,156.69p, a drop in the ocean of the family's stake in the company, with the recent annual report and accounts noting that the CEO holds well over 1,000% over the value of his annual salary in shares.

At the Holiday Inn owner's third quarter results in less than two weeks ago, Solomons esquire said that, while growth in the industry's revenue per available room (revpar) has slowed, "the fundamentals for the sector, and particularly for IHG, remain compelling" and that the company looked forward to sustainable growth on into the future.

"Despite the uncertain environment in some markets, we remain confident in the outlook for the remainder of the year."

Elsewhere, as shares in Curtis Banks fell to their lowest level since last year's flotation, four directors showed their confidence by buying close to £268,000 shares in the self invested personal pensions (SIPP) administrator.

The quartet bought at an average price of 186.07p per share, led by co-founder and current executive chairman Chris Banks, who spent roughly £150,000, with chief executive Rupert Curtis and finance director Paul Tarran both spending £50,000 and chief information officer Kristian Morgans shelling out around £20,000.

At the company's September interim results Banks hailed the "transformational" acquisition of Suffolk Life, which he said presented considerable long term opportunities for the group.

“It is equally important to recognise the progress within the business aside from the Suffolk Life headlines. Curtis Banks has successfully integrated the previous acquisitions and is in a very strong position to continue as a specialist administrator in a changing market. We are all very optimistic about our prospects."

Yet, after floating at 190p in May 2015 and surging up to top 400p this April shares in the company have come back to below where they started, with the interim results perhaps not as strong as some had hoped.

With the Suffolk Life regulatory approval delaying completion until 25 May there was only been a limited contribution in the first half of the year, while the incremental earnings arising from integration were pushed back as a consequence of the longer than expected completion time and yet the costs were inflated.

Top Director Buys

Riverstone Energy Limited (RSE)
Director name: Leuschen,David M
Amount purchased: 15,000 @ 1,240.81p
Value: £186,121.50

Curtis Banks Group (CBP)
Director name: Banks,Christopher Charles
Amount purchased: 79,900 @ 186.07p
Value: £148,669.93

Riverstone Energy Limited (RSE)
Director name: Leuschen,David M
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 1,239.71p
Value: £123,971.00

Riverstone Energy Limited (RSE)
Director name: Ryan,Ken
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 1,239.71p
Value: £123,971.00

Riverstone Energy Limited (RSE)
Director name: Lapeyre Jr.,Pierre F
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 1,239.71p
Value: £123,971.00

Curtis Banks Group (CBP)
Director name: Tarran,Paul James
Amount purchased: 26,631 @ 186.07p
Value: £49,552.30

Curtis Banks Group (CBP)
Director name: Curtis,Rupert
Amount purchased: 26,631 @ 186.07p
Value: £49,552.30

Clearstar Inc. (di / Reg S) (CLST)
Director name: Dawson ,Kenneth Wayne
Amount purchased: 118,500 @ 38.00p
Value: £45,030.00

Clearstar Inc. (di / Reg S) (CLST)
Director name: Pattillo,David
Amount purchased: 118,500 @ 38.00p
Value: £45,030.00

Parity Group (PTY)
Director name: Firth,David
Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 8.75p
Value: £8,750.00

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Markham,Rudy
Amount purchased: 2,376 @ 208.80p
Value: £4,961.09

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Walker,Robert M
Amount purchased: 353 @ 1,332.84p
Value: £4,704.93

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Meddings,Richard H
Amount purchased: 1,317 @ 208.80p
Value: £2,749.90

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Popham,Stuart
Amount purchased: 972 @ 208.80p
Value: £2,029.54

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Bradley ,Carolyn
Amount purchased: 857 @ 208.80p
Value: £1,789.42

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: McConville,Coline
Amount purchased: 63 @ 1,332.84p
Value: £839.69

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Anderson,Ruth
Amount purchased: 63 @ 1,332.84p
Value: £839.69

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Redfern,Peter
Amount purchased: 58 @ 1,332.84p
Value: £773.05

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Rogers,John
Amount purchased: 51 @ 1,332.84p
Value: £679.75

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Fitzgerald,Rodney Arnold
Amount purchased: 630 @ 47.50p
Value: £299.25

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Rushton,Mark
Amount purchased: 628 @ 47.50p
Value: £298.30

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Lam,Sean Kin Wai
Amount purchased: 628 @ 47.50p
Value: £298.30

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Elliott,Robert
Amount purchased: 628 @ 47.50p
Value: £298.30

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Gelber,David
Amount purchased: 628 @ 47.50p
Value: £298.30

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Rogers ,Christopher
Amount purchased: 63 @ 332.84p
Value: £209.69

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Fitzgerald,Rodney Arnold
Amount purchased: 315 @ 47.50p
Value: £149.62

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Rushton,Mark
Amount purchased: 314 @ 47.50p
Value: £149.15

Walker Crips Group (WCW)
Director name: Elliott,Robert
Amount purchased: 314 @ 47.50p
Value: £149.15

Aberdeen Smaller Companies Income Trust (ASCI)
Director name: Fletcher,David
Amount purchased: 42 @ 197.46p
Value: £82.93

Top Director Sells

Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Director name: Solomons,Richard
Amount sold: 37,340 @ 3,156.69p
Value: £1,178,706.20

Eg Solutions (EGS)
Director name: Payne,Nigel
Amount sold: 16,450 @ 49.50p
Value: £8,142.75

Eg Solutions (EGS)
Director name: Rolls,George Henry
Amount sold: 16,450 @ 49.50p
Value: £8,142.75

Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
Director name: Sinclair,Mark
Amount sold: 42,495 @ n/a
Value: n/a

Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
Director name: Jewson,Richard W
Amount sold: 2,811 @ n/a
Value: n/a

Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
Director name: Coe,Stephen Charles
Amount sold: 1,417 @ n/a
Value: n/a

Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
Director name: Hirsch,Glyn Vincent
Amount sold: 91,005 @ n/a
Value: n/a

Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
Director name: Smith,Colin Andrew
Amount sold: 23,747 @ n/a
Value: n/a

Raven Russia Ltd (RUS)
Director name: Bilton,Anton John Godfrey
Amount sold: 603,465 @ n/a
Value: n/a