Director dealings: Sportech's investment banker sees value in pools

Sportech director Richard McGuire has made a £200,000 punt on the company's shares a week after it walked away from talks to sell off its Football Pools business.

Non-executive director McGuire, a veteran investment banker with stints at Citigroup, HSBC and Ballie Gifford, purchased 300,000 ordinary shares in Sportech at a price 67p apiece.

The purchase was his first in the company after joining Sportech in August.

Last week, despite having agreed a £97.25m sale of the Football Pools business to Burlywood Capital in September, Sportech directors announced that the sale had been cancelled even though Burlywood had put plans in place to list the 93-year-old football betting business on the Alternative Investment Market.

Sportech chief executive Ian Penrose said at the time that "Burlywood was unable to conclude the transaction set out within their proposal which we announced in September. The Football Pools is a valuable asset which has been transformed following a lengthy modernisation programme. We will continue to focus on maximising opportunities for the business."

Top Director Buys

Sportech (SPO)
Director name: McGuire,Richard Anthony
Amount purchased: 300,000 @ 67.00p
Value: £201,000.01

Ecofin Global Utilities And Infrastructure Trust (EGL)
Director name: McLaren,Iain
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 122.50p
Value: £24,500.00

E2v Technologies (E2V)
Director name: Blair ,Steve
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 188.00p
Value: £18,800.00

E2v Technologies (E2V)
Director name: Johnson,Neil A
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 185.58p
Value: £18,558.17

Active Energy Group (AEG)
Director name: Spinks,Richard George
Amount purchased: 147,000 @ 3.19p
Value: £4,689.30

Personal Assets Trust (PNL)
Director name: Angus,Robin John
Amount purchased: 3 @ 39,934.00p
Value: £1,198.02

Novae Group (NVA)
Director name: Patel,Reeken
Amount purchased: 57 @ 783.50p
Value: £446.60

Novae Group (NVA)
Director name: Fosh,Matthew K
Amount purchased: 57 @ 783.50p
Value: £446.60

K3 Business Technology Group (KBT)
Director name: Bolton,David J
Amount purchased: 44 @ 343.00p
Value: £150.92

Primary Health Properties (PHP)
Director name: Hyman,Harry Abraham
Amount purchased: 88 @ 110.00p
Value: £96.80

Primary Health Properties (PHP)
Director name: Hyman,Harry Abraham
Amount purchased: 88 @ 110.00p
Value: £96.80

Top Director Sells

Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Formica,Andrew
Amount sold: 483,630 @ 215.83p
Value: £1,043,810.87

Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (singapore Reg) (JAR)
Director name: Weatherall,E P K
Amount sold: 39,500 @ 59.32p
Value: £28,075.48