Directors dealings: Speedy Hire's finance chief splashes out

Speedy Hire's finance chief splashed out £50,632.93 on 117,751 shares of the equipment and tool rental group.

Chris Morgan carried out the transaction on 30 November, as the small-cap company's shares made another run at their 52-week high of 44.50p amid heavier than usual trading volumes.

On 16 November, the Merseyside-based outfit reported a rise in first-half pre-tax profit from £2m to £6.8m and said it expects full-year results to be ahead of its previous forecasts.

That saw the shares in the £230.32m market cap firm regain their 200-day moving average for the first time since mid-2015.

Several months before it posted its latest set of interims, towards the end of May, analysts at RBC bumped up their target price for the shares from 32.0p to 40.0p, telling clients they remained at 'sector perform'.

"New management appear to be doing the right things and the business is stabilising. With better management information, improved customer service and scope for further efficiencies, then we would expect profit recovery to continue," RBC analyst Andrew Brooke said in a research note sent to clients.

That said, Brooke did add a caveat, "markets remain choppy and the stock already trades on a recovery multiple".

Top Director Buys

Base Resources Ltd (BSE)
Director name: William Spence,Keith
Amount purchased: 500,000 @ A$0.22
Value: A$66,106.17

Speedy Hire (SDY)
Director name: Morgan ,Chris
Amount purchased: 117,751 @ 43.00p
Value: £50,632.93

Pennon Group (PNN)
Director name: Loughlin,Christopher
Amount purchased: 2,516 @ 790.35p
Value: £19,885.21

Personal Group Holdings (PGH)
Director name: Rooney,Ken W
Amount purchased: 3,989 @ 381.67p
Value: £15,224.82

Caledonia Mining Corporation (di) (CMCL)
Director name: Learmonth ,John Mark
Amount purchased: 11,500 @ 84.00p
Value: £9,660.00

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Markham,Rudy
Amount purchased: 2,083 @ 238.10p
Value: £4,959.62

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Walker,Robert M
Amount purchased: 350 @ 1,341.98p
Value: £4,696.93

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Kingman,John
Amount purchased: 1,836 @ 238.10p
Value: £4,371.52

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Meddings,Richard H
Amount purchased: 1,155 @ 238.10p
Value: £2,750.06

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Popham,Stuart
Amount purchased: 853 @ 238.10p
Value: £2,030.99

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Bradley ,Carolyn
Amount purchased: 751 @ 238.10p
Value: £1,788.13

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Anderson,Ruth
Amount purchased: 62 @ 1,341.98p
Value: £832.03

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: McConville,Coline
Amount purchased: 62 @ 1,341.98p
Value: £832.03

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Rogers ,Christopher
Amount purchased: 62 @ 1,341.98p
Value: £832.03

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Redfern,Peter
Amount purchased: 58 @ 1,341.98p
Value: £778.35

Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Rogers,John
Amount purchased: 51 @ 1,341.98p
Value: £684.41

Jpmorgan Global Growth & Income (JPGI)
Director name: Collins ,Gay
Amount purchased: 148 @ 259.49p
Value: £384.05

Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Formica,Andrew
Amount purchased: 65 @ 232.62p
Value: £151.20

Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Thompson ,Roger
Amount purchased: 65 @ 232.62p
Value: £151.20

Miton Group (MGR)
Director name: Williams,Gervais
Amount purchased: 485 @ 30.92p
Value: £149.96

Great Portland Estates (GPOR)
Director name: Courtauld,Toby
Amount purchased: 24 @ 611.50p
Value: £146.76

Great Portland Estates (GPOR)
Director name: Thompson,Neil
Amount purchased: 24 @ 611.50p
Value: £146.76

Great Portland Estates (GPOR)
Director name: Sanderson,Nick
Amount purchased: 24 @ 611.50p
Value: £146.76

Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Wagstaff ,Philip
Amount purchased: 53 @ 232.62p
Value: £123.29

Sainsbury (j) (SBRY)
Director name: Rogers,John
Amount purchased: 51 @ 228.50p
Value: £116.54

Sainsbury (j) (SBRY)
Director name: Barker,Ed
Amount purchased: 50 @ 228.50p
Value: £114.25

Non-standard Finance (NSF)
Director name: Teunon ,Nick
Amount purchased: 10 @ 255.00p
Value: £25.50