Director Deals: Computacentre chairman Lock builds stake

Greg Lock, chairman of Computacentre, has been building up a small stake in the company over the days since the company's unspectacular results.

Lock purchased 17,200 shares at an average price of 752.5p and his wife, Rosemary, a further 30,800 at the same price. This followed purchases by Lock of 10,500 at 752.68p the previous day and 2,500 at 745.5p last week.

The IT provider last Wednesday reported trading in the third quarter was hampered by strong currency headwinds, with revenue up 4% year-on-year to £696m on reported basis and growing 10% on a constant currency basis, but management reiterated that its outlook for the full year remains in line with expectations.

Broker Investec is bullish on its prospects, highlighting an encouraging Q4 outlook, with strong UK and German recovery gaining traction. "The company continues to churn out cash," analysts said.

Elsewhere, finance director Martin Weigold and chairman Philip Yea dipped in to purchase shares in Bwin.Party, the day of its third-quarter results.

Weigold's purchase of 100,000 shares and Yea's of 91,674 both at the price of 109p comes more than a month after the company agreed to be taken over by smaller rival GVC Holdings for a price of 25p in cash and 0.231 new GVC shares, which comes to nearly 117p per Bwin.party share based on recent prices.

Bwin's Q3 results were held back by European Union VAT charges but underlying trading seemed encouraging, with a 5% gain in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation compared to the same period last year that, if the EU VAT charges are excluded, would have increased by 26%.

Top Director Buys

Computacenter (CCC)
Director name: Mr Greg Lock
Amount purchased: 30,800 @ 752.50p
Value: £231,770

Charles Taylor (CTR)
Director name: Mr Joseph G Roach III
Amount purchased: 60,000 @ 268.00p
Value: £160,800

Computacenter (CCC)
Director name: Mr Greg Lock
Amount purchased: 17,200 @ 752.50p
Value: £129,430

Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY)
Director name: Mr Martin Weigold
Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 109.10p
Value: £109,100

Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY)
Director name: Mr Philip Yea
Amount purchased: 91,674 @ 109.00p
Value: £99,925

Empiric Student Property (ESP)
Director name: Mr Paul Hadaway
Amount purchased: 62,510 @ 106.50p
Value: £66,573

Ibstock (IBST)
Director name: Mr Jamie Pike
Amount purchased: 26,000 @ 192.50p
Value: £50,050

Greenko Group (GKO)
Director name: Mr Hari Kiran Vadlamani
Amount purchased: 47,234 @ 90.00p
Value: £42,511

Empiric Student Property (ESP)
Director name: Mr Paul Hadaway
Amount purchased: 31,490 @ 108.48p
Value: £34,160

RTC Group (RTC)
Director name: Mr Brian May
Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 73.00p
Value: £21,900

Top Director Sells

Charles Taylor (CTR)
Director name: Mr David Gideon Marock
Amount sold: 315,985 @ 269.00p
Value: £850,000