Ashtead's CEO buys £248k in shares after strong third quarter

Drabble purchased 30,862 shares at 804p each.

Senior independent director Ian Sutcliffe also increased his stake, buying 12,250 shares at 810p each at a total value of £99,225.

For the quarter ended 31 January, statutory pre-tax profit rose 16% to £133.5m on revenue of £612.2m, up 15% from the year-earlier period.

In the first nine months of the year, pre-tax profit was up 20% at constant exchange rates to £482m despite the slowdown in oil and gas markets that provided a headwind which will continue in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Relx Group chief Erik Engstrom sold off a batch of shares in different tranches.

He sold 237,278 shares for 1,240.13p each at a total of £2,942,556, offloaded 68,244 for 1,191.03p each at a total of £812,807 and disposed of 78,431 for 1,249.50p each at a total of £979,995. Engstrom sold a further 17,004 for 1,247.48p each, totalling £212,121.

In a company statement, Relx said the shares were sold to “meet personal tax and social security obligations”.

Chief financial officer Nick Luff also sold 28,800 shares at 1,249.50p for £359,856.

Top Director Buys

British Land Company (BLND)
Director name: Jackson,William
Amount purchased: 75,000 @ 668.53p
Value: £501,400.64

Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC)
Director name: Hawksworth,Ian
Amount purchased: 94,699 @ 317.80p
Value: £300,953.42

Lancashire Holdings Limited (LRE)
Director name: Maloney ,Alex
Amount purchased: 44,553 @ 560.00p
Value: £249,496.80

Ashtead Group (AHT)
Director name: Drabble,Geoffrey
Amount purchased: 30,862 @ 804.00p
Value: £248,130.48

Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC)
Director name: Das,Soumen
Amount purchased: 53,448 @ 317.80p
Value: £169,857.74

Ashtead Group (AHT)
Director name: Sutcliffe,Ian
Amount purchased: 12,250 @ 810.00p
Value: £99,225.00

Intu Properties (INTU)
Director name: Strachan,John
Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 302.60p
Value: £90,780.00

Foreign And Colonial Inv Trust (FRCL)
Director name: Moakes,Nicholas
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 425.58p
Value: £42,558.00

Stv Group (STVG)
Director name: Woolfenden,Christian
Amount purchased: 9,092 @ 439.93p
Value: £39,998.44

Perpetual Income & Growth Inv Trust (PLI)
Director name: Cochrane,Victoria
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 387.12p
Value: £38,712.00

Kainos Group (KNOS)
Director name: Malpass,Andy
Amount purchased: 11,000 @ 197.10p
Value: £21,681.00

Standard Chartered (STAN)
Director name: Grote,Byron Elmer
Amount purchased: 4,899 @ $5.97
Value: $21,560.66

Ashtead Group (AHT)
Director name: Burrow,Michael
Amount purchased: 2,500 @ 793.00p
Value: £19,825.00

Maven Income & Growth 3 Vct (MIG3)
Director name: Pickering,Keith
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 82.00p
Value: £16,400.00

Ixico (IXI)
Director name: Lowther,Susan
Amount purchased: 28,366 @ 35.25p
Value: £9,999.01

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Stewart,John M
Amount purchased: 3,369 @ 229.67p
Value: £7,737.58

Ashley House (ASH)
Director name: Lyons,Christopher Peter
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 10.20p
Value: £5,100.00

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Markham,Rudy
Amount purchased: 1,347 @ 229.67p
Value: £3,093.65

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Meddings,Richard H
Amount purchased: 1,092 @ 229.67p
Value: £2,508.00

Brown (n.) Group (BWNG)
Director name: Higginson,Andrew
Amount purchased: 638 @ 331.90p
Value: £2,117.52

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Zlatkus,Lizabeth
Amount purchased: 779 @ 229.67p
Value: £1,789.13

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Popham,Stuart
Amount purchased: 711 @ 229.67p
Value: £1,632.95

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Swantee,Olaf
Amount purchased: 674 @ 229.67p
Value: £1,547.98

Legal & General Group (LGEN)
Director name: Bradley ,Carolyn
Amount purchased: 674 @ 229.67p
Value: £1,547.98

Record (REC)
Director name: Cullen,Steve
Amount purchased: 829 @ 27.10p
Value: £224.66

Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Formica,Andrew
Amount purchased: 65 @ 234.08p
Value: £152.15

K3 Business Technology Group (KBT)
Director name: Davis,Brian
Amount purchased: 43 @ 350.00p
Value: £150.50

K3 Business Technology Group (KBT)
Director name: Bolton,David J
Amount purchased: 43 @ 350.00p
Value: £150.50

Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Thompson ,Roger
Amount purchased: 64 @ 234.08p
Value: £149.81

Top Director Sells

Relx Plc (REL)
Director name: Engstrom,Erik
Amount purchased: 237,278 @ 1,240.13p
Value: £2,942,548.52

Relx Plc (REL)
Director name: Engstrom,Erik
Amount purchased: 78,431 @ 1,249.50p
Value: £979,995.34

Relx Plc (REL)
Director name: Luff,N L
Amount purchased: 28,800 @ 1,249.50p
Value: £359,856.00

Relx Plc (REL)
Director name: Engstrom,Erik
Amount purchased: 17,004 @ $17.36
Value: $217,618.60