Directors dealings: Rockhopper finance chief picks up some shares

Finance director Stewart MacDonald purchased 45,225 shares at 33.0p apiece for a total of £14,924.25, while Fiona Margaret MacAulay bought 49,867 shares at that same price, paying a total of £16,456.11.

In parallel, non-executive director John Edward Martin splashed out £30,915.0 on 91,600 shares at an individual price of 33.75p each.

On 19 April, analysts at Canaccord Genuity revised their target price on shares of the oil exploration outfit from 73p to 75p and reiterated their 'speculative buy' recommendation.

The broker´s report followed the recently announced acquistion of Egypt-foused Beach Energy by Rockhopper.

Not only would it add material production of about 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, for a total of between 1,500 and 1,800 boepd, it would also boost the asset, hydrocarbons type and geographical diversification of the company, they said.

Rockhopper´s balance sheet would remain "string" even after the aqcuistion, with between $60m to $70m in cash and no debt at the end of 2016, Canaccord said.

Towards the start of February the company was notified by Italian authorities that it would not be granted a production concession at Ombrina Mare project following the reintroduction of a ban on oil and gas exploration activities within 12 miles of the country´s coast.

Shares of AIM-listed Rockhopper finished the session higher by 4.48% to 35p, giving it a market capitalisation of £159.78m.

Top Director Buys

Sdl (SDL)
Director name: Lavelle,Dominic
Amount purchased: 15,000 @ 418.87p
Value: £62,831.25

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Armitage,Matthew
Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 122.60p
Value: £36,780.00

Rockhopper Exploration (RKH)
Director name: Martin,John Edward
Amount purchased: 91,600 @ 33.75p
Value: £30,915.00

People's Operator (the) (TPOP)
Director name: Wales ,Jimmy Donal
Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 20.00p
Value: £20,000.00

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Gordon,Ben
Amount purchased: 15,000 @ 126.30p
Value: £18,945.00

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Butterworth,Mike
Amount purchased: 15,000 @ 121.00p
Value: £18,150.00

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Stillwell,Richard
Amount purchased: 15,000 @ 119.70p
Value: £17,955.00

Rockhopper Exploration (RKH)
Director name: Margaret MacAulay,Fiona
Amount purchased: 49,867 @ 33.00p
Value: £16,456.11

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Gray ,Brad
Amount purchased: 12,532 @ 120.90p
Value: £15,151.19

Rockhopper Exploration (RKH)
Director name: MacDonald,Stewart
Amount purchased: 45,225 @ 33.00p
Value: £14,924.25

Equiniti Group (EQN)
Director name: Wakeley,Guy
Amount purchased: 5,983 @ 166.20p
Value: £9,943.75

Sky (SKY)
Director name: Ferguson,Nicholas
Amount purchased: 1,014 @ 968.50p
Value: £9,820.59

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Stevenson,Helen
Amount purchased: 7,500 @ 126.00p
Value: £9,450.00

Blackrock Smaller Companies Trust (BRSC)
Director name: Platts-Martin,Susan
Amount purchased: 1,000 @ 897.80p
Value: £8,978.00

Blackrock Smaller Companies Trust (BRSC)
Director name: Platts-Martin,Susan
Amount purchased: 1,000 @ 897.80p
Value: £8,978.00

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Stevenson,Helen
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 127.40p
Value: £6,370.00

Sky (SKY)
Director name: Lewis,Dave
Amount purchased: 372 @ 968.50p
Value: £3,602.82

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Stevenson,Helen
Amount purchased: 2,446 @ 128.60p
Value: £3,145.56

Sky (SKY)
Director name: Pigasse,Matthieu
Amount purchased: 177 @ 968.50p
Value: £1,714.25

Sky (SKY)
Director name: Gilbert,Martin J
Amount purchased: 177 @ 968.50p
Value: £1,714.25

Sky (SKY)
Director name: Sukawaty,Andrew (Andy)
Amount purchased: 134 @ 968.50p
Value: £1,297.79

Sky (SKY)
Director name: Clarke,Tracy Jayne
Amount purchased: 102 @ 968.50p
Value: £987.87

Hsbc Holdings (HSBA)
Director name: Flint,Douglas J
Amount purchased: 32 @ 464.38p
Value: £148.60

St Ives (SIV)
Director name: Stevenson,Helen
Amount purchased: 54 @ 126.50p
Value: £68.31

Top Director Sells

Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (singapore Reg) (JAR)
Director name: Weatherall,E P K
Amount purchased: 35,000 @ $56.42
Value: $1,974,598.46

Independent Inv Trust (IIT)
Director name: Ward,Maxwell C B
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 384.00p
Value: £192,000.00

Brooks Macdonald Group (BRK)
Director name: Holmes,Nicholas
Amount purchased: 3,400 @ 1,700.00p
Value: £57,800.00