- Aviva CEO and husband snap up shares
- Costain directors make confidence purchase
- Morgan Advanced Materials director buys 25,000 shares
CEO Amanda Blanc of insurance group Aviva (AV.) and a person closely connected with her, Kenneth Blanc have bought 25,736 shares at 623p, for a total value of £160,335 on 4 September.
The Blanc’s purchases reaffirm confidence in the company.
The insurance group recently (14 August) reported a positive set of first-half results with operating profit up 22% to £1.07 billion due to the integration of Direct Line.
Year-to-date the shares have performed well gaining 37%.
COSTAIN DIRECTORS SNAP UP STOCK
Kate Rock, chair of construction and infrastructure group Costain (COST) has bought 15,000 shares at 131p for a total value of £19,751 on 27 August, in addition to the 10,000 shares purchased previously.
Amanda Fisher, non-executive director of Costain has also bought 10,000 shares at 131p for a total value of £13,113 on 28 August.
Following these transactions, Rock and Fisher have beneficial interests in 125,000 and 10,000 shares respectively.
The move follows a sell-off in the company’s shares after reporting an 18% drop in revenue to £525 million for the first half on 20 August.
MORGAN ADVANCED MATERIALS DIRECTOR BUYS 25,000 SHARES
Jane Lodge, non-executive director and audit committee chair designate of advanced materials and engineering group Morgan Advanced Materials (MGAM) has bought 25,000 at 206p for a total value of £51,500 on 2 September.
Lodge’s move comes after the FTSE 250 firm announced it had agreed to sell its MMS (Molten Metal Systems) business to a UK steel manufacturing equipment and material maker Vesuvius (VSVS) for £75.8 million.
The news lifted shares on the day (22 August), but they remain in the doldrums, falling 21% year-to-date.
