Date: Thursday 26 Apr 2007
LONDON (ShareCast) - Keith Clarke, chief executive of WS Atkins has bulked up his stake in the engineering consultant that also has a stake in London Underground contractor Metronet.
Clarke splashed out £58,850 buying 5,000 shares at 1,177p to take his holding to 41,969 shares, 0.04% of the company.
The purchase comes at a good time for Atkins, which recently reported that annual pre-tax profit before exceptional items will be significantly ahead of market expectations, sending the shares to a 52-week high.
The group did warn that problems with Metronet, a consortium upgrading London's underground network, would continue.
"The results for the year are anticipated to be impacted by an exceptional loss of £36m in relation to the Metronet Enterprise," it said, because of unexpected costs.
Even so, it added, "The group's order book remains strong and with opportunities in all of our key markets, we are confident that the group can make good progress in 2007/08."
Top Director Buys
Kirkland Lake Gold (KGI)
Director name: Mr George A Milton
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 584.70p
Value: £116,940
WS Atkins (ATK)
Director name: Mr Keith Clarke
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 1,177.00p
Value: £58,850
EP Global Opportunities Trust (EPG)
Director name: Mr Ian McBean
Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 170.00p
Value: £42,500
Aggreko (AGK)
Director name: Mr Kash Pandya
Amount purchased: 7,095 @ 566.00p
Value: £40,158
Alliance Trust (ATST)
Director name: Mr Janet Pope
Amount purchased: 7,966 @ 372.00p
Value: £29,634
Personal Group Holdings (PGH)
Director name: Mr Ken W Rooney
Amount purchased: 5,000 @ 313.00p
Value: £15,650
Wyndham York (WYK)
Director name: Mr Harvey B Shulman
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 75.00p
Value: £15,000
Martin Currie Pacific Trust (MCP)
Director name: Mr John Philip Henry Scott
Amount purchased: 5,744 @ 241.72p
Value: £13,884
Top Director Sells
Carnival Corporation (CCL)
Director name: Mr Peter Ratcliff
Amount sold: 13,892 @ 2,419.47p
Value: £336,113
Hardy Underwriting (HDU)
Director name: Miss Barbara Merry
Amount sold: 76,864 @ 282.00p
Value: £216,756
Carnival Corporation (CCL)
Director name: Mr Peter Ratcliff
Amount sold: 4,082 @ 2,419.42p
Value: £98,761
Hardy Underwriting (HDU)
Director name: Miss Barbara Merry
Amount sold: 43,251 @ 284.00p
Value: £122,833
