Shares in aviation support service group BBA Aviation are a few pence off their 52-week high, so it was not a bad time for Group Chief Executive Simon Pryce to get shot of a pile of shares awarded under the firm's long term incentive and bonus plans.
Pryce jettisoned 323,613 shares at 215.55p each for a total of £697,548, reducing his total holding to 939,874 shares.
The sale was made exactly one month after the aviation support firm boasted a significant rise in both revenue and profit for the year ended December 31st.
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Statutory profit before tax was up 24% from $132m to $163.6m (up 15% to £170.2m before exceptional items), while revenue was up 17% from $1,833.7m to $2,136.7m.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 13% from $221m to $250.1m, while basic underlying earnings per share gained 6% from 27.3c to 29c, after the firm continued to outperform the market, albeit at a slower rate than expected.
Speaking at the time, Pryce said: "We will continue to deliver operational improvement, to flex costs and to deploy our available capital to a strong pipeline of attractive investment and consolidation opportunities. Whilst the macro-economic climate remains uncertain, we anticipate making further progress during the year.
"Over the medium-term, the strengths and track record of our business together with the structural drivers of our markets give us continued confidence in the attractive growth prospects for BBA Aviation and our ability to deliver superior through-cycle returns."
Top Director Buys
First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (FQM)
Director name: Mr Michael Martineau
Amount purchased: 1,500 @ 1,189.27p
Value: £17,839
Victoria Oil & Gas (VOG)
Director name: Mr Kevin A Foo
Amount purchased: 657,541 @ 3.80p
Value: £24,987
Charles Taylor Consulting (CTR)
Director name: Mr David Gideon Marock
Amount purchased: 15,000 @ 150.00p
Value: £22,500
WYG (WYG)
Director name: Mr Paul Hamer
Amount purchased: 36,110 @ 54.00p
Value: £19,499
Anglo American (AAL)
Director name: Mr Peter Woicke
Amount purchased: 696 @ 2,468.85p
Value: £17,183
Bunzl (BNZL)
Director name: Mr Patrick Larmon
Amount purchased: 1,083 @ 856.34p
Value: £9,274
Anglo American (AAL)
Director name: Mr Phuthuma F. Nhleko
Amount purchased: 571 @ 2,468.85p
Value: £14,097
Anglo American (AAL)
Director name: Dr Dr Mamphela Ramphele
Amount purchased: 571 @ 2,468.85p
Value: £14,097
WYG (WYG)
Director name: Mr Graham Olver
Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 54.00p
Value: £13,500
Nanoco Group (NANO)
Director name: Mr Michael Edelman
Amount purchased: 15,700 @ 67.38p
Value: £10,579
Top Director Sells
BBA Aviation (BBA)
Director name: Mr Simon Pryce
Amount sold: 323,613 @ 215.55p
Value: £697,548
Henderson Group (HGG)
Director name: Mr David Jacob
Amount sold: 223,881 @ 125.11p
Value: £280,098
Beazley (BEZ)
Director name: Mr Jonathan Gray
Amount sold: 198,750 @ 140.10p
Value: £278,449
Shire Plc (SHP)
Director name: Mr Angus Russell
Amount sold: 12,264 @ 2,014.00p
Value: £246,997
EnQuest (ENQ)
Director name: Dr James Buckee
Amount sold: 177,483 @ 127.80p
Value: £226,823
Travis Perkins (TPK)
Director name: Mr Paul N Hampden Smith
Amount sold: 17,696 @ 1,101.00p
Value: £194,833
Shire Plc (SHP)
Director name: Mr Graham Hetherington
Amount sold: 4,659 @ 2,014.00p
Value: £93,832
SpaceandPeople (SAL)
Director name: Mr Christopher Graham Stainforth
Amount sold: 128,984 @ 67.75p
Value: £87,387
Bodycote (BOY)
Director name: Mr David F Landless
Amount sold: 19,000 @ 387.00p
Value: £73,530
Fisher (James) & Sons (FSJ)
Director name: Mr Nick Henry
Amount sold: 10,000 @ 597.00p
Value: £59,700
