BuyBuy for TalkTalk non-exec

A non-executive director of both broadband provider TalkTalk and mobile phone seller Carphone Warehouse has made a double purchase, phoning in orders for shares in both firms.

John Allwood bought 10,000 shares at 134.80p for a total of £13,480 in TalkTalk, and 3,500 shares at 311.00p in Carphone Warehouse, which he joined last year, for £10,885.

Earlier this month the Carphone Warehouse announced that it is to close its 'big-box' Best Buy stores in the UK, sell off its interest in Best Buy Mobile and return a chunk of money to shareholders.

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The company anticipates further operating losses of around £25m-£30m through to closure. The cash costs of closure are expected to amount to a further £65-75m after tax. Non-cash asset write downs are expected to be in the region of £40m-£45m.

Meanwhile, TalkTalk saw a rise in pre-tax profits despite a fall in revenue for the half year ended 30 September.

Revenue fell 4.8% from £887m last year to £884m, but profit before tax rose from £17m to £41m on a like-for-like basis.

Profit was largely boosted by a significant reduction in cost of sales, from £450m to £409m.

Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of media group News Corporation, has trousered around $61.7m through the sale of 3.63m non-voting shares in the Sun newspaper owner.

The disposal virtually reverses a purchase of 4m non-voting shares he made back in February, when the company was being rocked by developments in the phone hacking scandal surrounding the News of the World, the Sunday newspaper which News Corporation subsequently shut down.

Top Director Buys

Anglo American (AAL)

Director name: Mr Ray O'Rourke

Amount purchased: 42,465 @ 2,351.37p

Value: £998,509

Anglo American (AAL)

Director name: Mr Peter Woicke

Amount purchased: 7,500 @ 2,369.91p

Value: £177,743

Picton Property Income Ltd (PCTN)

Director name: Mr Trevor Ash

Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 40.95p

Value: £40,950

TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK)

Director name: Mr John Allwood

Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 134.80p

Value: £13,480

Carphone Warehouse Group (CPW)

Director name: Mr John Allwood

Amount purchased: 3,500 @ 311.00p

Value: £10,885

Top Director Sells

News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA)

Director name: Mr Rupert Murdoch

Amount sold: 2,628,227 @ $17.07

Value: $44,863,835

News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA)

Director name: Mr Rupert Murdoch

Amount sold: 1,005,084 @ $16.76

Value: $16,845,208

Michael Page International (MPI)

Director name: Mr Stephen Puckett

Amount sold: 319,229 @ 380.00p

Value: £1,213,070

Michael Page International (MPI)

Director name: Mr Stephen Puckett

Amount sold: 159,977 @ 376.00p

Value: £601,514

Michael Page International (MPI)

Director name: Mr Stephen Puckett

Amount sold: 115,466 @ 377.00p

Value: £435,307

Mood Media Corp. (DI) (MM.)

Director name: Mr Justin Beckett

Amount sold: 90,300 @ 163.14p

Value: £147,315

Hiscox Ltd. (HSX)

Director name: Mr Robert Hiscox

Amount sold: 55,000 @ 389.28p

Value: £214,104

Abcam (ABC)

Director name: Prof. Tony Kouzarides

Amount sold: 60,000 @ 352.00p

Value: £211,200

Michael Page International (MPI)

Director name: Mr Stephen Puckett

Amount sold: 50,000 @ 380.00p

Value: £190,000

Spirent Communications (SPT)

Director name: Mr William Burns

Amount sold: 158,012 @ 111.66p

Value: £176,436

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