Premier Foods director bites again

A round-up of the biggest director deals today so far.

Ian Deste, group sales director at struggling firm Premier Foods, has served himself up a helping of shares.

The director purchased 186,746 shares 5.20p just a few weeks after the firm's bankers agreed to defer the company's end-of-year loan covenant tests by three months, in a move which forms part of the company's discussions about longer term refinancing of the group's debt and confirms ongoing bank support for the business.

In October the company, which has lost 71% on its share price in the past year, issued a profits-warning after struggling with rising raw material costs hit third quarter results.

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Earlier this week, broker UBS said of the company, "the banks overriding priority must be to get their money back as quickly as possible and whilst this requires Premier to make profits/ generate cash, we are concerned that the interests of equity shareholders are now subordinate."

Top Director Buys

Personal Assets Trust (PNL)

Director name: Mr Stuart Paul

Amount purchased: 640 @ 33,470.00p

Value: £214,208

E2V Technologies (E2V)

Director name: Mr Keith Atwood

Amount purchased: 91,135 @ 110.73p

Value: £100,914

Chemring Group (CHG)

Director name: Mr Peter Hickson

Amount purchased: 25,000 @ 395.00p

Value: £98,750

E2V Technologies (E2V)

Director name: Mr Charles Hindson

Amount purchased: 60,000 @ 109.17p

Value: £65,502

office2office (OFF)

Director name: Mr James L (Jim) Cohen

Amount purchased: 27,100 @ 146.50p

Value: £39,702

E2V Technologies (E2V)

Director name: Mr Charles Hindson

Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 110.00p

Value: £33,000

Mears Group (MER)

Director name: Mr David Miles

Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 214.37p

Value: £21,437

Chemring Group (CHG)

Director name: Dr Dr David Price

Amount purchased: 4,000 @ 398.10p

Value: £15,924

office2office (OFF)

Director name: Mr Simon Moate

Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 146.00p

Value: £14,600

Top Director Sells

Diageo (DGE)

Director name: Mr Philip G Scott

Amount sold: 15,000 @ 1,327.00p

Value: £199,050

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