WH Smiths CEO makes purchase and sale in same day

Chief executive at WH Smiths Kate Swann has sold 143,275 of her shares in the firm for a total of £801,853.

The disposal of the shares, at 559.66p each, brings her total stake in the company to just over 1.2m, equivalent to 0.77%.

The CEO also purchased 275,493 shares at an undisclosed price, in a move which took her share in the firm up to 0.87%, before the sale which followed soon after.

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Swann, who was headhunted from Argos in 2003, has been credited with turning WH Smiths around in recent years through a series of hard-hitting cost-cutting measures which have boosted profits and proved her critics wrong.

WH Smiths has ballooned 12.68% on its share price in the last year, but dropped 2.24% to 545.5p on today's news.

A number of other board members also made transactions, including group finance director Robert Moorhead, who sold 61,414 shares at 559.66p each for a total of £343,710.

Top Director Buys

Metal-Tech (MTT)

Director name: Ms Ariel Rosenberg

Amount purchased: 2,798,448 @ 5.50p

Value: £153,915

Richland Resources Ltd (RLD)

Director name: Mr Ami R Mpungwe

Amount purchased: 338,569 @ 11.50p

Value: £38,935

Richland Resources Ltd (RLD)

Director name: Mr Nicholas T Sibley

Amount purchased: 326,207 @ 11.50p

Value: £37,514

Richland Resources Ltd (RLD)

Director name: Dr Dr Bernard Olivier

Amount purchased: 256,384 @ 11.50p

Value: £29,484

Richland Resources Ltd (RLD)

Director name: Mr Edward F G Nealon

Amount purchased: 223,194 @ 11.50p

Value: £25,667

Richland Resources Ltd (RLD)

Director name: Mr Farai Manyemba

Amount purchased: 128,192 @ 11.50p

Value: £14,742

Top Director Sells

WH Smith (SMWH)

Director name: Ms Kate Swann

Amount sold: 143,275 @ 559.66p

Value: £801,853

WH Smith (SMWH)

Director name: Mr Robert Moorhead

Amount sold: 61,414 @ 559.66p

Value: £343,710

Ricardo (RCDO)

Director name: Mr Dave Shemmans

Amount sold: 32,724 @ 356.50p

Value: £116,661

Ricardo (RCDO)

Director name: Ms Paula Bell

Amount sold: 15,476 @ 356.50p

Value: £55,172

Ricardo (RCDO)

Director name: Mr Mark Garrett

Amount sold: 4,091 @ 356.50p

Value: £14,584

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