RPS boss cashes in

Chief executive Dr Alan Hearne has raised nearly £1m by selling shares in environmental consultancy RPS.

Dr Hearne has sold 470,000 shares at an average price of 209.588p each. That leaves him with 15,130 RPS shares and £985,000 in cash.

In March, Dr Hearne raised £222,434 from a share disposal at 178.1p a share.

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Dr Hearne joined RPS in 1978 and became chief executive in 1981. He is 57 years old. In 2009, his pay fell from £739,000 to £414,000.

RPS has grown strongly throughout its period as a Main Market company. Revenues have soared from £32.3m in 1999 to £443.9m in 2009. Over the same period pre-amortisation profit jumped from £6.65m to £52.5m. There are not many quoted companies with a record as impressive as this.

However, RPS has admitted that trading in the first quarter is down on the same period last year and prices are under pressure. Bad weather did not help. First half profits will be lower in 2010. Even so, RPS believes the worst of the recession is behind it.

Net debt was £44.1m at the end of March 2010.

Top Director Buys

LMS Capital (LMS) Director name: Mr David VereyAmount purchased: 209,000 @ 50.00p Value: £104,500

BATM Advanced (BVC) Director name: Dr Zvi MaromAmount purchased: 450,000 @ 22.92p Value: £103,140

Bunzl (BNZL) Director name: Mr Philip RogersonAmount purchased: 10,000 @ 747.96p Value: £74,796

Alpha Pyrenees Trust Ltd. (ALPH) Director name: Mr David JeffreysAmount purchased: 145,000 @ 31.40p Value: £45,530

Edinburgh Worldwide Inv Trust (EWI) Director name: Mr David E ReidAmount purchased: 10,000 @ 260.00p Value: £26,000

Aurelian Oil & Gas (AUL) Director name: Mr John ConlinAmount purchased: 50,000 @ 36.75p Value: £18,375

Pinewood-Shepperton (PWS) Director name: Mr Ivan DunleavyAmount purchased: 10,000 @ 139.25p Value: £13,925

Robert Wiseman (RWD) Director name: Mr Norman L MurrayAmount purchased: 2,100 @ 483.14p Value: £10,146

Top Director Sells

RPS Group (RPS) Director name: Mr Alan HearneAmount sold: 470,000 @ 209.59p Value: £985,073

Character Group (CCT) Director name: Mr Richard KingAmount sold: 275,000 @ 137.00p Value: £376,750

Dairy Farm International (Singapore) (DFI) Director name: Mr Howard Leonard MowlemAmount sold: 1,800 @ $6.72 Value: $12,096