Southern Cross bosses buy in after slump

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

Directors at Southern Cross Healthcare spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on shares in the care home operator Friday following heavy falls in the share price, the company confirmed today.

Chief executive Bill Colvin doubled his stake to 1m shares (just over 0.5% of the company) taking 500,000 shares at 83,78p a go, for a total of about £419,000.

Chairman Ray Miles took around 118,000 shares at the same price and now has around 164,000 shares. Other directors also bought into the company, taking smaller stakes.

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News of the directors' purchases comes on the same day Southern Cross issued a clarification saying 89.8% of its beds at care homes are occupied, following a report in the Times Saturday that said it may have more empty beds than previously thought.

Shares in the company fell heavily last Monday as it warned of a breach of bank covenants, poor trading and the departure of its finance director. The share price rallied nearly 10% today.

Top Director Buys

Southern Cross Healthcare Group (SCHE)

Director name: Mr Bill Colvin

Amount purchased: 500,000 @ 83.80p

Value: £419,000

Southern Cross Healthcare Group (SCHE)

Director name: Mr Ray Miles

Amount purchased: 118,348 @ 83.80p

Value: £99,176

Southern Cross Healthcare Group (SCHE)

Director name: Mr Richard Midmer

Amount purchased: 59,173 @ 83.80p

Value: £49,587

Diploma (DPLM)

Director name: Mr John L Rennocks

Amount purchased: 18,300 @ 150.90p

Value: £27,615

Canaccord Capital (CCI)

Director name: Mr Michael Deane Harris

Amount purchased: 2,200 @ 383.94p

Value: £8,447

Southern Cross Healthcare Group (SCHE)

Director name: Mr Christopher Fisher

Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 83.80p

Value: £16,760

Lonrho (LONR)

Director name: Mr David Anthony Lenigas

Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 32.50p

Value: £16,250

Southern Cross Healthcare Group (SCHE)

Director name: Mr Kamma Foulkes

Amount purchased: 17,751 @ 83.80p

Value: £14,875

Matica (MAT)

Director name: Mr Sandro Camilleri

Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 29.00p

Value: £14,500

Polar Capital Holdings (POLR)

Director name: Mr Hugh Aldous

Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 104.00p

Value: £10,400

Top Director Sells

Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE)

Director name: Mr Ian Marchant

Amount sold: 16,200 @ 1,400.80p

Value: £226,930

Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE)

Director name: Mr Gregor Alexander

Amount sold: 8,023 @ 1,400.80p

Value: £112,386