BB's Lord Ashcroft buys more shares

BB Holdings' chairman Lord Ashcroft spent more than £1m lifting his stake in the Belize-based financial services group, it announced today.

Lord Ashcroft, who is deputy chairman of the Conservative party and who served as Belize's representative to the UN until 2000, bought 620,164 shares in the AIM-listed company at 220p a time and now has around 45.5m shares or 72.8% of the company.

BB's chief financial officer Peter Gaze also bought in, taking 350,000 shares at the same price, lifting his stake to 462,227 shares.

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Lord Ashcroft last bought into BB Holdings, which owns the Belize Bank, towards the end of last year, taking several smaller stakes than his latest purchase at 230p.

Belize Bank is the central American country's largest commercial banking operation, accounting for more than 40% of its loans and deposits.

Top Director Buys

BB Holdings (BBHL)

Director name: Lord Lord Ashcroft

Amount purchased: 620,164 @ 220.00p

Value: £1,364,361

BB Holdings (BBHL)

Director name: Mr Peter Michael Reeder Gaze

Amount purchased: 350,000 @ 220.00p

Value: £770,000

PureCircle (PURE)

Director name: Mr Olivier Maes

Amount purchased: 80,000 @ 203.00p

Value: £162,400

QinetiQ Group (QQ.)

Director name: Mr Graham Love

Amount purchased: 53,756 @ 198.00p

Value: £106,437

Ceres Power Holdings (CWR)

Director name: Mr Brian Count

Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 190.00p

Value: £95,000

Independent Investment Trust (IIT)

Director name: Mr Maxwell C B Ward

Amount purchased: 30,000 @ 175.00p

Value: £52,500

Bulgarian Property Developments (BPD)

Director name: Mr Ivo Hesmondhalgh

Amount purchased: 94,951 @ 52.00p

Value: £49,375

Stobart Group (STOB)

Director name: Mr Andrew Tinkler

Amount purchased: 40,804 @ 110.00p

Value: £44,884

Stobart Group (STOB)

Director name: Mr William Stobart

Amount purchased: 40,804 @ 110.00p

Value: £44,884

Quintain Estates & Development (QED)

Director name: Mr Nicholas S K Shattock

Amount purchased: 23,500 @ 184.50p

Value: £43,358

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Jarvis Securities (JIM)

Director name: Mr A J Grant

Amount sold: 100,000 @ 223.00p

Value: £223,000

Jarvis Securities (JIM)

Director name: Mr A J Grant

Amount sold: 58,000 @ 224.00p

Value: £129,920

Mapeley (MAY)

Director name: Mr Charles Parkinson

Amount sold: 5,000 @ 1,305.00p

Value: £65,250

Halma (HLMA)

Director name: Mr Kevin J Thompson

Amount sold: 30,900 @ 209.60p

Value: £64,766

Atkins (WS) (ATK)

Director name: Mr Robert MacLeod

Amount sold: 3,690 @ 1,053.20p

Value: £38,863

Halma (HLMA)

Director name: Mr Keith J Roy

Amount sold: 15,710 @ 209.60p

Value: £32,928

Halma (HLMA)

Director name: Mr Carol Chesney

Amount sold: 7,462 @ 209.60p

Value: £15,640