Director dealings: Smiths chairman ups stake

1st Feb 2019 15:54

(Sharecast News) - Smiths Group chairman George Buckley purchased 858 ordinary shares in the London-based engineering business on Friday.Buckley, who joined Smiths back in 2013, acquired the shares at an average price of 1,456.80p each, for a total value of £12,499.33.Back in November, analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch downgraded Smiths to 'underperform' from 'neutral' and slashed the price target to 1,350p from 1,550p.It said that from an operational standpoint, FY19 is likely to be particularly weighted to the second half, with the detection and medical businesses both likely to be weak in the first half before seeing acceleration through the second half."Overall, we remain of the view that consensus expectations are about right for the next 12-18 months but despite the progress in both Detection and Medical the aggregate earnings momentum remains lacklustre relative to the broader sector."As of 1620 GMT, Smiths shares had picked up 1.03% to 1,465.50p.Top Director BuysBaillie Gifford Uk Growth Fund (BGUK)Director name: Neill ,Ruary Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 177.00pValue: £35,400.00Smiths Group (SMIN)Director name: Buckley,GeorgeAmount purchased: 858 @ 1,456.80pValue: £12,499.33Triad Group (TRD)Director name: Leer,AdrianAmount purchased: 100,000 @ 11.00pValue: £11,000.00Altitude Group (ALT)Director name: Stella,NicholeAmount purchased: 10,500 @ 86.00pValue: £9,030.00Ashley House (ASH)Director name: Holmes,JonathanAmount purchased: 3,333 @ 13.50pValue: £449.96Ashley House (ASH)Director name: Walters,Antony Amount purchased: 3,333 @ 13.50pValue: £449.96Ashley House (ASH)Director name: Hathaway,James Andrew John Amount purchased: 3,333 @ 13.50pValue: £449.96Top Director Sells