(Sharecast News) - Vodafone's chairman bought a big batch of shares in the telecommunications outfit just ahead of the Easter break.

Jean-François van Boxmeer bought £568,215-worth of shares on 27 March, just as the share price was hovering near roughly six-month highs.

A fortnight before, the company had outlined its plans to return €4bn to shareholders and to sell its Vodafone Italy to Swisscom for twice that amount.

Also on 15 March, Vodafone's CFO had picked up just over £1.7m-worth of shares in Vodafone.

That was followed on 22 March by a warning from the UK Competition and Markets Authority for the company to assuage its concerns that a proposed merger with Three UK would result in higher prices and a decline in investment.

Top Director Buys

Vodafone Group (VOD)

Director name: Boxmeer,Van

Amount purchased: 823,500 @ 69.00p

Value: �568,215.00

Taylor Wimpey (TW.)

Director name: Daly,Jennie

Amount purchased: 132,448 @ 140.65p

Value: �186,288.11

Taylor Wimpey (TW.)

Director name: Carney,Chris

Amount purchased: 89,128 @ 140.65p

Value: �125,358.53

Zotefoams (ZTF)

Director name: Drummond,Lynn

Amount purchased: 6,382 @ 391.67p

Value: �24,996.38

Zotefoams (ZTF)

Director name: Swift,Malcolm

Amount purchased: 5,419 @ 394.16p

Value: �21,359.53

Aeorema Communications (AEO)

Director name: Owen,Richard

Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 55.12p

Value: �11,025.00

Pharos Energy (PHAR)

Director name: Brown,Jann M

Amount purchased: 30,936 @ 21.16p

Value: �6,547.30

Pharos Energy (PHAR)

Director name: Rivett,Sue

Amount purchased: 4,607 @ 21.16p

Value: �975.03

Top Director Sells

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)

Director name: Schwimmer,David

Amount sold: 11,999 @ 9,643.58p

Value: �1,157,132.69

Barr (a.g.) (BAG)

Director name: Kemp,Jonathan David

Amount sold: 2,000 @ 561.34p

Value: �11,226.73