Director Dealings: Green energy investment fuels bargain price buy-up

TWO directors at Leaf Clean Energy, which has a portfolio of investments in renewable electricity generation projects, both more than doubled their holdings in the company last week.

The move came after the company recently updated shareholders on progress on its projects including a biomass facility in Georgia in the US and a biofuels business in Brazil.

While it admitted the operating environment remains challenging, it said there were signs that "confidence may slowly be returning to the economies and sectors on which we focus".

Shares in the company are well down on the 100p-plus levels seen at the end of last year but buying activity by two board members suggests they currently believe they offer good value.

Bran Keogh, an executive director, bought 250,000 shares at 70p per share and non-executive director Peter O'Keefe bought 25,000 shares at the same price. Keogh now holds 500,000 shares and O'Keefe 40,000 shares.

• Michael Tinling, non-executive director at information technology group IS Solutions has bought 8,400 shares at 37.5p each and now holds 353,059 ordinary shares.

• Paul Roberts, finance director of agricultural retailer Wynnstay, has sold 4,872 shares at 288p each to reduce his stake to 110,000 shares.

• Four directors at construction group Rok have bought shares in the company. Chief executive Garvis Snook bought 200,000 shares, finance director Sean Cummins bought 210,000 shares, chief operating officer Rob Olorenshaw bought 53,237 and non-executive director Ian Ellis bought 52,000 shares.

They each paid around 18p for shares in the company which has seen its market value more than halve this year.

• Vivienne Blumfield, a newly-appointed executive director at promotional products business Altitude Group has bought 5,000 shares at 16.25p per share. She now holds 30,000.

• Two directors of electric vehicles developer Tanfield have increased their stakes in the company. Chief executive Darren Kell and non-executive director Roy Stanley each bought 1.25m shares at around 13p each They now own more than 16 per cent of the company between them.

• Colin Smith, engineering and technology director of aero engine group Rolls-Royce has reduced his family's stake. He sold 32,000 shares at 599.5p each but retains a stake of 175,176 shares.