Herring goes fishing

AFTER a difficult 2009, software group Workplace Systems reported signs of a significant improvement in trading towards the end of the year.

It specialises in helping companies get the most out of their workforce, with products including systems which predict the optimum number of staff for shops to have on duty depending on demand patterns.

The Aim-quoted company updated the market in November, but a purchase last week by non-executive director John Herring suggests the improvement in fortunes is continuing.

Although the shares are up by more than 50 per cent in the past six months he increased his stake with the purchase of 200,000 shares at 9p each. He now holds 588,956 shares.

• David McKeith has made his first purchase of shares in IT security company NCC Group since becoming a non-executive director last year. He bought 5,000 shares at 422.5p each.

• Three non-executive directors at Glasgow-based intellectual property group Murgitroyd have invested in the company's shares following results last week.

Dr Kenneth Chrystie bought 5,000 shares and now holds 6,000, Dr Christopher Greig doubled his stake with the purchase of 5,000 shares and Mark Kemp-Gee bought 3,000 shares and now holds 5,000 shares.

They paid around 260p each for the shares in the group, which posted interim pre-tax profits of 1.7 million, unchanged from last year.

• The new chairman of oil giant BP has bought his first stake in the company through a major purchase. Carl-Henric Svanberg bought 750,000 shares at 575p after the group announced fourth-quarter profits slightly below expectations.

• Stephen Hill, finance director of outsourcing group Connaught, has bought shares for the second time in a fortnight.

He purchased 50,000 shares at 317p a share following the purchase of 5,000 shares for 331p each in January. Hill now owns 177,660 shares.

• Christopher Winn, chairman of software group Sanderson, has bought the bulk of private equity group Alchemy's stake in the company. He bought 10.76 million shares at 20p and now owns just under 30 per cent of the company.

• Steven Wilderspin, a non-executive director at 3i Infrastructure, has bought 10,000 shares at 105.48p each.