DIRECTOR DEALINGS SUMMARY: Halfords Chairman Buys As Bike Sales Wobble

LONDON (Alliance News) - The following is a summary of director dealings reported in London on Wednesday.
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Halfords Group said Chairman Dennis Millard bought 5,000 shares at a price of GBP4.5683 per share Wednesday.

Following this transaction, Millard holds 55,000 shares which represents 0.028% of voting rights.

Earlier Wednesday, the car parts and bicycle retailer said its cycling sales have declined so far in the second quarter and will be below expectations for the period, though trading elsewhere in the business remains robust. Halfords said its cycling sales in the eight weeks from July 4 to August 28 were down 11% on a like-for-like basis against tough comparatives and will now be below its expectations for the second quarter.

The stock closed 8.8% lower at 465.12 pence Wednesday, the worst performer in the FTSE 250.
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Coms said that Mark Braund, who is set to become its chief executive, has bought GBP2,250 worth of shares in the company.

Braund, who is joining the infrastructure, managed services and smart buildings company from the same role at staffing specialist InterQuest Group, bought 500,000 shares at an average price of 0.45 pence on Friday last week.

He now owns 4.5 million shares in Coms, equivalent to 0.3% of the company, having previously acquired 4.0 million shares in a placing conducted by the company as part of a GBP2.1 million fundraising between May and June.

Coms fell to a GBP14.9 million pretax loss in its last financial year to January 31, stung by big impairment charges in the telephony services division it has since sold.

Braund is tasked with turning around the company in the wake of the resignation of his predecessor David Breith. According to Coms' latest annual report, Breith has "intimated" that he intends to make an employment claim against the company, which the company disputes.

It is one of several "outstanding issues" between Coms and its former boss, who quit in March.

Shares in Coms closed down 2.6% at 0.560 pence on Wednesday in London.
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Moneysupermarket.com Group said General Counsel Darren Drabble sold 20,000 shares at a price of 323.69 pence per share. Following this transaction, Drabble now holds 154,896 shares.The company also said Diana Donoghue, a connected person to Graham Donoghue, sold 166,000 shares at a price of GBP3.250316 per share. Following this transaction, the Donoghues hold 501,829 shares. Shares in the price comparison website closed up 0.3% at 325.70p Wednesday.
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Computacenter said Chief Information Officer Mark Slaven sold 6,500 shares at a price of 775 pence per share Tuesday. Following this transaction, Slaven's beneficial holding in the company is 13,041 shares. Shares in the IT services company closed down 1.8% at 767.50p Wednesday.
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EnQuest said Non-Executive Director Phil Holland bought 74,999 shares at a price of 33.15 pence per share. The purchase is his only holding after being appointed in August. Shares in the oil and gas explorer closed down 3.9% at 32.20p Wednesday.
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Miner South32 said Non-Executive Director Frank Cooper bought 122,866 shares at a price of AUD1.464968 per share on the Australian Securities Exchange on Wednesday. The purchase is his only holding in the company after parent company BHP Billiton appointed him to the board in April. Cooper has more than 35 years' experience in the accounting profession, specialising in the mining, energy and utilities sector, including most recently as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, BHP had said. Cooper also has been a director of Woodside Petroleum since February 2013. South32 closed down 1.1% at 68.00 pence Wednesday in London.
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National Grid said Non-Executive Director Therese Esperdy bought 1,600 American Depositary Shares at USD65.2999 each Tuesday. Each ADS represents five ordinary shares. The purchase represents Esperdy's total interest. Shares in the electricity and gas utility company closed flat at 849.20p Wednesday.
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By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com; @ArvindBhunjun

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