Embattled hospital operator NMC Health (NMC) took another hit this week after its biggest shareholder dramatically sold £375m worth of shares.
Well-known Abu Dhabi-based investor Saeed Mohamed al-Qebaisi and his relative Khalifa Butti al-Muhairi sold a combined 15% stake in the group at £12 a share on Wednesday, a discount of a fifth to where shares were trading the day before.
Other investors have reacted negatively with NMC shares plunging on the news.
But in a statement the company said the transaction ‘pertains only to the means of financing the investors’ shareholdings and not to the company’s operating performance nor long-term prospects.’
It added that the duo remain ‘supportive and long-term investors in NMC'.
Investors in video games developer Codemasters (CDM) may also be slightly concerned after chief executive Frank Sagnier and chief financial officer Rashid Varachia sold off a sizeable chunk of shares.
Sagnier sold 450,000 shares at 260p each for a total of £1.2m. Following the transaction, he holds 3.3m shares, representing 2.1% of Codemaster’s issued share capital.
While on the same day, Varachia sold 200,000 shares at 260p each for a total of £520,000, and now holds 1.5 million shares, 1% of the firm’s issued share capital.
But investors in Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk (POG) may be feeling a little bit more optimistic after the company’s chief executive Dr Pavel Maslovskiy bought 17.4m shares in the firm at a price of 13p each, for a total of £2.1m.
The transaction gives Maslovskiy 0.53% stake in the company.
Every Thursday, Shares will roundup the biggest director deals over the past week.
For a full list of the past week’s most significant director trades, click here.
