Report
Brian Moretta ...
  • Jason Streets
  • Mark Thomas
  • Martin Hall
  • Mike Foster
  • Nigel Hawkins
  • Stephen Clapham

The Hardman & Co Monthly: March 2022

Feature article:
Directors’ dealings - A legal way to do insider trading


One of the first things that a junior analyst learns is to keep an eye on directors’ dealings, but sometimes this is more complicated than meets the eye. In this article, I look at some less obvious tricks to study directors’ dealings.

It’s worth prefacing these remarks with a comment that, although investors want company CEOs and CFOs to have skin in the game, individuals shouldn’t have all their chips in one basket. It’s perfectly reasonable for a CEO to have an element of diversification in his or her portfolio. The analyst has to try to understand how much is enough, and when a stock sale is more than diversification and amounts to a vote of no (or reduced) confidence in the company’s future.
Underlyings
Appreciate Group

Park Group is a provider of prepaid gift cards, multi-retailer gift vouchers and digital rewards services to corporate and consumer markets. Co.'s brands include: Love2shop, a multi-retailer gift voucher and prepaid gift card brand; Park Christmas Savings, which helps families prepare and budget for Christmas in a controlled and careful manner; flexecash®, which issues e-money; Love2shop Business Services, which provides solutions from Co.'s own multi-retailer vouchers and prepaid cards to single store vouchers and cards, gift experiences, holidays and travel; and Evolve, which is a digital rewards platform that provides commercial organizations with a means to reward individuals.

Arbuthnot Banking Group

Arbuthnot Banking Group is primarily involved in banking and financial services. Co. is organized into three main operating segments: Retail banking (associate), which incorporates household cash management, personal lending and banking and insurance services; U.K. Private banking, which incorporates private banking, commercial banking and wealth management; and Group Centre, which is comprised in Co.'s Group Centre management. As of Dec 31 2016, Co.'s total assets were £1.27 billion.

BBGI Global Infrastructure

Bilfinger Berger Global Infrastructure SICAV is a closed-ended, diversified investment company. Co.'s primary investment objective is to invest in a diversified portfolio of operational (or near operational) Public Private Partnership / Private Finance Initiative infrastructure assets or similar assets.

City Of London Investment Group

City of London Investment Group is the holding company for a number of subsidiaries. The principal operating subsidiary is City of London Investment Management Company Limited, which acts as an investment manager on 38 accounts with a total of £3.58 billion under management as at June 30 2017. Co. is an asset management group with an institutional client focus specializing in Emerging Market closed-end fund investments. Co.'s range also include Developed, Frontier and Global Tactical Asset Allocation closed-end fund strategies.

ICG Enterprise Trust

ICG Enterprise Trust is an investment trust. Co. is a private equity investment company focused on buyouts in developed markets. Co. invests in private equity funds and also directly in private companies. As of Jan 31 2017, Co.'s total investment portfolio amounted to £594.3 million.

International Biotechnology Trust PLC

International Biotechnology Trust is an independent investment trust company. Co. invests primarily in biotechnology and other life science companies. The portfolio is split between large, mid and small capitalisation companies, primarily quoted on stock exchanges in North America, though investments will also be made in Europe, Asia and Australia. Investments may also be made into unquoted companies and into funds not quoted on a stock exchange, including venture capital funds. Co. has delegated responsibility for day-to-day investment of its assets to the Alternative Investment Fund Manager, SV Health Managers LLP.

Oakley Capital Investments

Palace Capital

Palace Capital is a property investment company that focuses on commercial real estate outside London. Co. invests in refurbishment and capital development programmes within the existing portfolio to unlock capital growth, as well as invests in commercial real estate in the U.K. Co.'s property portfolio includes investment properties located throughout England, predominantly regional investments outside London and comprises a diverse portfolio of commercial buildings.

Pantheon Resources

Pantheon Resources is engaged in the investment in oil and gas exploration and development. Co. operates in the U.K. through its parent undertaking and in the U.S. through subsidiary companies. Co. operates in two reportable segments: USA and Head Office. Non-current assets, income and operating liabilities are attributable to the USA, whilst most of the corporate administration is conducted through Head Office. As of June 30 2017, Co. held 58% working interest in the VOBM#1 & VOBM#2H wells in Polk County. Co. also held 75% working interest in VOBM#4 in Tyler County.

Real Estate Credit Investments

Volta Finance (GBP)

Volta Finance is a closed-ended investment company with the objective of investing, among other asset types, in the following main asset classes: Collateralized Loan Obligation, Synthetic Corporate Credit, Cash Corporate Credit and ABS. Co. has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris S.A., as its Alternative Investment Fund Manager to manage the investments of Co.

Provider
Hardman & Co
Hardman & Co

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Analysts
Brian Moretta

Jason Streets

Mark Thomas

Martin Hall

Mike Foster

Nigel Hawkins

Stephen Clapham

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