LONDON (ShareCast) - John Whybrow, the Chairman of AZ Electronic Materials, which on Tuesday tanked after it issued a warning on full year revenue, has shown his faith in the chemicals company by enlarging his shareholding.

Whybrow acquired 40,000 shares at 254p each for a total trade value of £101,600, taking his stake in the company to 118,541 shares.

Geoff Wild, the group's Chief Executive Officer, also made a significant purchase, buying 40,000 shares at 268p each. The £107,200 purchase takes his holding to 885,749.

A number of other directors also gave the group their backing with purchases of various sizes.

The company reported a 2.0% year-on-year decline in revenue to $19.9m for the three months to April 8th, following lower-than-expected sales in its IC Materials division.

The company blamed weak performance and an unfavourable product mix in IC Materials, which includes products for use in integrated circuits and devices. Revenue in the division fell 7.0% year-on-year to $123.3m.

As a result, the group's EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) margin for the three month period was lower than normal, and will be for the year as a whole, it warned.

Group revenue for the full year will be around the same levels as last year, the company added.

Having lost around 30% of its value on Tuesday, the stock regained 15% the following morning, boosted in part by a rating upgrade from broker UBS.


Top Director Buys

Centamin (DI) (CEY)
Director name: Mr Josef El-Raghy
Amount purchased: 500,000 @ 47.80p
Value: £239,000

AZ Electronic Materials SA (DI) (AZEM)
Director name: Mr Geoff Wild
Amount purchased: 40,000 @ 268.00p
Value: £107,200

AZ Electronic Materials SA (DI) (AZEM)
Director name: Mr John Whybrow
Amount purchased: 40,000 @ 254.00p
Value: £101,600

Synety Group (SNTY)
Director name: Mr Simon Cleaver
Amount purchased: 40,000 @ 125.00p
Value: £50,000

AZ Electronic Materials SA (DI) (AZEM)
Director name: Mr Andrew Allner
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 255.00p
Value: £25,500

Verona Pharma (VRP)
Director name: Mr Stuart Bottomly
Amount purchased: 1,000,000 @ 2.35p
Value: £23,500

Mission Marketing Group (TMMG)
Director name: Mr Chris Goodwin
Amount purchased: 60,000 @ 34.00p
Value: £20,400

Cenkos Securities (CNKS)
Director name: Mr Anthony Hotson
Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 87.80p
Value: £17,560

Port Erin Biopharma Investments Ltd (PEBI)
Director name: Mr James (Jim) Mellon
Amount purchased: 200,000 @ 7.50p
Value: £15,000

Synety Group (SNTY)
Director name: Mr Simon Cleaver
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 124.80p
Value: £12,480


Top Director Sells

Telecity Group (TCY)
Director name: Mr Brian McArthur Muscroft
Amount sold: 98,789 @ 888.00p
Value: £877,246

Close Brothers Group (CBG)
Director name: Mr Stephen R Hodges
Amount sold: 76,383 @ 1,016.48p
Value: £776,418

Berendsen (BRSN)
Director name: Mr Peter Ventress
Amount sold: 61,310 @ 782.80p
Value: £479,935

Spirax-Sarco Engineering (SPX)
Director name: Mr Mark E. Vernon
Amount sold: 18,362 @ 2,608.78p
Value: £479,024

Amlin (AML)
Director name: Mr Richard A Hextall
Amount sold: 72,533 @ 423.49p
Value: £307,170

Tarsus Group (TRS)
Director name: Mr Douglas Emslie
Amount sold: 86,449 @ 230.00p
Value: £198,833

National Express Group (NEX)
Director name: Mr Dean K Finch
Amount sold: 69,571 @ 195.89p
Value: £136,283

Tarsus Group (TRS)
Director name: Mr Neville Buch
Amount sold: 43,225 @ 230.00p
Value: £99,418

Tarsus Group (TRS)
Director name: Mr Roger Pellow
Amount sold: 23,084 @ 230.00p
Value: £53,093

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