Insider trades

Insider trades: Asia Insider notes that for the week ending Apr 15, director buying was flat while selling picked up. Buybacks plunged too.

Insider buying: 16 companies saw 28 acquisitions worth $0.94m, vs. 17 firms, 32 purchases worth $1.01m.

Insider selling: Three firms saw eight disposals worth $0.93m, vs. one company, two sales worth $0.2m

Buybacks: Six firms posted 11 repurchases worth $5.37m, vs. 13 companies, 32 trades worth $7.7m.

Notable transactions:
Hong Fok: Joint chairman and joint managing director Cheong Sim Eng continued buying shares at lower prices, acquiring 80,000 shares on 12 Apr at $0.815 each, raising his stake to 17.16%. The purchases were made on the back of a 17% rebound in share price since 20 Mar. He previously acquired 288,000 shares from 4-21 Mar at an average of $0.774 each.

Hotung Investments: Chairman Huang Tsui-Hui resumed buying shares, acquiring 56,000 shares from 6-14 Apr at an average of $1.52 each. The trades accounted for 9% of the stock’s trading volume. This increased her deemed to 21.48% of issued capital. She had previously acquired 305,000 shares from 1-21 Mar at an average of $1.45 each.

Ascendas India Trust: Kabouter Management purchased 358,000 units on 7 Apr at $0.89 each. This increased its stake to 8% of issued capital. The filing was made on the back of a 25% unit price rebound since Jan.