Marshalls boss Holden heads March construction share deals

Marshalls' led the way among March's construction share deals, as three directors went on a £300,000 spending spree that bolstered their tally of company shares.

Shares bought

David Holden, chief executive, led from the front, splashing out £173,000 in a move that brought him 70,000 additional shares in Marshall, taking his total holding up to 370,000.

Ian Burrell, Marshall's finance director, and David Sarti, also a director, weighed in as they sensed a bargain, each spending £96,000.

Vaughan McLeod might already have within a whisker of 13m shares in Ennstone, the company he chairs, but a good deal just can't be turned down, so he rustled up £55,000 to lift his total shareholding by a further 200,000.

Five ISG directors also lined up with their chequebooks with two of the number each signing up for 40,000 ISG shares and the remaining three adding 10,000 apiece.

Four of the eight other nibblers with a taste for their own shares (as opposed to Easter eggs) spent more than £25,000. They came from Keller, Bellway, Carillion and WSP.

This might be a good moment to report that six SMC directors took the opportunity of subscribing to new company shares, backing their faith in the group with a total spend of more than £600,000.

The two who dived in big-time were non-exec Nicholas Wills, spending £380,000, and SMC chairman Rodney Walker who happily parted with close on £210,000.

Shares sold

Michael Macario, a 70-year-old non-exec director at Mears, jumped in nimbly in anticipation of the imminent hike in Capital Gains Tax from 10% to 18% and sold his entire holding of company shares.

The move brought him £281,000.

"He's staying on," said chairman Bob Holt. "He's a good lad. He's been with us for 12 years."

The two other March hares who felt the need to spring into summer with a tad extra spare cash jingling merrily in their pockets were the joint chief executives at Scott Wilson.