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Robert Halili

Director activity plunged last week to only 44 trades worth HK$26 million, based on filings with the Hong Kong exchange.
The figures were sharply down from the previous week's 147 deals worth HK$164 million.
The fall in activity was due to the reporting period, which began this month and ends next month, as directors are prohibited from trading in their companies' shares before the announcement of financial results.
Buyers outweighed sellers last week, with 11 companies recording 39 purchases worth HK$24.7 million, against a paltry three firms with five disposals worth HK$1.6 million.
Buy-back activity also fell, with only three companies posting eight transactions worth HK$12.2 million.
The figures were down from the previous week's eight firms with 23 trades worth HK$21.7 million.
Despite the low trades, there were several significant transactions last week, with buy-backs in Alco Holdings, insider deals in Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group and Stelux Holdings, and sales in Bright Smart Securities & Commodities Group.
Consumer electronics manufacturer Alco resumed buy-backs after the stock rose 17 per cent from HK$1.29 on June 25, with 150,000 shares purchased from July 31 to August 6 at an average of HK$1.51 each.
Alco previously acquired 376,000 shares from March 31 to April 9 at an average of HK$1.31 each.
Before the buy-backs this year, the company acquired 4.7 million shares from October 2005 to November 2008 at an average of HK$2.05 each and 4.72 million shares from November 2000 to February 2002 at an average of 50 HK cents each.
The recent buy-backs bode well for shareholders as the stock rose an average 13 per cent three months after Alco bought shares, based on 72 filings since 2000. The stock recorded a gain three months later on 60 per cent of those acquisitions.
Sihuan chief executive Che Fengsheng recorded his first trade in the pharmaceutical products manufacturer since September last year, with 500,000 shares purchased on July 29 at HK$4.87 each.
It increased Che's holdings to 5.919 billion shares, or 57.12 per cent of the issued capital. The trade was made on the back of a 17 per cent rebound in the share price from HK$4.15 in May.
Che previously acquired 9 million shares in September last year at an average of HK$4.87 each, five million shares from January to May 2012 at an average of HK$2.70 each and 15.5 million shares from September to October 2011 at an average of HK$2.91 each.
Investors should note the stock rose an average of 7.6 per cent six months after Che bought shares, based on 27 purchases since 2011.
Stelux chief executive Chumphol Kanjanapas has been buying shares of the watch and optical products retailer over the past five weeks. He acquired 1.4 million shares from July 7 to August 1 at an average of HK$1.97 each.
The trades increased his holdings to 605.716 million shares or 57.88 per cent. The purchases were made on the back of a 23 per cent drop in the price since May from HK$2.55.
He previously sold a net 2.07 million shares from January 22 to April 15 at an average of HK$2.56 each.
Robert Halili is the managing director of Asia Insider


Director activity thins ahead of company results

Che Fengsheng, chief executive of Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group.

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Alco resumes buy-backs while Stelux chief takes advantage of share price fall to raise holdings


Director activity plunged last week to only 44 trades worth HK$26 million, based on filings with the Hong Kong exchange. The figures were sharply down from the previous week's 147 deals worth HK$164 million.


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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Opinion | Director activity thins ahead of company results

Alco resumes buy-backs while Stelux chief takes advantage of share price fall to raise holdings