Euromoney chiefs beat fall in shares

DIRECTORS at Euromoney, whose shares crashed by almost a quarter last week, have made a small fortune from the sale of shares this year. Seven executives from the financial magazine publisher and conference organiser realised more than pounds 2.7m from share deals, the vast bulk of which was clear profit.

The news comes just days after the company shocked the City with a profits warning that sent the shares crashing 312p to 1,083p, wiping pounds 68m off the company's stock market value.

Euromoney, in which the Daily Mail & General Trust has a 70 per cent stake, said it expects profits for the year to the end of September 1995 to be around a quarter below the previous year's pounds 24m - about pounds 10m below analysts' expectations.

The windfall from previous share transactions is particularly welcome for directors, who now face substantial pay cuts because their remuneration is largely linked to profits growth.

In the largest single share transaction, in January, executive chairman Padraic Fallon made a profit of almost pounds 1.3m. He exercised options over 176,190 shares at 171p and immediately sold 97,264 of them for pounds 16.43. Five other directors also made handsome gains by cashing in share options.

Selling by directors resumed in May, a week after Euromoney published a downbeat interim statement. One of five executives to offload stock in this period was Sir Patrick Sergeant, joint president of Euromoney, who scooped almost pounds 336,000 when he sold 24,295 shares at pounds 13.82.

Referring to the January share dealings, managing director Richard Ensor, who himself made pounds 816,000 from one sale, said directors had had "no choice" but to exercise their options as a 10-year scheme started in December 1985 approached maturity. He added that directors were entitled to take some profits after 10 years' service, but that no director involved in the scheme had sold all his shares.

It is not the first time Euromoney has featured in the controversy about boardroom pay and perks. In 1993, Mr Fallon's pay rose by 35 per cent to pounds 1,391,946 under a performance-related scheme.

Director Date sale was Shares Price

announced sold

Neil Osborn June 28, 1995 1,000 1403p

Daniel Cohen June 19, 1995 2,300 1400p

Gerald Strahan June 19, 1995 1,000 1400p

Chris Brown June 5, 1995 4,405 1385p

Sir Patrick Sergeant May 24, 1995 24,295 1382p

Richard Ensor Jan 27, 1995 58,845 1643p

Padraic Fallon Jan 27, 1995 97,264 1643p

Daniel Cohen Jan 27, 1995 2,300 1643p

Gerald Strahan Jan 27, 1995 4,405 1643p

Chris Brown Jan 27, 1995 3,000 1643p

Neil Osborn Jan 27, 1995 4,409 1643p

Sources: Directus, FT Profile, FT Extel