The Insider: City deals uncovered

Director calls bottom at RM2

Composite pallet maker RM2 International has struggled since listing on AIM in January last year at 88p. Despite former Marks and Spencer and Diageo chiefs - Stuart Rose and Paul Walsh - sitting on the board, interest has waned and the share price has fallen from a high of 112p to as low as 46p last month.

But non-executive director Jan Dekker seems to have called the bottom of the market. A month ago, the former RM2 chairman and tax lawyer snapped up 100,000 shares at 48p. He's already made a paper profit of £15,000 on that trade, and now owns 2.5 million shares worth nearly £1.6 million.

Now, chairman Ian Molson, once deputy chairman of the family business, Canadian brewer Molson, has been buying up stock. The Swiftsure Trust, a discretionary trust of which the principal beneficiaries are Molson's children bought 400,000 shares on 2 March at 60p each. A day later he bought another 500,000 at the same price, taking his stake in the firm to 9.4 million shares, or 2.9% of the company worth over £5.7 million.

Molson's buying spree followed an announcement that RM2 had received a commitment from PPG Industries for the deployment of over 250,000 RM2 pallets.

RM2 shares appear overbought, according to the relative strength index (RSI), although that overboughtness could be temporary. Certainly the Molson and Dekker think so.

These shares are a buy, Laird and clear

Laird can proudly claim to be part of the Apple success story. The British company makes electromagnetic interference shielding materials - the parts that stop your smartphone or tablet overheating and interfering with other devices - and the American behemoth is its biggest customer.

And this success hasn't been lost on investors. Laird shares currently trade near levels last seen in summer 2008, and full-year results published this week revealed why. Laird grew revenue by 11% to $932 million and operating profit by 12% to $117 million, or by 5% and 6% respectively in sterling on a reported basis.

Laird said in January it would meet expectations, but the outlook statement this time is positive, too. "We have started 2015 with good momentum and believe that we are well placed for further growth over the year," said chief executive David Lockwood. And, with dealing restrictions for management now lifted, the boss spent £126,000 on 35,540 shares at 354.5p each.

Clearly, Lockwood, who now owns 60,617 shares in all, thinks the shares are going higher. So does Numis Securities. The broker believes the business can sustain mid-teens EPS growth into the medium term from top line growth combined with margin expansion as recent investment pays off. Buy, it says, with target price raised from 395p to 440p.

Full of MJ Gleeson

Urban regeneration and land development firm MJ Gleeson has been active recently. It too has had results out, and they were good. Revenue for the six months to 31 December 2014 rose 24% to £42.6 million, operating profit grew by 56% to £4 million and the half-year dividend is up 145% at 2.7p.

The forward order book for Gleeson Homes has continued to improve during January and early February and bosses expect completions to increase by at least 30% in the year to 30 June 2015. Full-year forecasts, then, are well within reach.

Non-executive director Christopher Mills has seen enough for now though. Gleeson shares have more than doubled in the past two years and Harwood Capital - the company Mills runs and was once part of J O Hambro Capital Management, the business Mills co-founded in 1993 - is a seller.

Post Gleeson's results, Harwood sold 160,000 shares at 350p each, reducing its stake to 13.46 million shares, or 25.1% of the company. It follows the sale of 40,000 shares at 360p just before Christmas.

However, chairman Dermot Gleeson and chief executive Jolyon Harrison had different ideas, both snapping up shares late December - 13,760 and 20,000 respectively at 360p. Gleeson now owns 1.07 million shares and Harrison nearly 1.5 million.

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.