I do find this scenario very interesting for a few reasons: 1) I was fortunate to have met the management team of VEI one-on-one ~6mths ago. In terms of disclosure, they are as pedantic in adhering to disclosure rules as any of the hundreds of companies I have met in the last 15 years of investing in markets. So to now hear the Chairman is providing reasons for his sale (which may well be legitimate) to "selective institutions and investors" ... well it is completely incongruous to my experience with VEI. 2) There are plenty of examples of insider transactions, where the Chairman/CEO/CFO have actually advised the ASX of the reasons for the sale via an announcement to ALL shareholders. Why is the Chairman reluctant to put his reasons in writing in this particular instance? 3) If he is keen to repurchase in his own name, why didn't he simply do an off-market transfer from the joint holding into his personal account?
As I have said previously, I still like the story, but these little concerns make me a tad anxious re the shorter term performance of the stock.
VEI Price at posting:
81.0¢ Sentiment: LT Buy Disclosure: Not Held
