WideCells Group PLC Director Purchases and Grant of Options (5250V)

TIDMWDC

RNS Number : 5250V

WideCells Group PLC

31 January 2017

31 January 2017

WideCells Group PLC ('WideCells Group' or 'the Company')

Director Purchases and Grant of Options

WideCells Group PLC, the healthcare services company focused on providing stem cell services and ground breaking insurance for stem cell treatment, is pleased to announce that Chairman Dr. Graham Hine, Chief Executive Officer João Andrade, Chief Financial Officer David Bridgland, Chief Operating Officer Lopes Gil and Non-Executive Director Marilyn Orcharton have purchased a combined total of 100,000 new ordinary shares in the Company (the 'Director Purchases').

Additionally, the Company announces that between December 2016 and January 2017 the Company granted options ('Options') over 380,000 ordinary shares of 0.25 pence each in the capital of the Company ('Ordinary Shares') pursuant to the Company's EMI Share Option Plan. The Options have been granted to employees of the Company in recognition of their significant contribution towards progressing WideCell's innovative stem cell services offering. The Options are exercisable at 14 pence per Ordinary Share, being the closing market price on 14 December 2016, with an expiry date for exercise of 14 December 2026.

Director Purchases

Details of the Director Purchases can be found in the table below:

 
 Director                 Number of         Share       Number of     Share Capital 
                       Shares Purchased    Purchase    shares held     (%) following 
                                            Price       following      the Director 
                                                       the Director      Purchase 
                                                         Purchase 
-------------------  ------------------  ----------  --------------  --------------- 
 Graham Hine          20,000              13.37p      3,198,698       5.92% 
-------------------  ------------------  ----------  --------------  --------------- 
 João 
  Andrade             20,000              13.25p      8,020,000       14.84% 
-------------------  ------------------  ----------  --------------  --------------- 
 David Bridgland      20,000              13.375p     252,552         0.47% 
-------------------  ------------------  ----------  --------------  --------------- 
 Lopes Gil            20,000              13.25p      8,020,000       14.84% 
-------------------  ------------------  ----------  --------------  --------------- 
 Marilyn Orcharton    20,000              13.445p     135,952         0.25% 
-------------------  ------------------  ----------  --------------  --------------- 
 

The notification below, made in accordance with the requirements of the EU Market Abuse Regulation, provides further detail.

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them.

 
 1     Details of the person discharging managerial 
        responsibilities / person closely associated 
----  ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)    Names                            1. Graham Hine 
                                         2. João Andrade 
                                         3. David Bridgland 
                                         4. Lopes Gil 
                                         5. Marilyn Orcharton 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 2     Reason for the notification 
----  ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)    Position/status             Directors of the Company 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 b)    Initial notification        Initial Notification 
        /Amendment 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 3     Details of the issuer, emission allowance 
        market participant, auction platform, auctioneer 
        or auction monitor 
----  ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)    Name                        WideCells Group PLC 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 b)    LEI                         n/a 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 4     Details of the transaction(s): section to 
        be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; 
        (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each 
        date; and (iv) each place where transactions 
        have been conducted 
----  ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)    Description of              Ordinary shares of 0.25 pence 
        the financial               each 
        instrument, type 
        of instrument 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 b)    Identification              GB00BD060S65 
        code 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 c)    Nature of the               Purchase of Shares 
        transaction 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 d)    Price(s) and volume(s)       Price(s)       Volume(s) 
                                    -------------  ---------- 
                                     1. 13.37p      20,000 
                                      2. 13.25p      20,000 
                                      3. 13.375p     20,000 
                                      4. 13.25p      20,000 
                                      5. 13.445p     20,000 
                                    -------------  ---------- 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 d)    Aggregated information       100,000 
   - Aggregated volume               13.338p 
   - Price 
 -------------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 e)    Date of the transaction     30 January 2017 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 f)    Place of the transaction    London Stock Exchange 
----  --------------------------  ------------------------------ 
 

Grant of Options

The 380,000 options will vest as follows (approximate):

   --     126,666 immediately; 
   --     126,666 on 14 December 2017; and 

-- 126,667 on 14 December 2018, subject to continuous employment, except that they will vest automatically upon the sale of the Company.

**ENDS**

For further information, please visit the Company's website www.widecellsgroup.com, follow us on Twitter @WideCells_Group or contact:

 
 WideCells Group      CEO - João Andrade    Tel: +351 919 
                                                  033 171 
-------------------  -------------------------  -------------- 
 Vicarage Capital     Broker - Jeremy Woodgate   Tel: +44 (0) 
  Ltd                  & Rupert Williams          20 3651 2912 
-------------------  -------------------------  -------------- 
 Shard Capital        Broker - Damon Heath       Tel: +44 (0) 
  Partners LLP         & Erik Woolgar             207 186 9950 
-------------------  -------------------------  -------------- 
 St Brides Partners   PR - Elisabeth Cowell      Tel: +44 (0) 
  Ltd                  & Charlotte Page           20 7236 1177 
-------------------  -------------------------  -------------- 
 

Notes to Editors

WideCells Group PLC is building an integrated stem cell services company, focused on making stem cell treatments accessible and affordable. The Directors believe that the use of cord blood stem cells for transplant will drive one of the next important phases in medicine and is therefore developing market leading products in complementary, strategic areas which are designed to take advantage of substantial market opportunities in one of the fastest growing segments in the healthcare industry. With this in mind, it has created three divisions:

-- CellPlan: the world's first stem cell healthcare insurance plan with financial cover for medical treatment, travel and accommodation expenses and concierge service to manage the treatment process

-- WideCells: the Institute of Stem Cell Technology has been established and is based in the University of Manchester Innovation Center to focus on stem cell research and regenerative medicine. WideCells also has international cryogenics divisions specialising on stem cell storage.

-- WideAcademy: developing an education and training division to promote awareness of the benefits of stem cell storage across the global general practice community.

The Group has built an experienced senior management team that has been integral to the development of its growth and business to date.

Stem Cell Fast Facts:

-- Cord blood (which is taken from the umbilical cord) provides the most effective source of stem cells for families due to it being simple, safe and painless to collect relative to other sources of stem cells such as bone marrow - WideCells will focus on promoting the collection and storage of this.

-- Since 2005, there has been a 300% increase in the number of illnesses that can be treated using stem cells

   --     82 illnesses can currently be treated using stem cell procedures 

-- Despite initial storage often costing no more than a few GBPthousand, actual treatment can cost in the GBPhundreds of thousands

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR).

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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January 31, 2017 02:01 ET (07:01 GMT)