Director/PDMR Shareholding
Smiths News plc has announced the grant of nil-cost options to directors under its Deferred Bonus Plan, with awards subject to a two-year dealing restriction until November 27, 2027. Chief Executive Jonathan Bunting received 313,163 options, and Chief Financial Officer Paul Baker received 194,818 options, both granted at a share price of £0.6846, representing 50% of their respective FY2025 annual bonuses. These transactions, which occurred outside a trading venue on November 27, 2025, are considered initial notifications under market abuse regulations.
Select text to share a quote on X · sign in to keep highlights & notes in your SNWS notes
Smiths News plc (the "Company") announces that it has been notified of the following transactions in the Company's ordinary 5p shares undertaken by directors / persons discharging managerial responsibility:
Deferred Bonus Plan - Grant
Pursuant to an award representing 50% of an annual bonus for FY2025 earned by each participant and deferred into shares, the following award was granted, and accepted, as a nil cost option, on terms that whilst the participant is entitled to immediately exercise the option upon grant, the net number of shares awarded as a result and after deduction of relevant income taxes and national insurance liability shall be subject to a dealing restriction for a period of two (2) years calculated from the Date of Grant (i.e. until 27 November 2027). No consideration was paid for the grant of the award. No price is payable on the exercise of the award. For the purposes of this award, the grant was made at a share price of £0.6846 (being the average of the three-day middle market quotation price of the Company's shares in the period 25-27 November 2025).
| Name of Participant | Share Price (£) | Form of Award | Normal Vesting Date | Maximum Number of Options |
| Jonathan Bunting | 0.6846 | Nil-cost option | 27 November 2025 | 313,163 |
| Paul Baker | 0.6846 | Nil-cost option | 27 November 2025 | 194,818 |
| 1 | Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated | |||
| a) | Name | Jonathan Bunting | ||
| 2 | Reason for the notification | |||
| a) | Position/status | Chief Executive Officer | ||
| b) | Initial notification /Amendment | Initial Notification | ||
| a) | Name | Smiths News plc | ||
| b) | LEI | 2138004033ONVOOQXB02 | ||
| a) | Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument | Ordinary 5p shares | ||
| Identification code | ISIN: GB00B17WCR61 | |||
| b) | Nature of the transaction | Grant of 313,163 nil cost options pursuant to the Deferred Bonus Plan (2025) | ||
| c) | Price(s) and volume(s) | |||
| Price(s) | Volume(s) | |||
| Nil consideration | 313,163 | |||
| d) | Aggregated information | n/a single transaction | ||
| - Aggregated volume | ||||
| - Price | ||||
| e) | Date of the transaction | 27 November 2025 | ||
| f) | Place of the transaction | Grant of the options took place outside of a trading venue | ||
| 1 | Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated | |||
| a) | Name | Paul Baker | ||
| 2 | Reason for the notification | |||
| a) | Position/status | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| b) | Initial notification /Amendment | Initial Notification | ||
| a) | Name | Smiths News plc | ||
| b) | LEI | 2138004033ONVOOQXB02 | ||
| a) | Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument | Ordinary 5p shares | ||
| Identification code | ISIN: GB00B17WCR61 | |||
| b) | Nature of the transaction | Grant of 194,818 nil cost options pursuant to the Deferred Bonus Plan (2025) | ||
| c) | Price(s) and volume(s) | |||
| Price(s) | Volume(s) | |||
| Nil consideration | 194,818 | |||
| d) | Aggregated information | n/a single transaction | ||
| - Aggregated volume | ||||
| - Price | ||||
| e) | Date of the transaction | 27 November 2025 | ||
| f) | Place of the transaction | Grant of the options took place outside of a trading venue | ||
Person responsible for arranging release of this announcement:
Karen Mills, Deputy Company Secretary
Smiths News plc
Rowan House
Cherry Orchard North
Kembrey Park
Swindon
SN2 8UH
Cleaned text: letterheads, contacts and legal notices removed. View the original announcement ↗ · Company filings. Not investment advice.