O'Leary sells off €19m of his shares in Ryanair
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is understood to have sold almost €19m worth of shares in the airline this week at an average price of €3.75 each.
The airline declined to comment or confirm the transaction, but it's believed the sale was handled by Davy Stockbrokers.
Mr O'Leary remains the single largest individual shareholder in Ryanair. At the end of March last year, he held over 65 million shares, or nearly 4.4pc of the company. Having sold about five million shares this week, he still retains roughly 60 million shares, currently worth €225m.
Yesterday, Aer Lingus chairman Colm Barrington was pressed by shareholders and reporters as to why he does not own any shares in Aer Lingus and whether he has any intention to buy any.
Takeover
Mr Barrington told shareholders that since he was appointed to the board last autumn, Aer Lingus had been in a closed period for most of the time due to Ryanair's second takeover attempt.
He stressed his commitment to Aer Lingus was without question.
Asked if he would plan to buy shares in Aer Lingus, Mr Barrington said he did not believe that holding a small number of shares in the company should change the perception amongst shareholders of how committed he was to his role. "I don't think that's a question I should answer as an individual. What I buy for my own portfolio is my own business," he said.
