Jeff Gardner Buys 31,750 Windstream Shares

Windstream Corp. CEO Jeff Gardner has increased his stake in the telecommunications firm, buying more than 31,000 more shares, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday.

In the filing, Gardner disclosed buying 31,750 shares at price of $9.1995 per share., for a total investment of $292,084.12.

The move brings his direct stake in the company to 1,446,839 shares, according to the filing.

Shares of the company (NYSE: %%WIN%%) closed at $9.36, up 4 cents from the previous close.

Gardner and other executives have made share purchases throughout May, with Gardner buying shares on May 11, 14, 21, and 22. In those purchases, he added 11,100 shares to his direct stake, and another 4,000 under indirect ownership.

In all this month, Gardner has spent $407,139.62 on direct purchases of Windstream stock.

Earlier Thursday, Windstream announced it would cut between 375 and 400 management jobs, including eight in Arkansas, as tries to make operations more efficient.