Taxation, FAQs & Glossary

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How do I subscribe to regulated information?

An RSS feed is available on the finance page /en/rss-feed-guide

What are the information supports made available to the shareholders?

You will find on this website the Letter to shareholders (2 to 3 times per year) and the Shareholder's Guide.

My contact information has changed; how to change them?

To inform us of any change of address two solutions are available to you:

General meeting: How to request your admission card? How to vote online prior to the Meeting? How to give or revoke your proxy? 

For years, Saint-Gobain has given all shareholders the option of using the services of the VOTACCESS secure online platform to:

  • Request your admission card if you wish to attend the Meeting in person;
  • Vote online prior to the Meeting;
  • Give or revoke your proxy to the Chairman of the Meeting or to another designated person. In this case, in accordance with Article R. 225-79 of the French Commercial Code, you may notify BNP Paribas Securities Services of the person to whom you are giving proxy or, as the case may be, whose proxy you are revoking, by the same process.

The VOTACCESS platform is available for use by shareholders according to the terms and conditions provided below:

IF YOU HOLD REGISTERED SHARES

If you hold registered shares in the accounts kept by BNP Paribas Securities Services, you must connect to the PlanetShares website (https:planetshares.bnpparibas.com) using your usual identifier code, to view your registered shares accounts.

If you hold registered shares with a financial intermediary, you should log onto the PlanetShares website by entering the identifier code shown in the top right-hand corner of your postal voting form.

Once you have logged on, you should follow the instructions on the screen to access the VOTACCESS platform, where you may request an admission card or vote online or give proxy to the Chairman of the Meeting or another designated person, or revoke your proxy, as applicable.

If you are no longer in possession of your identifier code and/or your password, please phone:

  • 0800 033 333 from a landline in France (toll-free number); or
  • 00 33 1 40 14 80 12 from outside France (for the cost of a local call from a landline).

IF YOU HOLD BEARER SHARES

You should ask your financial intermediary whether it is connected to the VOTACCESS platform and, if so, whether access to the platform is subject to specific terms and conditions of use.

In such cases, you can connect to your financial intermediary’s Internet portal using your usual identifier codes. Then follow the instructions given on the screen opposite the account entry for your Saint-Gobain shares to access the VOTACCESS platform. You will then be able to request an admission card, vote online prior to the Meeting, give proxy to the Chairman of the Meeting or another designated person, or revoke your proxy, as applicable.

If you hold Bearer shares and your qualified intermediary is not connected to the VOTACCESS platform

To request an admission card to attend the Meeting in person, vote by mail or give proxy, you must request a single admission card/ postal vote/proxy request form (formulaire unique) from your financial intermediary and return the form by mail, as explained below.

If you wish to vote by proxy, you may give or revoke proxy via the Internet, according to the instructions below:

  • send an email to the following address:– paris.bp2s.france.cts.mandats@bnpparibas.com
    This email must contain the following information: Company name (Saint-Gobain), Annual General Meeting date (June 2, 2016), full name, address and registered share account number for yourself (principal), as well as the full name and, if possible, address of the individual or legal entity you are designating to vote on your behalf (proxy); and
  • ask your financial intermediary that manages the securities account containing your Saint-Gobain shares to confirm your request by writing to BNP Paribas Securities Services, Service Assemblées Générales, CTS Assemblées Générales, Les Grands Moulins de Pantin, 9, rue du Débarcadère, 93761 Pantin Cedex (France).
    The above email addresses have been set up exclusively to receive requests to give or revoke proxy. Any and all other unrelated requests or information sent to this address will be disregarded.

Glossary


You can consult the glossary proposed by the AMF by clicking here

For further information you can consult the AMF Epargne Info Service by clicking here

  • ASSETS – All of the resources (property, plant and equipment, inventories, receivables, etc.) used by a company to operate its business.
  • AUTORITÉ DES MARCHÉS FINANCIERS (AMF) - Set up in August 2003 through the merger of the COB and CMF, Autorité des Marchés Financiers is a French independent public body that oversees financial and investor transactions. It has regulatory, oversight and disciplinary powers. Its three main missions are to: safeguard investments in financial instruments and in all other savings and investment vehicles, ensure that investors receive material information, maintain orderly financial markets.
  • BALANCE SHEET – A statement of a company’s assets, liabilities and equity at a particular point in time, generally the last day in the accounting period.
  • BOND – Interest-bearing debt security listed on the stock exchange, issued by a public or private sector issuer, a local authority or a government, that is repayable on a fixed date for a fixed amount.
  • CAC 40 - A benchmark French stock market index. Launched on January 1, 1988 with a base of 1,000 points at December 31, 1987, the CAC 40 gives a general idea of the direction of the Paris stock market. The index reflects the capitalization-weighted average performance of 40 stocks selected from among the top 100 market capitalizations on NYSE Euronext Paris. As the weighting is based on market capitalization, the larger the company the more it influences movements in the index.
  • CASH FLOW – Net cash generated by operations during the reporting period. Cash flow provides an indication of a company’s ability to finance its growth. It is generally calculated as net income before depreciation and amortization and certain types of provision expense.
  • COMPARTMENT A – The compartment of NYSE Euronext Paris comprising the shares of companies with a market capitalization of over €1 billion. Compartment B corresponds to market capitalizations of €150 million to €1 billion, and Compartment C to market capitalizations of less than €150 million.
  • CUSTODY FEES – Fees charged by a bank or broker for holding securities in safekeeping for an investor. They are generally computed as a basis point charge on the portfolio’s market value and/or at a flat rate by line of securities. No custody fees are payable on Saint-Gobain shares registered directly with the Company.
  • DEFERRED SETTLEMENT SERVICE (“SRD”) – Service allowing investors to buy and sell shares “on credit” in exchange for a fee. Under the deferred settlement system, settlement and delivery of buy and sell transactions takes place on the last trading day the month. 
  • DIVIDEND – The portion of a company’s net income that is distributed to shareholders.
  • EARNINGS PER SHARE (EPS) – Consolidated net income divided by the number of shares outstanding as of December 31.
  • EQUITY – The sum of a company’s share capital, additional paid-in capital, reserves, retained earnings, investment grants and untaxed provisions. Equity is equal to a company’s net assets. From a legal standpoint, equity secures the company’s commitments to third parties.
  • EQUITY AND LIABILITIES – The total resources available to the company, including the capital provided by shareholders and the funds lent by the banks.
  • FINANCE COSTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INCOME AND EXPENSES, NET – Difference between financial income and the sum of finance costs and other financial expenses in the income statement.
  • FREE CASH FLOW - Free cash flow from continuing operations excluding the tax effect of capital gains and losses on disposals , asset write-downs and material non-recurring provision
  • FREE FLOAT – Portion of a company’s capital that is held by the public.
  • FTSE 100 – Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, an index that measures the performance of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), representing 70% of the LSE’s total market capitalization.
  • INCOME STATEMENT – A statement of a company’s income and expenses, showing its net income or loss for the accounting period.
  • ISIN – International Securities Identification Number. The ISIN is a 12-character alphanumeric code, with the first two letters identifying the country of issuance.
  • LIABILITY – Amount due by a debtor to a creditor. A company’s liabilities include borrowings (also referred to as debt), operating liabilities (or payables) and non-operating liabilities.
  • MARKET CAPITALIZATION – Estimated value of a business determined by multiplying the number of shares by the share price.
  • NET ASSETS – The sum of a company’s assets less the sum of its liabilities.
  • NET DIVIDEND YIELD – Ratio between the net dividend and the share price.
  • NET INCOME – Sum of recurring income before tax and non-recurring items less employee profit-sharing and income tax expense.
  • OPERATING INCOME – Income generated by the company’s operating activities. Operating income is not dependent on the company’s financial policy.
  • PUBLIC TENDER OFFER – An offer for the shares of a listed company in exchange for cash (cash offer) or for shares of the offeror if the latter is also listed (paper offer or exchange offer).
  • PRICE – A company’s share price at a given point in time is determined by comparing the prices of outstanding buyorders with those of outstanding sell orders. On the markets managed by NYSE Euronext Paris SA, the share price is set by the Universal Trading System.
  • PAYOUT RATE – Percentage of net income distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends.
  • PARTICIPATING SECURITY – Hybrid security (neither equity nor debt) that is not redeemable and does not carry voting rights, issued by a company, that pays a fixed contractual yield and a variable yield based on a criterion selected by the issuer.
  • RECURRING EARNINGS PER SHARE - This is the recurring net income consolidated divided by the number of outstanding shares as of December 31
  • RECURRING NET INCOME - Net income from continuing operations excluding gain or capital gains, asset write-downs and material non -recurring provisions
  • RECURRING PAYOUT RATE - Percentage of recurring net income distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends.
  • SHARE – A transferable security representing a fraction of the company’s capital. Shares carry the right to participate in corporate decisions by voting at General Meetings and to receive a revenue in the form of dividends.
  • VOTING RIGHT – A right to one vote at General Meetings is attached to each share. When stipulated in the bylaws, double voting rights may be attached to shares registered directly or indirectly in the name of the same holder for at least two years. Preferred shares and investment certificates do not carry voting rights.