Share ownership  [ Return towards  The Air Liquide share and the group strategy  ]

Individual shareholders have always represented the majority of Air Liquide’s equity and today hold 38% of the company’s capital.
This is close to four times greater than the average for other CAC 40 companies.

In order to highlight the close and lasting relationship that we maintain with you, we have officially stated our commitment in our Shareholders’Charter.

Since its founding in 1902, Air Liquide has enjoyed successful growth thanks to its relationship with individual shareholders and institutional investors based on mutual trust.

Air Liquide’s 410,000 individual shareholders represent 38% of the total capital. At the end of 2008, the average individual shareholder portfolio was 214 shares. No single shareholder holds more than 3.5% of the capital**, and the first 10 shareholders hold on average a little less than 2% of the capital. Among individual shareholders, Air Liquide employees hold 1% of the capital.

** Shareholders are legally required to identify themselves when their holdings exceed 5% of a company’s capital. Air Liquide has set an additional intermediary threshold of 2%. If the shareholder does not step forward, the shares are stripped of their voting rights.

The loyalty bonus(b) and the services provided have made it possible to increase the number of registered shareholders.
New requests for intermediary registered shares have risen by over 13% in one year.
It’s a real sign of growing confi dence.