The Board will recommend at the Meeting paying a cash dividend of €1 per share and offering shareholders a dividend reinvestment option*. Based on the closing share price on March 19, the €1 dividend represents a net yield of 4.7%. The record date (June 9) will be followed by a 15-day period (from June 10 to 24) during which shareholders may exercise their reinvestment option. As a result, payment of the dividend - in cash or in stock - will take place on July 2.
In line with the terms of the agreement entered into on March 20, 2008, Gilles Schnepp, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Legrand, will be proposed for election as the third representative of Wendel on the Saint-Gobain Board of Directors, to replace Gian Paolo Caccini who has reached the age limit specified in the bylaws. Shareholders will also be invited to re-elect as directors Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ThyssenKrupp AG, Jean-Martin Folz, Chairman of AFEP , Michel Pébereau, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BNP Paribas and Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Air France-KLM.
* For the stock dividend, the Board will recommend setting to the Annual General Meeting the issue price of the new shares at a 10% discount on the average of the opening prices quoted for Compagnie de Saint-Gobain shares over the 20 trading days preceding the Annual General Meeting on June 4, after deducting the dividend from this average.