Vivendi Universal has more than one million individual shareholders, according to a security holders identification procedure carried out on Dec. 31, 2000, by Sicovam, the French securities clearing house. The group, therefore, has maintained its position as the listed company in France with the highest number of shareholders (other than privatized companies). There are approximately 5.6 million individual shareholders in.
Vivendi Universal has increased the number of its individual shareholders fivefold in the space of three years. There were 200,000 at the end of 1997, 250,000 end-1998 and more than 700,000 end-1999.
They hold in total 20 percent of Vivendi Universal's capital stock, making them the group's largest shareholder. They collectively head a portfolio with a current market value of around 17 billion euros.
The remaining capital stock breaks down as follows: French institutional investors, 18 percent; other European institutional investors, 33 percent; other, 29 percent; U.S investors, 25 percent. Vivendi Universal's capital stock, therefore, is increasingly international, with more than 70 percent owned by European shareholders. The percentage owned by U.S. shareholders has risen from 9 to 25 percent during a 12-month period. U.S. investment has doubled, not including the Bronfman family's interest of around 8 percent.
As the number of investors in the group constantly increases, they continue to show confidence in its high potential for growth and value creation and, more generally, in its long-term strategy.
Over and above the figures, Vivendi Universal is pleased to report a significant improvement in the quality of relations with its individual shareholders. Last December, more than 180,000 of them, which is four or five times more than usual, participated in the vote to create Vivendi Universal. The record number of 7,000 shareholders were present at the Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting held on this occasion.
Source: Vivendi Universal
