Vivendi

Vivendi and the stock market

Where is Vivendi listed?
Vivendi’s shares are listed on Compartment A of Euronext Paris (ISIN code FR 0000 127771).

What is Vivendi’s ticker symbol?
Vivendi’s ticker symbol is ISIN code: FR 0000 127771.

Are Vivendi shares eligible for deferred settlement?
Yes, Vivendi shares are eligible for deferred settlement.

Are Vivendi shares eligible for a French stock savings plan (PEA)?
Yes, Vivendi shares are eligible for a French stock savings plan.

Is there a telephone number for checking Vivendi’s share price?
For shareholders calling from France, Toll-free number: 0 805 050 050 (from a landline in France) for access to share price information, real time quotes, and changes in the CAC 40 index.

What is the share’s par value?
The par value of Vivendi’s share is € 5.50.

Where can we get the history of Vivendi’s share price ?
"Click here"

If I am liable for French wealth tax, what price should I use on my tax return in 2010 ?
Shareholders subject to the wealth tax can use:

• either the last price on December 31, 2010 (€ 20.20 )
• or the average of the closing share prices for the last 30 market trading sessions of 2010 (€ 20.2355 ).

What are Vivendi’s net earnings per share?
Net earnings per share rose to € 0.69 in 2009, € 2.23 in 2008, € 2.44 in 2007, € 2.27 in 2006, €.1.93 in 2005, and € 1.31 in 2004.

Which stock indexes include Vivendi?
Vivendi’s stock is part of the CAC 40 index, as well as of the Euro Stoxx Media and Euro Stoxx 50.
Vivendi is also included in several sustainable development stock indexes, such as the FTSE4 Good Global, the ASPI Eurozone and the Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI).

Shareholders information

Is there a Shareholders’ Newsletter?
Vivendi publishes a Shareholders’ Newsletter three to four times a year depending on company events. The Shareholders’ Newsletter is available in electronic form on the group’s website www.vivendi.com.

How can I stay updated on Vivendi?
You can follow Vivendi news by contacting the Individual Shareholders Information Department

How can I obtain a copy of Vivendi’s Annual Report?
Vivendi’s Annual Report is available on the group’s website (www.vivendi.com) under the “Publications” section. For a printed copy, contact the Shareholder Relations department.

Contacts VIVENDI

Registered shareholders

Shares can be held in “bearer” or “registered” form.

Shares are “registered” when the name of the holder is known to the company whose shares are listed. This form provides shareholders with a privileged relationship with the group, in particular with regard to information and company news.
To become a registered holder, you need to be listed in the company’s register.
You can do this by:

• choosing to have Vivendi hold your shares (pure book-entry shares),
• or having your shares held by the financial institution of your choice (administered shares).

Vivendi has entrusted the management and follow-up of its share services to BNP Paribas.

Shares are “bearer shares” when the shareholder has not taken any steps to list them in the company’s register and is known only to Euroclear.

Pure book-entry shares “Pure book-entry” shares are recorded in Vivendi’s books and are held by the group’s transfer services – the management of which has been entrusted to BNP Paribas Securities Services (see the heading Contacts).
To become a pure book-entry shareholder:

• You can purchase shares directly via Vivendi’s share transfer services after having opened a share account and signed a portfolio benefits contract. For this, contact BNP Paribas Securities Services (see the heading Contacts ).
• You can also ask your financial institution (bank, savings and loan, brokerage company, etc.) to transfer shares that you hold to a book-entry account by submitting a written request.

The advantages of pure book-entry shares By holding your shares in pure book-entry form, you benefit from:

• the absence of custody fees;
• reduced brokerage fees: 0.30% excluding VAT* on the gross amount of the transaction;
• free online services (excluding connection costs) to check your account and order stock trades: www.planetshares.bnpparibas.com
• automatic dispatch of Shareholders’ Meeting notices
• 0.36% including VAT at 19.6%.

Administered shares “Administered shares” are entered into Vivendi’s books, but are held and managed by your financial institution. In this case, the applicable fees are those of your financial institution, which will be your only contact. You are invited to attend Shareholders’ Meetings by the same means as a “pure book-entry” shareholder (automatic dispatch of meeting announcements).

Contacts

VIVENDI
Individual Shareholders Information Department
42 avenue de Friedland
75386 Paris cedex 08
If you are calling from France, Toll-free number: 0805 050 050 (from a landline in France)
+ 33 (0) 1 71 71 34 99 for calls from outside France
Fax: + 33 (0) 1 71 71 11 84
E-mail : shareholders@vivendi.com

BNP PARIBAS Securities services
GCT services aux émetteurs
9 rue du débarcadère
93500 PANTIN
Tél . : Toll-free number: 0811 903 904 (from a landline in France)
+33 (0) 1 40 14 80 14 for calls from outside France
Fax : +33 (0)1 55 77 34 17

Shareholders Meeting

The 2011 Shareholders’ Meeting will take place on April 19, 2012 at - Carrousel du Louvre, Paris

Participating in Shareholders’ Meetings Your shares must be registered in a book-entry share account at Vivendi, or for bearer shares in an account at the financial institution that manages your shares, three business days before the meeting. A video webcast of the Shareholders’ Meeting is available on Vivendi’s website: http://www.vivendi.com

Registered shares (book-entry or administered) You will automatically receive a form that allows you to obtain the entry card required for participation in the Shareholders’ Meeting - simply mail the form back. You will be asked for this card when you sign the attendance register. If you are unable to attend the Shareholders’ Meeting, use the form that comes with your invitation, to be represented by your spouse or by another shareholder, to vote by mail, or to give a proxy authorization to the chairperson of the Shareholders’ Meeting.

Bearer shares If you have bought or hold your shares through your financial institution (bank, credit union, stock brokerage, etc.), without registering with Vivendi, you must request a ballot by mail, or an entry card, through your financial institution. On the day of the Shareholders’ Meeting, you must have an entry card or, alternatively, a certificate of participation issued by your financial institution.

If you are unable to attend the Shareholders’ Meeting, use the form given by your financial institution, to be represented by your spouse or by another shareholder, to vote by mail, or to give authorization to the chairperson of the Shareholders’ Meeting.

Important: In each case (to attend the Shareholders’ Meeting, to authorize a representative or to vote by mail), you must include the certificate of participation issued by your financial institution. You can also receive an invitation simply by requesting one from Shareholder Relations Departement at Toll-free number: 0805 050 050 (from a landline in France).

Archives :

Vivendi Shareholders’ Meeting April 29, 2010 2010 Shareholders’ Meeting: Click here to read or download informations, notices, ballot results, slides, and to watch the webcast

Vivendi Shareholders’ Meeting April 30, 2009 Click here to watch the Webcast

Vivendi’s Shareholders’ Meeting April 24, 2008 Click here to watch the Webcast

Dividend

What is the dividend for the 2009 fiscal year?
At the Ordinary shareholders’ meeting hold on April 29, 2010, the distribution of a €1.40 per share dividend based on 2009 earnings has been approuved, corresponding to a total distribution of €1.7 billion. The ex-dividend date will be May 6, 2010, the recorded date will be May 10, 2010, and the payment date May 11, 2010.

Dividend history (click here)

What is the distribution policy?
Vivendi’s goal until 2011 is to distribute at least 50% of adjusted net earnings.

On what date must I own Vivendi shares in order to qualify for dividend payment?
To receive the dividend paid by the company, you must own your shares, at the latest, on the Record date, one day before the Ex date.

How can I recover part of the withholding tax in France if I am a non-resident?
Since January 2007, non-residents who wish to recover part of the French withholding tax must use the following forms, which come in two bundles:

• The first bundle is for certifying one’s tax residency. It consists of five identical forms: two in French (reference no. 5000 FR), Dutch (reference no. 5000 NL), English (reference no. 5000 EN), Spanish (reference no. 5000 ES) and German (reference no. 5000 DE).
• The second bundle is for liquidation of the withholding tax and for reimbursement of the tax credit. It consists of five identical forms: two in French (reference no. 5001 FR), Dutch (reference no. 5001 NL), English (reference no. 5001 EN), Spanish (reference no. 5000 ES) and German (reference no. 5001 DE).

Applicants can receive an information leaflet in French (reference no. 5000NOT FR), Dutch (reference no. 5000NOT NL), English (reference no. 5000NOT EN), Spanish (reference no. 5000NOT ES) or German (reference no. 5000NOT DE) explaining all the steps you need to take to recoup withholding tax.

You can obtain these forms:

• from the tax authorities in your country of residence
• through the non-resident tax center (Centre des impôts des non-résidents, 10 rue du Centre, 93465 Noisy-le-Grand, France)
• on the website of the French tax authority, www.impots.gouv.fr (under “formulaires Cerfa 12816*01”)

Glossary

Adjusted net earnings
This is a measure which is not strictly an accounting term and is used to indicate the operational and financial performance of a company.
For Vivendi, adjusted net earnings exclude most non-operational and non-recurring items

Dividend
This is the portion of a company’s profits that is distributed to shareholders.

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Amortization (EBITA)
Vivendi uses EBITA instead of operating income because the former offers a better measurement of the operational performance of the group’s business units. The difference between EBITA and operating income lies in the amortization of intangible assets connected to acquisitions.

Euroclear
Euroclear is a worldwide system of settlement and delivery for international and domestic stock, bond and mutual fund transactions.
Euroclear serves as the central depository for Belgian, British, Dutch, French and Irish securities.

Euronext Paris
This company establishes the rules for the French market, announces securities listings, decides on membership, manages the computerized quotation systems, and ensures that negotiations and market information are made public.

French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des marchés financiers – AMF) www.amf-france.org
The AMF is an independent French public institution whose role is to ensure:

• the protection of savings invested in financial instruments and any other investment resulting in a public equity offering
• investor information
• the proper operation of the financial markets.

Indexes
Stock market indexes have become fundamental in portfolio management. They may be global, national, by sector or international in scope. They are representative of:

• a market: the CAC 40 index reflects the trends of the largest French companies, or
• a particular sector of activity: the automotive sector index, for example, includes only automobile manufacturers and equipment suppliers.

CAC 40
This is the flagship index of the Paris stock exchange and the main indicator of French stock movements.
The CAC 40 is a weighted average of the share prices of 40 of the 100 largest market capitalizations on the Paris exchange.

Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50
A market index of 50 industrial, commercial and financial securities in the euro zone.

Dow Jones Euro Stoxx Media A stock index composed of 18 media companies in the euro zone.

ISIN code (International Securities Identification Number)
This is a specific identification code for each financial instrument (stock, bond, mutual fund, etc.) used when it is traded on the market.

Market capitalization
Market capitalization is the value of a company on the stock market.
It is calculated by multiplying the number of shares that make up the company’s capital stock by the current share price on the stock market.

Net earnings
Net earnings are the balance remaining to a company after taking into account various types of income and revenues and subtracting various expenses.
Net earnings may be entirely or partly distributed to shareholders, in the form of dividends, or held in reserves on a company’s balance sheet.

Order
To buy shares, it is necessary to send one’s broker or other financial intermediary an order that includes:
the name of the stock, its identification code (ISIN code), the type of transaction (buy/sell), the number of units, the duration of the order (day, month, etc.), the type of order (limit order, market order, etc.), and (if desired) the SRD status (see definition below).
The main types of orders that can be sent through Euronext Paris for buying stocks are the following:

• Limit orders are made for a minimum sell price or a maximum buy price. They allow one to control the price of the trade, but the order may be executed only partially.
  
• Market orders place no limit on price of the trade, but they are executed in full. Market orders take priority over all other orders. When the market opens, they are executed at the opening price. During the trading session, they rise or fall to any price necessary until they are fully executed.
  
• Best limit orders are given without a price fixed by the trader, who has no control over the execution price. When a best limit order arrives on the market, the central computer changes it into a limit order for either the opening price (when the market opens) or the best offer available (during the session).

Per share value
The par value (or nominal value) of a share is the portion of the capital stock represented by that share, or the total capital stock divided by the number of shares in circulation.

Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio)
The P/E ratio is the ratio of a share’s price to the earnings per share of the company. It indicates the number of years the investor needs to recover the original investment through the profits generated by the company.

Securities exchange
Securities exchanges, or financial markets, are the places where financial products are traded. The best-known such products are stocks and bonds.

Share
A share is a fraction of a company’s capital stock. Since 1984, shares are dematerialized and take the form of a book entry. A share gives rights to its holder, including the right to vote, the right to information and the right to a dividend (if the company distributes a dividend).

Share price
Once a company is listed on the stock market, its share is subject to the prices proposed by buyers and sellers. The resulting equilibrium price represents the value of a share at a given moment.

Shareholders’ Meeting
There are several types of Shareholders’ Meetings:

• The Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting , which takes place at least once per year. It votes on resolutions concerning the company’s financial statements, dividend distribution, the appointment or renewal of directors, the presentation of the annual report, etc.
  
• An Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting is held so that the company’s shareholders can express their views on every change in the by-laws (capital increases, change of name...).
  
• The company can summon its shareholders to a Combined Shareholders’ Meeting by submitting for their approval resolutions appropriate to an Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting, along with others that are suited to an Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting.

SRD (Service à Règlement Différé- deferred settlement service) : Securities listed on Euronext Paris are traded for cash.
Brokers can, however, allow the shareholder to postpone settlement of the transaction to the end of the trading month. This service is called the deferred settlement service (service à règlement différé – SRD) and applies only to instruments on Euronext Paris’ list of eligible securities.
Note: This service is not authorized for personal stock savings plan transactions. Moreover, a commission is charged at the discretion of the broker involved.

Trade notification
This is a slip returned by the broker to the client to verify that a buy or sell order has been executed. This trade notification contains information on the type of order executed, its amount, the date, and the costs involved (brokerage commission, taxes, etc.).

Transaction volume
The number of securities exchanged during a given period.