FAQs

Q. Who are the Company’s registrars?
A.
Equiniti Limited,
Aspect House,
Spencer Road,
Lancing,
West Sussex
BN99 6DA.
Shareholder helpline Tel: 0871 384 2943*
Fax: 0871 384 2100
Shareviewdealing helpline Tel: 0871 384 2020
Postal Sharedealing helpline Tel: 0871 384 2248
Textel no: 0871 384 2255
Website: www.shareview.co.uk

(*Calls to these 0871 numbers are charged at 8p per minute from a BT landline. Other telephony providers’ costs may vary.)

Lloyds TSB Registrars was recently purchased by Advent International and changed its name to Equiniti Limited. You do not need to take any action as a result of this change. All services currently provided will remain unchanged (see above for new telephone numbers and postal address).

If you write to Equiniti about your Smiths shares, please quote in your letter our full company name, Smiths Group plc, your full name and your shareholder reference number (which you will find on your share certificate; dividend vouchers; and any correspondence you have received from Equiniti).

Q. How can I find out more about being a shareholder?
A. The free online Shareview service offered by the Company’s registrars, Equiniti, provides a simple and secure way to manage your Smiths share portfolio online. The site also provides considerable information on all aspects of owning and trading shares and an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQ”) section. For more information click here

Q. Why should I sign up with Equiniti’s Shareview service?
A. The free Shareview service offered by the Company’s registrars, Equiniti, provides a simple and secure way to manage your Smiths share portfolio online. You can also manage share investments you might hold in other companies where Equiniti is also the registrar. Click here to register

Q. I don’t want any more paper reports. How do I sign up for electronic communications?
A. Register with Shareview, a free service offered by the Company’s registrars, Equiniti, for managing your Smiths share portfolio online, and select “paper-free communications”. Click here to register

Q. I do want paper reports but all I get is advice that company reports are available on the website. How do I elect to receive printed documents?
A. If you are registered with Shareview, you can change your mailing preference in the “Your details” section. Alternatively, you can call or write to Equiniti (details above) and request that future company documents are sent to you by post.

Q. Where do I look for help on share ownership, share registration, changing my shareholder registered details, lost share certificates, dead relatives with shareholdings etc?
A. Click here to visit the Shareview Help Centre

Q. What should I do with my share certificate?
A. Keep it safe. A share certificate in your name is evidence of your ownership of shares. Unless your shares are held in electronic format, you will need your share certificate when you wish to sell or transfer your shares. If you lose your share certificate or it has been stolen, you should contact the Company’s registrars immediately. You may need to pay an administrative fee or other charge to obtain a replacement certificate. Further information on replacing a lost or damaged share certificate can be found by visiting the Shareview Help Centre

Q. What should I do if I move house?
A. You need to advise the Company’s registrars, Equiniti Limited (details above) of the address you are moving from and the address you are moving to. If you are registered with Shareview, you can make the change online.

Q. What should I do if my dividends are paid directly into my account and I change my bank or building society account details?
A. You need to advise the Company’s registrars, Equiniti Limited (details above). If you are registered with Shareview, you can make the change online.

Q. What should I do if I change my name?
A. You need to advise the Company’s registrars, Equiniti Limited (details above).

Q. What are the procedures if a shareholder has passed away?
A. You will normally have to produce a sealed copy of a grant of probate (Confirmation in Scotland) or Letters of Administration to the Company’s registrars: Equiniti Limited, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, Worthing, West Sussex BN99 6DA.

Q. What should I do if I get multiple copies of accounts and more than one dividend voucher, each time the Company posts documents to me?
A. You may have more than one shareholder account open. If you contact Equiniti (details above) it may be possible to amalgamate multiple accounts into a single account, with one shareholder reference number.

Q. Which Stock Exchange is Smiths Group listed on?
A. The London Stock Exchange

Q. Who are the Company’s stockbrokers?
A. Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Ltd and JPMorgan Cazenove Ltd.

Q. Who are the Company’s auditors?
A. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Q. Who are the Company’s solicitors?
A. Allen & Overy LLP

Q. What are the Company’s ISINs and stock ticker symbols?
A. Smiths ordinary shares of 37.5p: ISIN = GB00B1WY2338; Ticker symbol = SMIN
Smiths B shares of 1p: ISIN = GB00B1WY1Z87; Ticker symbol = SMIB

Q. When will Smiths shares be listed on NASDAQ and the NYSE?
A. There are no current plans to list on an American exchange. If you are in the US, US brokers should have no difficulty obtaining shares on your behalf.

Q. When is the next AGM?
A. The date of the next AGM is shown in the Calendar.

Q. What is the best way to keep up to date with the latest Smiths Group information?
A. Registering your details with Smiths Email Alerts ensures you receive all major company announcements and other information, by e-mail, as soon as they are released.

Q. When is the next dividend due?
A. Dividends are usually paid twice yearly in April and November. Click here for the next dividend payment date.

Q. How much will the next dividend be?
A. Interim dividends are declared by the board and publicly announced with the interim results, normally in March each year. Final dividends are recommended by the board, normally at the end of September each year, but are subject to approval by shareholders at the AGM, usually the following November. Details of past dividend amounts may be viewed by clicking here.

Q. Can I have my dividends paid as extra shares?
A. Smiths Group does not currently offer a traditional scrip dividend scheme or a Dividend Re-Investment Plan (DRIP).

Q. Is there any prospect of the scrip dividend being reintroduced?
A. We have no current plans to reintroduce a scrip dividend.

Q. I am a non-taxpayer. Can I have my dividends paid gross?
A. Under UK Government legislation, dividends cannot be paid gross.

Q. Can dividends be paid directly into my bank or building society account?
A. You can set up a payment instruction or dividend mandate by using the free Shareview service provided by the Company’s registrars, Equiniti, to manage your Smiths share portfolio. Click here to register.

Q. What are B shares?
A. For information on the B shares, please click here to see the B Share Prospectus issued on 14 June 2007 and click here to see the Return of Cash Circular issued on 16 May 2007. WARNING: the Prospectus and Circular are historic documents and, as such, contain information which is now out-of-date or no longer applicable.

Q. What are B shares worth?
A. To find out the current market value of B shares, visit a financial website and use the ticker symbol SMIB or ISIN GB00B1WY1Z87 (e.g. www.londonstockexchange.com).

Q. How do I apportion the base cost of my old Smiths 25p ordinary shares between the new Smiths 37.5p ordinary shares and the Smiths B shares?
A. For more information click here.

Q. I still own some Smiths B shares – what happens now?
A. You will continue to own your B shares. The Company has the power under its Articles of Association to purchase the outstanding B shares, at 365p, or to convert them into ordinary shares. If the Company purchases the outstanding B shares or converts them into ordinary shares, it will notify the B shareholders by writing to them at their registered addresses. You should ensure that any change in your address is promptly notified to Equiniti (details above). The B shares remain listed on the London Stock Exchange, although it is highly unlikely that an active market in them will exist.
To find out the current market value of B shares, visit a financial website and use the ticker/symbol SMIB (e.g. www.londonstockexchange.com)