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- Where is GKN's stock traded?
GKN has its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange but is also listed in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the US over-the-counter (OTC) market. - What is the stock exchange symbol for GKN?
GKN's share register is administered by Equiniti Limited. If you have any questions about your shareholding or you require any other guidance you can contact Equiniti as follows:
Equiniti
Aspect House
Spencer Road
Lancing
West Sussex
BN99 6DA
Tel: 0871 384 2962*
Overseas: +44 (0)121 415 7039
* Calls cost 8 pence per minute from a BT landline; other telephony provider costs may vary. Lines are open 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
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- How do I buy/sell shares?
GKN plc shares can be traded through most banks, building societies or stockbrokers. If you would like details of stockbrokers in the UK who deal with private investors please contact The Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers (APCIMS) on 020 7448 7100 or at www.apcims.co.uk. The commissions charged for buying and selling shares will vary between companies. - What do I need to do if I move house?
If you move home you will need to inform our registrar of your new address. You can write to them direct, or alternatively complete a change of address form which can be found on their website. Once you have completed and signed the form, please return it to them by post. If you have registered for Shareview, the online service provided by the registrar, you can amend your address online. - What do I need to do if I change my name?
If you change your name, please write to our registrar with details of your new name and previous name. You should also attach an original or certified copy of your marriage certificate or your change of name deed together with your share certificate(s) and any unpaid dividend cheques in your old name. The registrar will then reissue them. - How do I register the death of a shareholder?
If you are administering an estate, you may need to transfer shares into the names of beneficiaries or sell the holding. The first step is to write to our registrar. They will place a temporary marker on the register to ensure that, wherever possible, they do not issue further dividend payments or other correspondence in the shareholder's name. They will also send you the forms that you will need to complete. - I have more than one share certificate. Can they be combined?
If you have several GKN share certificates you can ask for your certificates to be consolidated into one. Please send them to our registrar together with a covering letter. There is no charge to private shareholders for this service. You should retain the counterfoils as they may be required for tax purposes. - How can I donate shares to charity?
Shareholders with a small number of shares, the value of which can make it uneconomical to sell, may wish to consider donating them to charity through ShareGift, a registered charity administered by the Orr Mackintosh Foundation. Further information is available by visiting www.sharegift.org or calling 020 7930 3737 - What is stamp duty?
Stamp duty is tax that is payable whenever shares are traded. The buyer of the shares must pay the stamp duty before the shares can be registered in their name. Stamp duty is currently set at 0.5% of the value of the shares traded, rounded up to the nearest £5.00. If you use a broker to buy shares, the stamp duty will usually be added to the price automatically. - How can I transfer shares to someone else?
You do not always need to use a bank or stockbroker to buy and sell shares. If the buyer and seller agree between themselves, they can transfer shares ‘off market’ by using a stock transfer form, which must be sent to the registrar, together with the share certificates. This method is frequently used in cases where shares are transferred for nil consideration, such as gifts of shares (perhaps to relatives or charities) or on the distribution of an estate. Off market transfers that have a consideration value of less than £1,000 are no longer subject to stamp duty, and there is no requirement to send such transfers to HM Revenue and Customs. Where stamp duty is payable, the completed transfer form must be sent to an HM Revenue and Customs Stamp Office and the duty paid before the form can be forwarded to the registrar. Further information relating to stamp duty can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk. - Can I receive electronic communications?
You can receive electronic communications by signing up for a free Shareview portfolio on our registrar's secure website www.shareview.co.uk. Once you have registered your portfolio you can opt for communication by email by updating the "Change Preferences" page under "Account Management" in your portfolio.
How can I donate shares to charity?
Shareholders with a small number of shares, the value of which can make it uneconomical to sell, may wish to consider donating them to charity through ShareGift, a registered charity administered by the Orr Mackintosh Foundation. Further information is available by visiting www.sharegift.org or calling 020 7930 3737.
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- What are dividends?
Dividends are a way in which companies make distributions to shareholders from profits. A dividend is paid for each share, so the amount you receive depends on the number of shares you own. - When do I receive dividends?
GKN announces its financial results twice a year in February and August. The Board of GKN decides the level of each dividend based on these results. If a dividend is declared it is paid approximately eight to ten weeks after the announcement. - How can I have my dividends paid?
The following options are available:
- Have cash dividends paid direct to your bank or building society account. This is the quickest and most efficient way to receive your dividends. Using BACS (Bank Automated Clearing System) we are able to pay your dividend straight to your account on the payment date. An overseas payments service is also available.
- Use your cash dividend to purchase more GKN shares under the Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP). On or about each dividend payment date, our registrar will calculate the number of shares that can be bought with your dividend at current market prices (after deduction of costs and expenses) and then purchase this number of shares on your behalf. Any cash balance remaining after the purchase of shares will be retained without interest and added to your next dividend.
If you do not choose either of the above, cash dividends will be sent to your registered address by cheque. - What do the terms 'ex-dividend' and 'record date' mean?
Before announcing each dividend and in consultation with the London Stock Exchange, we set a date on which our shares will be sold without entitlement to the dividend. This is known as going ‘ex-dividend’. Before that date the shares are said to be ‘cum dividend’. If you buy shares before the ex-dividend date you are entitled to receive the dividend recently announced. If you buy on or after that date, in the ex-dividend period, that dividend is payable to the previous owner.
The dividend is paid to shareholders based on the number of shares held on the share register at the record date. The record date is usually two days after the ex-dividend date.
If you receive a dividend having recently sold your shares and are unsure whether you are entitled to it, contact the agent who acted on your behalf in the sale. Depending on the terms of the sale, the dividend may be due to the new owner. - Do I have to pay tax on my dividends?
Dividends are announced net of tax (the ‘net dividend’). Dividends received are treated as though they had been paid after deduction of basic rate income tax (the ‘tax credit’). The total of these two amounts is sometimes called the ‘gross dividend’. Further information regarding the current tax credit on dividends is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxon/uk.htm.
Tax vouchers showing the net dividend and tax credit amounts are issued at the time of each dividend payment. If your cash dividends are paid direct to your bank account and you have registered for electronic communication you will not be sent any paper vouchers but can view and download tax vouchers via www.shareview.co.uk.
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- What happens at the AGM?
The notice calling the meeting will invite you to attend and vote on important matters such as the election of directors and auditors. Shareholders have the opportunity to hear about the Company’s performance and prospects for the future, and ask questions about the Company and its activities. - What if I cannot attend the AGM?
If you are unable to attend, you can still participate in the meeting by appointing someone to attend and vote on your behalf– this person is known as your ‘proxy’. Your proxy can be the chairman of the meeting, or any other person you choose. You can instruct your proxy to cast your vote according to your specific instructions, or at his or her discretion.
You can appoint a proxy by completing and returning the form that will be sent to you before the meeting. If you have received a paper form but wish to appoint a proxy electronically, the voting website address will be printed on the form. If you have received an email rather than a paper form it will contain a link to the voting website. - How are the votes counted?
All resolutions are voted on by way of a poll.
Information regarding the number of proxy votes received for and against each resolution, as well as votes withheld, is published on our website after each AGM.
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