Annual Report 2004 45Annual Report 2004 45
Share information
Share issues
As as 31 December 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Employee Employee Employee Employee Employee Employee Employee Employee
Share Plan Share Plan Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/
1 for 8 Executive Executive Executive Executive Executive Executive
rights issue Share Plan Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/ Share Plan/
Exercise of Exercise of Exercise of Exercise of Exercise of
Options/ Options/ Options Options Options
Restricted Share Buy Preference
Shares -back/ Share
Schemes of Buy-Back
Arrangement Issue of
FUELS
Convertible
Preference
Shares
Number of issued ordinary shares 
at year end (million) 539.6 539.6 607.3 607.8 608.2 610.4 579.3 583.1 584.7 585.7
Weighted average number 
of ordinary shares (million) 553.3 553.4 583.7 605.6 606.1 608.3 612.0 580.9 583.4 584.9
Dividends per ordinary share
- ordinary (¢) 23.0 24.0 25.0 25.0 27.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0
- special (¢) ----- 10.0 - - - -
Dividends
- ordinary ($million) 123.6 129.0 151.3 151.4 163.7 182.7 179.9 174.8 175.0 175.5
- special ($million) ----- 61.2 - - - -
Number of issued preference shares 
at year end (million) ------ 3 . 5 3 . 5 3 . 5 6.0
Dividends per preference share ($)
- ordinary ------- 5.40 6.57 6.59
- special --------- 5.00
Dividends ($million)
- ordinary ($million) ------- 18.9 23.0 23.0
- special ($million) --------- 14.3
Earnings per share (¢) 20.0 35.4 35.3 29.1 51.0 80.0 72.9 51.9 52.1 58.6
Return on total operating revenue (%) 14.9 24.4 24.0 17.6 31.0 31.3 28.6 20.9 20.2 21.7
Return on average ordinary equity (%) 7.2 12.6 11.8 9.1 15.5 22.3 19.0 13.1 12.3 13.1
Return on average capital employed (%) 6.1 9.6 8.7 7.1 11.5 16.7 14.1 9.0 8.8 9.4
Net debt/(net debt + equity) (%) 29.7 37.2 36.7 39.8 38.7 27.3 28.0 28.9 22.5 24.4
Net interest cover (times) 5.8 6.2 5.4 4.4 5.2 9.1 9.7 8.1 8.5 9.2
General
Number of employees 
(excluding contractors) 1,471 1,461 1,615 1,650 1,645 1,631 1,713 1,737 1,700 1,526
Number of shareholders 55,684 55,482 65,459 81,286 81,416 76,457 86,472 85,888 84,327 78,976
Market capitalisation ($million) 2,111 2,741 3,826 2,654 2,516 3,670 3,589 3,509 4,017 4,965
Prior year amounts have, where applicable, been adjusted to place them on a comparable basis with current year amounts.
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