RE: Handbag Time ?15 Aug 2025 23:21
Interesting. Could be an error? Or are companies obliged to disclose shares held by the board and significant others so it's based on that.
I worked the other way (based also on what some posters were saying on here) - added up the BOD and Mr Crucefix because his holding is "strategic"and subtracted all that from 3.6b to leave about 2bn.
One RNS referred to "unconnected investors" when some shares were issued, about 471 million I recall.
GPT>>
On the London Stock Exchange (LSE), the free float of a company means the proportion of its shares that are freely available for public trading β excluding those held by owners who are unlikely to trade them regularly.
The FTSE Russell rules (which govern LSE index eligibility) define and calculate it roughly as follows:
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1. Identify the total shares in issue
Start with the companyβs total issued share capital.
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2. Exclude restricted holdings
These are shareholdings not considered part of the public float, including:
Directorsβ and senior executivesβ holdings (and their connected persons).
Strategic holdings β generally, any single shareholder holding β₯5% is deemed strategic, unless the shareholder is a public investment fund or similar widely held institution.
Extra note:
For FTSE indices (like FTSE 100, 250), thereβs a minimum free float requirement (e.g., 25% for UK incorporated companies).