EADS, Esker, Safran, Seche, TF1, Thales: French Equity Preview

By Heather Smith

March 10 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in Paris. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names. Share prices are from the last close.

France’s CAC 40 Index dropped 15.16, or 0.6 percent, to 2,519.29, falling for a third day. The SBF 120 Index slipped 0.6 percent yesterday.

Aufeminin.com SA (FEM FP): Europe’s biggest women’s Web-site manager said profit fell 27 percent to 6.4 million euros ($8.1 million) in 2008. Shares dipped 2 cents, or 0.3 percent, to 6.37 euros.

Esker SA (ESK FP): The fax-software supplier said net income for 2008 fell to 7.8 million euros from 8.5 million euros a year earlier. Shares fell 13 cents, or 4.9 percent, to 2.50 euros.

European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. (EAD FP): The owner of planemaker Airbus SAS may receive an extension on an April 1 deadline for meeting contract terms for the A400M military- transport aircraft, provided European countries buying the plane agree to the terms at a March 20 meeting, Rainer Arnold, a defense spokesman for Germany’s Social Democratic Party, said in a telephone interview. The stock gained 8 cents, or 0.7 percent, to 10.20 euros.

Robertet SA (RBT FP): The French perfume maker said its 2008 sales rose 26 percent to 303 million euros. The stock price climbed 50 cents, or 0.7 percent, to 71 euros.

Safran SA (SAF FP): French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the French maker of aerospace equipment and EADS will open a helicopter plant in Mexico. Shares lost 12 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 6.99 euros.

Seche Environnement SA (SCHP FP): The waste handler with a stake in France’s third-biggest water company reported 65.1 million euros in operating income for 2008, and will propose a dividend of 1.30 euros per share for 2009. The stock price slid 2.17 euros, or 5 percent, to 41 euros.

Societe Television Francaise 1 (TFI FP): The owner of France’s most-watched television channel said advertising revenue fell 20 percent in the January-February period, compared with a year earlier, while its share of the advertising market declined by 3.7 percentage points to 57.9 percent. Shares lost 37 cents, or 6.7 percent, to 5.15 euros.

Thales SA (HO FP): Europe’s largest defense-electronics maker won a C$184 million contract with the Canadian government for battlefield software systems support. Shares slipped 21 cents, or 0.7 percent, to 29.14 euros.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heather Smith in Paris at hsmith26@bloomberg.net