Air Liquide Expects Net Profit Will Rise in 2015

   By Inti Landauro 
 

PARIS--French industrial gas supplier Air Liquide (AI.FR) expects its net profit to rise in 2015, after its profit for 2014 rose 1.5% despite adverse currency swings in the first part of the year.

On Tuesday, the company said its full-year profit rose to 1.67 billion euros ($1.9 billion) from EUR1.64 billion a year earlier. Revenue inched up 0.9% to EUR15.36 billion. Analysts polled by Factset expected a net profit of EUR1.65 billion and overall revenue of EUR15.34 billion.

"Assuming a comparable economic environment, Air Liquide is confident in its ability to deliver another year of net profit growth in 2015," Chief Executive Benoit Potier said in a statement.

Air Liquide said it improved profitability thanks to a cost-cutting program. For a second consecutive year, its operating margin rose by 0.2 percentage point to 17.1%.

The company said its business was aided by strong demand in the Americas and in the Asia Pacific region. Its business of supplying special gases to the semiconductor industry was especially buoyant during the year, mainly in Asia and in the Americas.

Air Liquide's board said it will propose that the shareholders general assembly approve an all-cash dividend of EUR2.55 a share.

-Write to Inti Landauro at [e-mail]

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