The General Shareholders’ Meeting of May 31, 2023, in its 18th resolution, authorized the Management Board to buy or sell Company shares, as part of the implementation of a share buyback program.
The maximum total amount of this authorization is set at euro two billion one hundred and fifty‑four million four hundred and thirty thousand and four hundred and seventy‑six and fifty cents (2,154,430,476.50), net of costs.
The maximum share purchase price is set at euro 100, excluding purchase costs, it being noted that this price does not apply to share buybacks used to satisfy free share grants involving employees and/or corporate officers of the Company and of the Groupe or options exercised by the latter.
This authorization for a period of eighteen months canceled, for the unused portion and the remaining time period, and replaced, that previously granted by the 17th resolution of the General Shareholders’ Meeting on May 25, 2022.
The table below, prepared in accordance with article L. 225‑211 of the French Commercial Code, summarizes the transactions carried out under the various buyback programs since 2019.
| not-included | Amount | Average purchase price (in euros) |
|---|---|---|
| Period from 01/01/2019 to 12/31/2019 | 915,880 | 45.35 |
| Period from 01/01/2020 to 12/31/2020 | 4,064,184 | 31.53 |
| Period from 01/01/2021 to 12/31/2021 | 7,205,354 | 54.26 |
| Period from 01/01/2022 to 12/31/2022 | 4,165,911 | 54.38 |
| Period from 01/01/2023 to 12/31/2023 | 5,806,521 | 73.12 |
As part of a treasury share buyback program, under the seventeenth resolution of the General Shareholders' Meeting of May 25, 2022, the Company repurchased 3,000,000 of its shares in 2023 for an amount of euro 221,851 thousand. The purpose of this program was to meet obligations related to the current free share plans for employees, without issuing new shares.
In 2023, the Company delivered 985,685 shares under free share plans and 560,148 existing shares under stock option plans.
Under the liquidity contract entrusted by Publicis Groupe SA to BNP Paris Exane until October 20, 2023 and then to BNP Paribas Arbitrage from October 23, 2023, the Company acquired 2,806,521 shares in 2023 at an average purchase price of euro 72.24 and sold 2,843,116 shares at an average sale price of euro 72.40.
The trading fees and other expenses incurred by the Company during 2023 for transactions executed pursuant to the share buyback program, authorized by the 17th resolution of the General Shareholders’ Meeting on May 25, 2022, and then by the 18th resolution of the General Shareholders’ Meeting on May 31, 2023, amounted to euro 80,000.
