Notes to the accounts
9. Earnings per share
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings attributable to shareholders ($ million) | 215.2 | 266.0 | 235.4 |
| Basic weighted average number of shares in issue (million) | 1,703.8 | 1,727.6 | 1,736.6 |
| Dilutive effect of share options (million) | 3.3 | 6.8 | 3.3 |
| Diluted weighted average number of shares in issue (million) | 1,707.1 | 1,734.4 | 1,739.9 |
| Earnings per share – basic | 12.6c | 15.4c | 13.6c |
| Earnings per share – diluted | 12.6c | 15.3c | 13.5c |
| Earnings per ADS – basic | 126.3c | 154.0c | 135.6c |
| Earnings per ADS – diluted | 126.1c | 153.4c | 135.3c |
The basic weighted average number of shares excludes shares held by the ESOT as these shares do not qualify for dividends. The effect of this is to reduce the average number of shares in the 52 week period ended 2 February 2008 by 2,146,735 (53 week period ended 3 February 2007: 3,253,096; 52 weeks ended 28 January 2006: 3,745,265).