Shares in France's Saint-Gobain fell as market talk circulated that the glass manufacturer had told several analysts to tone down their 1999 earnings forecasts. Saint-Gobain was down 3.20% at Euros 163.6, while the CAD-40 index gained 0.31%. "I heard rumours but I was not contacted by the company. It is true that some analysts have forecasts that are too high of net profit growth of 20% while the group repeatedly said net earnings could rise by 10% and net earnings per share by 15% this year. Maybe Saint-Gobain called them," one analyst said. "They told two or three analysts that their forecasts were too high. This triggered sales," sand a market maker for a US broker. In Sept 1999, the company predicted growth of 8% in sales and 10% earnings/share excluding exceptionals in coming years. It also forecasted growth of 15% in net earnings/share for 1999.
