Boral, which is poised to shrink further with a looming $1.5 billion-plus sale of its fly ash operations in the United States, still has about 55,000 shareholders who remained loyal and spurned a buyout offer from Seven Group Holdings, putting them in line to share in a likely $4 billion capital return.

There were about 80,000 shareholders before the takeover offer from Seven Group, controlled by billionaire Kerry Stokes, which now owns almost 70 per cent of Boral.