PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - French industrial gases company Air Liquide said on Tuesday that it might complete the acquisition of U.S. peer Airgas Inc faster than expected and narrowed the size of a planned capital increase to refinance the deal.
The "acquisition timing might shorten, with possible completion by late" second quarter, Air Liquide said. It had previously predicted closing in the second or third quarters.
Air Liquide added that it now envisaged a capital increase of between 3 billion and 3.5 billion euros as part of the refinancing of the $13.4 billion deal, versus 3 billion to 4 billion previously.
The company added that first-quarter sales fell 3.1 percent to 3.872 billion euros ($4.36 billion) and forecast another year of net profit growth. ($1 = 0.8880 euros) (Reporting by James Regan; Editing by Matthias Blamont)