Business News
Axel Springer AG to pay shareholders a stable dividend of EUR 1.70
Monday 29. April 2013 - Digital transformation to be accelerated / Conversion into a European Company resolved
On April 24, 2013, the Annual General Meeting of Axel Springer AG resolved to pay a stable dividend of EUR 1.70 per qualifying share for the financial year 2012 (PY: EUR 1.70), thereby approving the draft resolutions of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board. A total amount of EUR 167.9 million will be paid to shareholders and an amount of EUR 18.1 million will be appropriated to other retained earnings.
In the financial year 2012 the consolidated EBITDA reached an all-time high of EUR 628.0 million, and a consolidated EBITDA margin of 19.0 percent was achieved. The adjusted earnings per share came to EUR 3.00.
In his speech to the company’s shareholders, Dr. Mathias Döpfner, Chief Executive Officer of Axel Springer AG, said: “We are consistently pursuing the goal of building up a fast-growing, highly profitable digital portfolio in those market segments that we understand: content portals, marketing and classified ad portals.” Having generated revenues of more than one billion euros in the financial year 2012, the Digital Media segment is already the Group’s biggest segment, he said. Döpfner announced that the pace of Axel Springer’s digital transformation will be accelerated considerably. “Our goal is to become the leading digital media group.”
The Annual General Meeting approved the conversion of the company’s legal form into a European Company (Societas Europaea/SE). By means of the new legal form, which is to be implemented by the end of 2013, Axel Springer AG intends to underscore and facilitate the Group’s orientation to European and international markets. Also after the legal conversion, the company will be governed by means of a dual system, consisting of a Executive Board and Supervisory Board, as before. The conversion will have no effect on the rights of shareholders and employees. The company’s registered head office will still be located in Berlin.