Bietigheim-Bissingen, May 10, 2019 – At today’s annual general meeting, the Dürr AG shareholders have approved a dividend of € 1.00 per share for fiscal 2018. Dürr AG will distribute a total of € 69.2 million.
Last year’s dividend stood at € 1.10 per share. The reason the dividend has now been adjusted is the fact that consolidated net profit declined by 18 % in 2018, mainly due to extraordinary effects. Notwithstanding, the dividend was reduced by only 9 %, partly because Dürr AG increased the payout ratio from 38 to 42 % of consolidated net profit. It must be borne in mind that the number of shares doubled to 69.2 million as a result of bonus shares being issued in a ratio of 1:1 in June 2018. This is why the previous year’s dividend is shown as € 1.10 per share as opposed to € 2.20.
Addressing around 620 shareholders at the company’s Bietigheim-Bissingen headquarters, CEO Ralf W. Dieter highlighted the opportunities digitization brings: “We can offer our customers tailored support in digital production optimization. Not only do we have the software skills, but we also understand our customers’ manufacturing processes.” For 2019, Ralf W. Dieter predicted new record figures for order intake and sales, with each expected to reach around € 4 billion. The company’s earnings are also set to increase. However, the CEO also mentioned the general economic conditions, which have become more challenging.
With 67 % of the share capital present at the annual general meeting, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board were discharged from liability with 98 % of the votes each. The shareholders also approved all other motions put to the vote. The voting results are available here.