DGAP-News: CEWE aims for consistent increase in dividends

DGAP-News: CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA / Key word(s): AGM/EGM CEWE aims for consistent increase in dividends 04.06.2014 / 15:05 --------------------------------------------------------------------- CEWE aims for consistent increase in dividends - Payout rate of 50% - Dividend yield at 3.5% - Free float reaches 69.8% - Long-term investors targeted Oldenburg, 04 June 2014. The regular Annual General Meeting of CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA (SDAX, ISIN: DE 0005403901) approved all the agenda items proposed by the management in Oldenburg today. The attendance rate was 62.1%. The dividend rises to 1.50 euros per share - the fifth dividend increase in succession. The Board of Management announced that it intended to continue with this steady rise in the dividend in future. On the basis of the closing price on 30 December 2013 (42.75 euros), the dividend yield is 3.5% and the payout rate 50%. Calculated on the basis of the increased price of 54.22 euros since this date (closing price on 3 June 2014), the dividend yield is 2.8%. The value of the CEWE share has increased by a total of 62.8% in the period from the 2013 Annual General Meeting to the Annual General Meeting held today, on the basis of the closing price on 6 June 2013 (33.31 euros). CEWE intends to acquire long-term investors At the Annual General Meeting, Dr. Rolf Hollander, Chairman of the Board of Management of CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA explained: "We would first and foremost like to acquire long-term investors for CEWE. This is why we intend to consistently increase the absolute dividend amount, thus generating attractive yields for our shareholders." The basis for this increase was sound financing, which had been guaranteed thanks to the capital ratio of more than 50% on 31 March 2014, and investments in growth areas. "We are thus laying the foundation for a sustainable earning power," Dr. Hollander emphasised. In order to make the company more attractive for institutional investors as well, CEWE also issued 500,000 treasury shares on 8 April 2014, thus increasing its free float to 69.8%. "We made our shares available in order to meet the high demand among institutional investors, while at the same time enhancing our strategic scope for achieving growth through acquisitions," says Dr. Olaf Holzkämper, the CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA Financial Director. The gross amount of proceeds from the issue amounted to around 27 million euros for CEWE. CEWE plans to make progress in all its business segments in 2014 CEWE is aiming to make significant progress in all three business segments in 2014. In the high-margin segment of photofinishing, in which other added-value products are becoming established in addition to the main business with the CEWE PHOTO BOOK, CEWE intends to continue to expand its leading market position and at the same time secure income. CEWE is intentionally withdrawing from low-margin wholesale business in the retail segment, thus actively reducing these sales. CEWE is continuing to focus on dynamic growth for online printing, in order to create a basis for future income. In this business segment, CEWE expects to achieve an increase in turnover in the amount of more than 70 million euros (2013: 59.8 million euros). Outlook makes for another increase in dividends The Board of Management believes that the positive growth trend in the online printing business segment and the high earning power of photofinishing with enable the company to make further investments in the future in 2014 as well, with consolidated turnover in all the business segments to increase slightly from 528.6 million euros to average in the range of 525 to 540 million euros despite the targeted decrease in retailing. The target earnings corridors are three million euros higher than in the previous year. The EBIT in 2014 is to be in the range of 30 million to 36 million euros, and the EBT is to amount to 28 million to 34 million euros. After-tax earnings are to be achieved in the range of 19 million to 23 million euros. Dr. Hollander: "This is how we intend to continue to sustainably increase the value of the company for our shareholders." Should you have any queries, please contact: CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA, Axel Weber (Investor Relations) Tel.: 0441 / 404 - 2288, Fax: 0441 / 404 - 421, Email: IR@cewe.de Internet: www.cewe.de , www.cewe-fotobuch.de , www.cewe-print.de , www.viaprinto.de , www.saxoprint.de In the app stores: Besides the CEWE FOTOWELT app (order app for most of the CEWE products), the CEWE Investor Relations app for an iPad(R) or Android tablet is available with annual reports, quarterly reports and sustainability reports. Financial schedule: 13 August 2014 Publication of the H1 2014 half-year financial report 13 August 2014 Analysts' telephone conference on H1 19 September 2014 Capital Market Day @ photokina, Cologne 12 November 2014 Publication of the Q3 2014 interim report 12 November 2014 Analysts' telephone conference on Q3 24 November 2014 German Equity Forum, Frankfurt About CEWE: The photo and online print service company CEWE, with 11 highly-technical production operations and a staff of around 3,200 employees in 24 European countries, is both market and technological leader. In 2013 CEWE delivered around 2.37 billion prints, 5.8 million copies of the CEWE PHOTO BOOK and photo gift articles to more than 30,000 retail partners to generate consolidated turnover of 528.6 million euros. CEWE is a "first mover" in the introduction of new digital technologies and products. In the new business segment of online printing, printed material for advertising is marketed through the sales platforms CEWE-PRINT.de , saxoprint and viaprinto. In 1961 CEWE was founded by Senator h. c. Heinz Neumüller. The company went public under the leadership of Hubert Rothärmel in 1993. CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA is listed on the SDAX. End of Corporate News --------------------------------------------------------------------- 04.06.2014 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA Meerweg 30-32 26133 Oldenburg Germany Phone: +49 (0)441 40 4-1 Fax: +49 (0)441 40 4-42 1 E-mail: IR@cewe.de Internet: www.cewe.de ISIN: DE0005403901 WKN: 540390 Indices: SDAX Listed: Regulierter Markt in Berlin, Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News-Service --------------------------------------------------------------------- 272205 04.06.2014