Espoo, Finland, Nov. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nokia Corporation Stock Exchange Release November 15, 2016 at 09:05 (CET +1)
Nokia Corporation to repurchase own shares in line with its capital structure optimization program
Espoo, Finland - In line with the EUR 7 billion capital structure optimization program announced earlier, the Nokia Board of Directors has resolved to commence a share repurchase program (the "Program") under the authorization granted by the Nokia Annual General Meeting on June 16, 2016 (the "AGM").
The Board has resolved to repurchase a maximum of 575 million Nokia shares up to an equivalent of EUR 1 billion.
The shares may be repurchased by way of a directed repurchase from sellers in marketplaces where the rules allow companies to trade with their own shares. The purchase price will be based on the current market price of Nokia shares in such marketplaces. The volumes to be repurchased may not exceed 25% of the daily average volume of the shares on the marketplace where the purchase is carried out. The daily average volume is based on the daily average volume traded during the month preceding the month of this disclosure.
Under the Program the shares may be repurchased for the purposes of either optimizing the capital structure of Nokia by way of reducing the number of the shares of the company or for the purposes of meeting obligations arising from share-based incentive plans for employees of Nokia or of its associated companies.
The repurchases will commence at the earliest after Nokia's Capital Markets Day organized on November 15, 2016. The Program and the current authorization granted by the AGM are valid until December 16, 2017.
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RISKS AND FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
It should be noted that Nokia and its businesses are exposed to various risks and uncertainties and certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) our ability to integrate Alcatel Lucent into our operations and achieve the targeted business plans and benefits, including targeted synergies and cost savings in relation to the acquisition of Alcatel Lucent announced on April 15, 2015 and closed in early 2016; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to our strategies and growth management; C) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses; D) expectations, plans or benefits related to changes in our management and other leadership, operational structure and operating model; E) expectations regarding market developments, general economic conditions and structural changes; F) expectations and targets regarding financial performance, results, operating and interest expenses, taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging, cost savings and competitiveness, as well as results of operations including targeted synergies and those related to market share, prices, net sales, capital expenditures, income and margins; G) timing of the deliveries of our products and services; H) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements, joint-ventures or the creation of joint-ventures, as well as our expected customer reach; I) outcome of pending and threatened litigation, arbitration, disputes, regulatory proceedings or investigations by authorities, including the implications of the legal action brought against the French stock market authority's (Autorité des marchés financiers) clearance decision on Nokia's public buy-out offer followed by a squeeze-out; J) expectations regarding restructurings, investments, uses of proceeds from transactions, acquisitions and divestments and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such restructurings, investments, divestments and acquisitions; and K) statements preceded by or including "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "sees," "target," "estimate," "designed," "aim," "plans," "intends," "focus," "continue," "project," "should," "will" or similar expressions. These statements are based on the management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that we currently expect. Factors, including risks and uncertainties, that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: 1) our ability to execute our strategy, sustain or improve the operational and financial performance of our business or correctly identify or successfully pursue business opportunities or growth; 2) our ability to achieve the anticipated business and operational benefits and synergies from the Alcatel Lucent transaction, including our ability to integrate Alcatel Lucent into our operations and within the timeframe targeted, and our ability to implement our organization and operational structure efficiently; 3) the outcome of the decision by the French Court of Appeal in relation to the clearance decision of Nokia's public buy-out offer and squeeze-out; 4) our dependence on general economic and market conditions and other developments in the economies where we operate; 5) our dependence on the development of the industries in which we operate, including the cyclicality and variability of the telecommunications industry; 6) our exposure to regulatory, political or other developments in various countries or regions, including emerging markets and the associated risks in relation to tax matters and exchange controls, among others; 7) our ability to effectively and profitably compete and invest in new competitive high-quality products, services, upgrades and technologies and bring them to market in a timely manner; 8) our dependence on a limited number of customers and large multi-year agreements; 9) Nokia Technologies' ability to maintain and establish new sources of patent and intellectual property licensing income and IPR-related revenues, particularly in the smartphone market; 10) our dependence on IPR technologies, including those that we have developed and those that are licensed to us, and the risk of associated IPR-related legal claims, licensing costs and restrictions on use; 11) our exposure to direct and indirect regulation, including economic or trade policies, and the reliability of our governance, internal controls and compliance processes to prevent regulatory penalties; 12) our reliance on third-party solutions for data storage and the distribution of products and services, which expose us to risks relating to security, regulation and cybersecurity breaches; 13) Nokia Technologies' ability to generate net sales and profitability through licensing of the Nokia brand, the development and sales of products and services, as well as other business ventures which may not materialize as planned, including in the areas of Digital Health and Digital Media; 14) our exposure to legislative frameworks and jurisdictions that regulate fraud, economic trade sanctions and policies, and Alcatel Lucent's previous and current involvement in anti-corruption allegations; 15) the potential complex tax issues, tax disputes and tax obligations we may face in various jurisdictions, including the risk of obligations to pay additional taxes; 16) our actual or anticipated performance, among other factors, which could reduce our ability to utilize deferred tax assets; 17) our ability to retain, motivate, develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees; 18) our ability to manage our manufacturing, service creation, delivery, logistics and supply chain processes, and the risk related to our geographically concentrated production sites; 19) the impact of unfavorable outcome of litigation, arbitration, agreement-related disputes or allegations of product liability associated with our businesses; 20) exchange rate fluctuations, as well as hedging activities; 21) inefficiencies, breaches, malfunctions or disruptions of information technology systems; 22) our ability to optimize our capital structure as planned, including completing intended share repurchases, and to re-establish our investment grade credit rating or otherwise improve our credit ratings; 23) uncertainty related to the amount of dividends and equity return we are able to distribute to shareholders for each financial period; 24) our ability to achieve targeted benefits from or successfully implement planned transactions, as well as the liabilities related thereto; 25) our involvement in joint ventures and jointly-managed companies or failures to create planned joint ventures; 26) performance failures by our partners or failure to agree to partnering arrangements with third parties; 27) our ability to manage and improve our financial and operating performance, cost savings, competitiveness and synergy benefits after the acquisition of Alcatel Lucent; 28) adverse developments with respect to customer financing or extended payment terms we provide to customers; 29) the carrying amount of our goodwill may not be recoverable; 30) risks related to undersea infrastructure; 31) unexpected liabilities with respect to pension plans, insurance matters and employees; and 32) unexpected liabilities or issues with respect to the acquisition of Alcatel Lucent, including pension, postretirement, health and life insurance and other employee liabilities or higher than expected transaction costs as well as the risk factors specified on pages 69 to 87 of our annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 1, 2016 under "Operating and financial review and prospects-Risk factors", as well as in Nokia's other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proven to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
