- Tenth consecutive rise in the ordinary dividend
- Final figures slightly higher than the preliminary announcement
Hamburg, 22 March 2013. The wine trading group Hawesko Holding AG (HAW GR, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) expects to increase the dividend to € 1.65 per share for fiscal year 2012 (previous year: € 1.60). At its meeting yesterday, the supervisory board of the company approved the corresponding dividend proposal of the management board, on which the annual general meeting will vote on 17 June 2013. With the proposed rise, the ordinary dividend will be raised for the tenth consecutive year since 2002. A total of € 14.8 million will be paid out to the shareholders (previous year: € 14.4 million).
Furthermore, the supervisory board reviewed, discussed and ratified the annual and consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2012; the annual financial statements were approved. As previously announced, Group sales in 2012 (1 January to 31 December) rose by 9.0% to € 448.6 million (previous year: € 411.4 million). The final consolidated financial statement shows a result from operations (EBIT) of € 26.1 million (previous year: € 26.8 million). Consolidated net income after deductions for taxes and non-controlling interests amounted to € 22.5 million and € 2.51 per share in 2012; adjusted for the non-recurring positive effects in the financial result, € 17.9 million and € 1.99 per share (previous year: € 17.9 million and € 1.99 per share). The free cash flow (cash flow from ongoing business activities minus investments and interest paid out) amounted to € -8.6 million after the acquisition of the majority interest in Wein & Vinos; adjusted for this extraordinary item it amounted to € 11.1 million and € 1.23 per share. In the previous year it reached a level of € 12.3 million and € 1.37 per share.
The management board will present details of the results of fiscal year 2012 as well as the business performance in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2013 at the annual press conference of Hawesko Holding AG on 7 May 2013.
Hawesko Holding AG is a leading supplier of premium wines and champagnes. In fiscal year 2012, the Group achieved sales of € 449 million and employed 847 persons in the company's three sales channels: specialty retail (Jacques' Wein-Depot), wholesale operations(Wein Wolf and CWD Champagner- und Wein-Distributionsgesellschaft) and mail order (especially Hanseatisches Wein- und Sekt-Kontor and Wein & Vinos). The shares of Hawesko Holding AG are listed on the Hanseatic Stock Exchange in Hamburg as well as in the SDAX small-cap index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.