Am 16. April 2018 erhielt die Deutsche Wohnen SE die folgende Mitteilung zu den mit dem Erwerb der Stimmrechte verfolgten Zielen und der Herkunft der für den Erwerb verwendeten Mittel gemäß § 43 WpHG:
'In respect to Section 43 of the Securities Trading Act (WpHG) regarding notification requirements applicable to BlackRock's holding in Deutsche Wohnen SE, please find below the response from us, BlackRock, Inc., and our subsidiaries (together referred to as the 'Notifying Parties'):
- BlackRock, Inc.
- BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.
- BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.
The crossing of the thresholds do not result from acquisitions by the Notifying Parties but from attributions from investment managers and advisors which qualify as subsidiaries of at least one of the Notifying Parties and to which the voting rights are attributed
In respect of the aims underlying the purchase of the voting rights, we, the Notifying Parties, notify that:
- The investments are aimed at both implementing strategic objectives and at generating a trading profit. This results from Notifying Parties' overall intention to gain maximum returns for BlackRock's clients on both a short and a long term basis.
- We plan to acquire further voting rights within the next twelve months by means of a purchase or by any other means. Because our intention is to gain maximum returns for BlackRock's clients and therefore we may also sell shares.
- We intend to exert an influence on the appointment or removal of members of the issuer's administrative, managing and supervisory bodies. We will continue to exercise our right to vote at the company's annual general meeting, and any special general meetings should they be called in the best interests of our clients.
- We do not intend to achieve a material change in the company's capital structure, in particular as regards the ratio between own funds and external funds and the dividend policy. However, we might vote on such topics in the same way we set out in no. 3.
In respect of the origin of the funds used, we, the Notifying Parties, notify that:
Client funds were used in order to finance the purchase of the voting rights.'