At Henkel’s Annual General Meeting today, CEO Kasper Rorsted reviewed the company’s successful performance over the preceding four years and outlined Henkel´s new strategy and financial targets for the period through 2016. Referring to the challenging economic environment between 2008 and 2012, he said: “We stayed on track and implemented our strategy. Despite all the headwinds, we succeeded in achieving our targets and even exceeding them.”
Henkel shareholders will also benefit from this strong performance. “We are proposing to the Annual General Meeting to increase the dividend per preferred share from 0.80 to 0.95 euros and the dividend per ordinary share from 0.78 to 0.93 euros. This amounts to a total payout of about 410 million euros,” Rorsted announced.
Simone Bagel-Trah, Chairwoman of the Shareholders’ Committee and of the Supervisory Board, thanked the Management Board and all employees for the excellent results achieved and their dedication and commitment in 2012.
Looking at the future development of the company, Kasper Rorsted said: “Henkel builds its future on a successful history reaching back 136 years. Today, our company is better positioned than ever before – not just in terms of our financials. Since 2008 we have also significantly strengthened Henkel both structurally and culturally, we have globalized our company and have become more competitive. With our successful development during the last four years and a record year in 2012, we have laid a strong foundation for the next four years through 2016.”
Guidance for 2013 reconfirmed
“The global economic environment will remain difficult,” said Rorsted, referring in particular to the challenging situation in the Eurozone.
He added that a number of major industrial sectors recorded weaker growth than expected during the first months of 2013. However, Henkel expects an improving development during the second half of the year.
Despite the overall difficult market conditions Rorsted reconfirmed Henkel’s guidance for 2013: “We expect Henkel to generate organic sales growth of 3 to 5 percent in fiscal 2013, with adjusted return on sales rising to around 14.5 percent and adjusted earnings per preferred share increasing by around 10 percent.” For further details he referred to the publication of the first quarter results on May 8.
This document contains forward-looking statements which are based on the current estimates and assumptions made by the corporate management of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA. Forward-looking statements are characterized by the use of words such as expect, intend, plan, predict, assume, believe, estimate, anticipate, forecast and similar formulations. Such statements are not to be understood as in any way guaranteeing that those expectations will turn out to be accurate. Future performance and the results actually achieved by Henkel AG & Co. KGaA and its affiliated companies depend on a number of risks and uncertainties and may therefore differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are outside Henkel’s control and cannot be accurately estimated in advance, such as the future economic environment and the actions of competitors and others involved in the marketplace. Henkel neither plans nor undertakes to update forward-looking statements.