EANS-News: Balda AG Balda expects to generate proceeds of EUR 238 million from
sale of 20.0 million shares in TPK Holding
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Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer/originator is solely
responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Company Information
Subtitle: - Interest in Chinese touchscreen manufacturer reduced to 7.6 per cent
- Company plans to likewise dispose of remaining shares at optimum value
- Substantial one-off earnings will put Balda Group in profit in 2012
- Shareholders to receive extraordinary dividend from transaction
Bad Oeynhausen (euro adhoc) - Bad Oeynhausen, 24 February 2012 - Balda
Investments Singapore Pte. Ltd., a Balda AG Group company, has today agreed to
sell a total of 20.0 million shares in TPK Holding Co., Ltd., expecting to
generate proceeds of roughly EUR 238 million (based on today´s exchange rate
EUR/Taiwan Dollar). The Board of Directors of the plastics processing company,
which is active in the medical and electronic products sectors, implemented an
announcement at its extraordinary general meeting held on 8 February of this
year. The transaction will take place through block trade in accordance with
the regulations of the Taiwanese Stock Exchange; an investment bank was involved
in the process. Closing of transaction is expected to take place within the next
week.
After the transaction, Balda Investments Singapore Pte. Ltd. continues to hold
17.8 million shares in TPK. The partial sale reduces the company´s interest in
the Chinese touchscreen manufacturer, which has been listed on the Taiwan Stock
Exchange since October 2010, from 16.1 % to 7.6 %. The Board of Directors at
Balda AG has reiterated its intention to likewise dispose of its remaining
holding in the company at optimum value, as its interest in TPK Holding is no
longer of strategic significance.
The transaction is set to have a substantial positive impact on the profit
situation at Balda AG and the Balda Group. It will give rise to considerable
one-off earnings in the consolidated financial statements for 2012, leading the
Board of Directors to anticipate considerable profit for the Group for the
current financial year. As previously announced, the Board plans to distribute
part of the proceeds generated by the disposal to shareholders as an
extraordinary dividend. As a further consequence of the transaction, Balda's
representative will resign from its management board position in TPK.
Dominik Müser, CEO, Balda AG: "We have followed through on our declared
intention to swiftly realise the sale of our interest in TPK Holding, using the
current upward trend in TPK´s share price to our advantage. We will be in no
hurry to dispose of the remaining shares; our priority will be achieving the
best possible result for Balda from the sale. Nevertheless, our shareholders can
already look forward to an attractive extraordinary dividend. In addition to
this, the injection of funds with which the sale has provided us gives us
additional scope for action in the context of Balda´s ongoing reorientation."
Company profile of Balda AG
The Balda Group develops and produces complete plastic assemblies, electronic
products and products for the medical technology industry. Balda´s customers are
leading companies in the pharmaceutical, medical technology, consumer
electronics electronic communications and mobile phone markets. The Group is
internationally positioned with production sites in Germany and Malaysia. A
subsidiary in the USA operates in product design and development. Within the
scope of its shareholding in a leading touchscreen manufacturer in China, Balda
is participating in the dynamic development of the touchscreen displays market.
This Corporate News announcement contains forward-looking statements, which are
based on the current expectations of Balda´s management. They therefore contain
a range of risks and uncertainties because they relate to future events and
depend on circumstances that will occur in the future, such as, for example,
developments in the mobile communications industry, changes in technology and
the ability to timely and successfully develop new products and various other
factors. Balda will neither revise these forward-looking statements nor correct
them in the event of any unexpected development, unless there is a legal
obligation to do so.
This Corporate News announcement represents neither an offer to buy shares nor
an invitation to submit an offer to buy shares in the United States or any other
country. The shares in Balda AG (the "shares") may not be offered or sold in the
United States or to or for the account of U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation
S of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in its current version (the "Securities
Act")), unless they are registered or are exempt from registration under the
Securities Act. The shares have not been and will not be registered under the
Securities Act.
Further inquiry note:
Frank Elsner
Frank Elsner Kommunikation für Unternehmen GmbH
Tel.: +49 - 54 04 - 91 92 0
Fax: +49 - 54 04 - 91 92 29
Mail: office@elsner-kommunikation.de
end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Balda AG
Bergkirchener Str. 228
D-32549 Bad Oeynhausen
phone: +49 (0) 5734 9 22-0
FAX: +49 (0) 5734 922-2747
mail: info@balda.de
WWW: http://www.balda.de
sector: Semiconductors & active components
ISIN: DE0005215107
indexes: CDAX, Prime All Share
stockmarkets: free trade: Berlin, München, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart,
regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt
language: English