EANS-News: Balda AG
General Meeting optimistic
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Annual & Special Corporate Meetings
Bad Oeynhausen (euro adhoc) - - Shareholders follow most management proposals with clear majorities - Board of Directors and Supervisory Board granted discharge - Supervisory Board narrowed down to three members - Purchase of own shares approved - Measures to increase capital not approved - Board of Directors confirms positive operating result forecast for 2011 - Clear focus on acquisition - Distribution of dividends planned for 2012
Bad Oeynhausen / Bielefeld, 30 May 2011 - Shareholders of Balda AG, SDax-noted at the Frankfurt stock exchange, agreed to almost all management proposals at the 12th Ordinary General Meeting on 27 May in Bielefeld with the required majorities. The shareholders granted discharge to the members of the Board of Directors and Supervisory Board. Despite a few critical comments during the discussion, they were generally satisfied with the work of their boards. The General Meeting decided to narrow the Supervisory Board down to three members. In future the board will consist of Dr. Michael Naschke, lawyer from Berlin, Yu Sheng Kai, Director from Taipei, and Chun-Chen Chen, CEO from Taipei. The shareholders also agreed to the management´s proposal concerning the buyback of own shares.
However, the shareholders did not approve the capital measures proposed in agenda item 6 (authorisation to issue convertible and/or warrant bonds) and item 7 (cancellation of the existing and creation of new authorised capital) over a timeframe lasting until 2016.
Around 50 percent of Balda AG´s capital of 58.891 million Euros were represented at the shareholder meeting by the roughly 270 shareholders attending. In his report, Sole Member of the Board of Directors Rainer Mohr emphasised the steps that have already been taken to restructure the MobileCom segment and stabilise the business as well as the ongoing search for a strategic investor. In the Electronic Products segment, the company will continue to improve cost efficiency and processes step by step. The target is to achieve at least a break-even result in 2011. As planned, the Medical segment will be profitable in the current fiscal year.
Slight plus in 2011 Against the backdrop of the continued recovery of the global economy, Mohr confirmed the existing forecast for the 2011 business year. Based on the current segmentation, the Group expected sales revenues to be roughly on par with 2010, with a slightly positive operating result. Revenue growth of at least 5 percent is planned for the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years.
Acquisition close to completion The Group is currently focusing its attention on acquiring a substantial - and profitable - interest in a company from the medical market segment or a related area. "I will be presenting a detailed, ready-for-implementation proposal on the acquisition of a company to the Supervisory Board for approval within the next couple of weeks", Mohr stressed.
Balda to sell TPK shares Further, Mohr underlined the company´s firm intention to sell shares in the touchscreen manufacturer TPK, in which it holds a 16.1 percent stake, no later than by the end of the lock-out period in October 2011 and to distribute an appropriate dividend from the profit achieved through the sale next year. Mohr stated the value of the TPK shares at about 790 million Euros on the day of the shareholder meeting. "Since closing 2010, we have made Balda AG capable of distributing a dividend. There are no obstacles to paying it out", the Sole Director pointed out.
* * * The speech by the sole member of the Board of Directors and the results of the voting are available at www.balda.de.
Company profile of Balda AG The Balda Group develops and produces complete plastic assemblies, electronicproducts and products for the medical technology industry. Balda´s customers are leading companies in the mobile phone, consumer electronics, electronic communications, pharmaceutical and medical technology markets. The Group is internationally positioned with production sites in China, Malaysia and Germany. A subsidiary in the USA serves North American customers 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.
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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.
end of announcement euro adhoc --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Berlin,
Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München
language: EnglishContact:
Clas Röhl
Tel.: +49 (0) 5734 922-2728
croehl@balda.de
Branche: Semiconductors & active components
ISIN: DE0005215107
WKN: 521510
Index: CDAX, Prime All Share
Börsen: Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Berlin / free trade
Hamburg / free trade
Stuttgart / free trade
Düsseldorf / free trade
München / free trade