Offer to acquire all outstanding RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG shares: Minimum acceptance threshold of more than 90% not reached

Fresenius announced today that at the end of the offer period 84.3% of RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG shares had been tendered, short of the minimum acceptance threshold of more than 90%. The second completion condition for the acquisition is therefore not fulfilled.

The substantial trading volume on the final day of the acceptance period, triggered by the announcement of Asklepios Kliniken GmbH regarding an equity stake in RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG, has interfered with the acceptance and settlement of the tender offer.

Ulf Mark Schneider, CEO of Fresenius, said: "The vast majority of RHÖN-KLINIKUM shareholders accepted our offer. We very much regret that the proposed transaction was blocked, without providing a constructive alternative. We would have preferred to spare RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG's patients, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders the resulting uncertainty. We remain convinced of the merits of combining RHÖN-KLINIKUM with HELIOS, and will assess our options in the coming days."

HELIOS will continue to pursue its proven growth strategy of the past years. As one of Germany's largest private hospital operators, HELIOS is well-positioned for strong organic growth. At the same time, HELIOS has excellent growth opportunities due to the privatization process in the German hospital market. In 2015, HELIOS targets sales of €4 billion to €4.25 billion. This outlook does not include the announced acquisition of RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG.

Following the capital increase with gross proceeds of €1.014 billion, which was successfully completed in May 2012, Group net debt/EBITDA is expected to initially be at the lower end of the target range of 2.5 to 3.0. Fresenius will use the additional financial resources over the medium term to complement its strong organic growth with targeted acquisitions.