May 15, 2007
Fresenius Medical Care: Shareholders Approve Share Split in the Ratio of 1:3 and Tenth Consecutive Annual Dividend Increase
At the Annual General Meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, a large majority of Fresenius Medical Care's shareholders approved the Management and Supervisory Boards' proposal for a share split in the ratio of 1:3. The corresponding resolution was supported by far more than 99 per cent of the represented ordinary share capital. The share split will become effective upon the registration in the commercial register, which is expected in the third quarter of 2007.
After the share split, every holder of an ordinary share will hold three ordinary shares and every holder of a preference share will hold three preference shares. As a result of the share split, the share price will be reduced arithmetically to one third without affecting the overall value for shareholders. The share split is intended to promote trading activity in Fresenius Medical Care shares and to increase the shares' attractiveness for a broader group of investors. The strong performance of the Company in recent years has led to a sharp increase in the share price which is currently one of the highest in Germany's DAX index.
Through a conversion of capital reserves, the subscribed capital of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is first increased to € 295.2 million. The subscribed capital is then divided into 291,449,373 ordinary shares and 3,720,522 preference shares. The new amount of the subscribed capital will then be € 1.00 per share.
In addition, shareholders of Fresenius Medical Care approved the tenth consecutive dividend increase. Ordinary shareholders will receive € 1.41 per share (prior year: € 1.23) and preference shareholders will receive € 1.47 (prior year: € 1.29). Shareholders discharged Management and Supervisory Board with a large majority of far more than 99 per cent.
At the Annual General Meeting, 74.24 per cent of the ordinary share capital and 5.33 per cent of the preference share capital was represented. Only ordinary shareholders were entitled to vote.
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Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, a condition that affects more than 1,500,000 individuals worldwide. Through its network of 2,194 dialysis clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatment to 169,216 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the world's leading provider of dialysis products such as hemodialysis machines, dialyzers and related disposable products. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME, FME3) and the New York Stock Exchange (FMS, FMS/P).
For more information about Fresenius Medical Care visit the Company's website at www.fmc-ag.com.