Annual General Meeting of R. STAHL AG adopts dividend of EUR 0.80 per share

Annual General Meeting of R. STAHL AG adopts dividend of EUR 0.80 per share

- Dividend of EUR 0.80 per share approved

- Hans-Volker Stahl retires from Supervisory Board

- Jürgen Wild elected to Supervisory Board

Waldenburg, 22 May 2015 - The 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of R. STAHL AG held today in Neuenstein has voted to adopt the proposed dividend for fiscal year 2014 of EUR 0.80 (previous year: EUR 1.00) per share. The total payout is thus EUR 5.2 million (previous year: EUR 5.8 million), while the dividend ratio amounts to around 52% of R. STAHL AG Group's net profit of EUR 9.8 million (previous year: around 38% of EUR 15.4 million). With the sale of treasury shares completed in January 2015, the number of shares with dividend entitlement rose year on year by 644,000 to 6,440,000. The company is therefore continuing its shareholder-friendly dividend policy and adapting the payout to the development of the balance sheet profit and the number of dividend-entitled shares.

Supervisory Board completes generation change
Mr Jürgen Wild, Chairman of the Management Board of RAG-Stiftung Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, was elected as a new member of the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board, the management, workers' representatives and shareholders of R. STAHL AG thanked the departing Supervisory Board member Hans-Volker Stahl, who served as its chairman for 22 years. Hans-Volker Stahl had informed the company on 10 February of his intention to step down on completion of the AGM 2015 in order to make way for a new generation on the Supervisory Board. On 26 February, the Supervisory Board member Heiko Stallbörger was unanimously elected as the committee's new chairman. At its meeting on 9 April 2015, the Supervisory Board appointed Hans-Volker Stahl as Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board for life. With his economic foresight, Hans-Volker Stahl helped shape the successful progress of the company and his expertise also accompanied R. STAHL through the various stages of the company's development. As a descendant in the fourth generation of the company's founder Rafael Stahl, Hans-Volker Stahl enjoys a special relationship with the company and its culture.

CEO Martin Schomaker thanked Hans-Volker Stahl warmly for more than two decades of successful cooperation. "With his many years of experience and his profound economic understanding, he enriched the discussions of our committee and was always a competent partner for the Executive Board in all strategic and operational matters. Hans-Volker Stahl acted as a moderator between the founding family and the capital market and was one of the decisive architects of our company's success," said Schomaker. "At the same time, I am looking forward to working with the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Heiko Stallbörger."

Dynamic start into the new fiscal year
R. STAHL AG closed the past fiscal year with a slight increase in sales of 1.4% to EUR 308.5 million (previous year: EUR 304.4 million) and a decline in EBIT to EUR 18.3 million. At the same time, the company achieved a record order intake of EUR 335.2 million in 2014 (previous year: EUR 304.1 million). On the basis of its high order backlog, the company got off to a dynamic start in the current fiscal year: with growth of 21.6% to EUR 82.2 million, sales in the first three months of 2015 reached their highest-ever quarterly figure. There were also strong improvements in earnings. With regard to the year ahead, CFO Bernd Marx stressed the ongoing uncertainties for the company's outlook: "The low oil price calls for caution: a decline in the capital spending of oil producers - our most important client industry at present - will lead to weaker demand for R. STAHL's products. Further external factors, such as the political conflict between the EU and Russia, make it difficult to give reliable forecasts. At the same time, we will complete our expansion programme in 2015, roll out innovative new products and thus strengthen our position as the technological leader."

About R. STAHL
R. STAHL is one of the world's leading suppliers of electrical and electronic products and systems for explosion protection. These products and systems prevent explosions in hazardous areas and contribute to the safety of people, machines and the environment. The portfolio ranges from products used in switching/distributing, installing, operating/monitoring, lighting and signalling/alarming, up to automation. Typical customers operate in industries, such as the oil & gas industry, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and the food industry. In 2014, global sales amounting to EUR 308.5 million were generated with about 1,942 employees. The shares of R. STAHL AG are traded on the Regulated Market/Prime Standard of Deutsche Boerse (ISIN DE000A1PHBB5).

Contacts:
R. STAHL AG
Am Bahnhof 30, 74638 Waldenburg (Württ.)

Bernd Marx (CFO)
Phone: +49 7942 943 1271

Nathalie Dirian (Investor Relations)
Phone: +49 7942 943 1395

Frank Schwarz (Investor Relations)
Phone: +49 611 5802 9290

E-mail: [email protected]