Corporate | 30 April 2003 16:00
ATOSS Software AG
english
ATOSS Software AG
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Press release
General meeting of shareholders approves outpayment of EUR 1.50 per share –
board confirms positive outlook in in greater detail against the backdrop of
negative market conditions – Shareholders gave their unanimously consent
Munich, April 30, 2003 – Today, the board of ATOSS Software AG informed
shareholders on the successful 2002 business year and announced further sales
and earnings gains for the ongoing year. Shareholders have approved all of the
proposals presented by company administration unanimously and have adopted,
among others, a number of capital measures, including measures resulting in an
outpayment of EUR 1.50 per share.
Items on the agenda included a substantial capital increase from company funds
and a subsequent capital reduction, as well as the re-election of the members
of the supervisory board. The present supervisory board members were confirmed
in their appointments.
The capital measures and the respective changes in the statutes create the
foundation for the high outpayment and represent an adequate endowment of
freely available capital reserves underpinning future dividend outpayment
policies and enabling additional share buy-backs. In the coming years the
company aims to distribute between 30 and 50 % of the net earnings available
for payout. In difficult years the aim is to pay a minimum dividend of EUR
0.15. According to present knowledge of company administration staff, the
approved outpayment of EUR 1.5 per share is tax free for those shareholders
holding less than one percent of equity capital. Due to company law provisions,
the outpayment will be distributed six months after the announcement of the
registered execution of the capital measures adopted today. ATOSS will state
the exact outpayment date immediately following this announcement.
Additional increase in transparency
The shareholders also welcomed the announcement by the board according to which
the quarterly reports will also be reviewed by the company’s auditing firm as
of the first quarter of 2003. In previous years the company had already
voluntarily submitted the semi-annual report to review by the auditing firm.
The new measures represent a further increase in the company’s high reporting
transparency.
Order intake confirms positive outlook on the second quarter, additional sales
gains and considerably stronger earnings anticipated for the 2003 business year
Addressing the shareholders, the board emphasized the company’s unchanged
positive outlook. The inflow of orders, especially in the software license
area, indicates sales exceeding the same quarter last year that will also
result in sales considerably above the second quarter of the past year.
In view of the recent increase in negative forecasts issued by domestic and
foreign software companies the board emphasized its unchanged commitment to
achieving the targets for the year that it had previously outlined. A key
factor driving the company’s development is the fact that the utilization of
ATOSS solutions provide clients with an appreciable return on investment within
a short period of time. Viewed from a general standpoint, however, the company
is also expecting higher sales and considerably stronger earnings in the 2003
business year.
Further information is available from: http://www.atoss.com
Contact: Christof Leiber, ATOSS Software AG
Am Moosfeld 3, D-81829 Munich
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 4 27 71 – 265, Fax: +49 (0) 89 4 27 71 – 100
revolution-in-time@atoss.com
end of message, (c)DGAP 30.04.2003
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WKN: 510440; ISIN: DE0005104400; Index:
Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin-
Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover und Stuttgart
301600 Apr 03