Ad-hoc | 17 February 2005 07:52

AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG: AGRANA Successfully Places Capital Increase

AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG: AGRANA Successfully Places Capital Increase Ad hoc announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG has successfully completed its capital increase, issuing a total of 3.175 million new shares. The subscription and offer price were set at EUR 72 per share. The number of shares issued by the company increased to 14.202 million as a result. The capital increase also enlarged its free float to roughly 25 per cent of issued share capital (previously roughly 12.5 per cent). The proceeds from the capital increase came to roughly EUR 229 million. They will be used to finance AGRANA’s global growth strategy. The bulk is to go into further acquisitions and into endowing newly founded subsidiaries with capital, especially in the Starch and Fruit divisions. In addition, AGRANA plans to invest in existing plants and projects. Furthermore, AGRANA is considering an involvement in the Austrian bioethanol market. The subscription period ended on 15 February 2005, and the offer period closed on 16 February 2005. The stock register was multiply oversubscribed. The shares were predominantly placed with institutional investors in Austria and the rest of Europe. The subscription and offer price were set using a bookbuilding procedure. The new shares are expected to be listed in the Vienna stock exchange’s Prime Market (ATX-50) segment from 22 February 2005. They will already rank fully for dividends in respect of the 2004/05 financial year ending 28 February 2005. The transaction was handled by Raiffeisen Centrobank and Morgan Stanley as Joint Lead Managers and Joint Bookrunners; Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien was Co-Lead Manager. DISCLAIMER: THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM PART OF ANY OFFER OR INVITATION TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR ANY SOLICITATION OF ANY OFFER TO PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR, ANY SHARES IN AGRANA BETEILIGUNGS-AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, NOR SHALL IT OR ANY PART OF IT NOR THE FACT OF ITS DISTRIBUTION FORM THE BASIS OF, OR BE RELIED ON IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY CONTRACT OR INVESTMENT DECISION. THE SHARES TO BE ISSUED IN THE COMBINED OFFERING HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR ANY US STATE SECURITIES LAW AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES. THE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THIS INFORMATION RELATE TO FUTURE FACTS. SUCH PROJECTIONS AND PREDICTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS WHICH CANNOT BE FORESEEN AND WHICH ARE BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE COMPANY. AGRANA BETEILIGUNGS- AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT IS THEREFORE NOT IN A POSITION TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO THE ACCURACY OF ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS AND PREDICTIONS OR THEIR IMPACT ON THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE COMPANY OR THE MARKET IN THE SHARES OF THE COMPANY. A GERMAN LANGUAGE PROSPECTUS AND A SUPPLEMENTARY SHEET THERETO PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE AUSTRIAN STOCK EXCHANGE ACT (BÖRSEGESETZ) AND THE AUSTRIAN CAPITAL MARKET ACT (KAPITALMARKTGESETZ) HAVE BEEN FILED WITH THE OESTERREICHISCHE KONTROLLBANK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, ACTING AS NOTIFICATION OFFICE (MELDESTELLE), PURSUANT TO THE AUSTRIAN CAPITAL MARKET ACT AND PUBLISHED IN THE AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL GAZETTE (AMTSBLATT ZUR WIENER ZEITUNG). THE COMPANY’S GERMAN LANGUAGE PROSPECTUS AND A SUPPLEMENTARY SHEET THERETO ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS AT THE PREMISES OF AGRANA BETEILIGUNGS-AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, DONAU-CITY-STRASSE 9, 1220 VIENNA, AUSTRIA, AND AT RAIFFEISEN CENTROBANK AG, TEGETTHOFFSTRASSE 1, 1015 VIENNA, AUSTRIA. IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFERING OF SECURITIES OF AGRANA BETEILIGUNGS-AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT ONLY THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROSPECTUS AND THE SUPPLEMENTARY SHEET THERETO IS BINDING. ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS PRESS RELEASE IS WITHOUT OBLIGATION. This Press Release is also available at http://www.agrana.com. AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG Donau-City-Straße 9 (Strabag-Haus) 1220 Wien Austria ISIN: AT0000603709 WKN: 060370 Listed: Amtlicher Handel in Wien End of ad hoc announcement (c)DGAP 17.02.2005 170752 Feb 05