DGAP-News: RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG (english)
RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG: Annual General Meeting in Frankfurt/MainRHÖN-KLINIKUM AG / AGM/EGM
10.06.2009
Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
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announcement.
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Shareholders approve increase in dividend on 10 June 2009 at 13:50 p.m.
Results for financial year 2008
* 1.6 million patients treated (+ 6.7%)
* Revenues: EUR 2.1 billion (+ 5.2%)
* Net consolidated profit: EUR 122.6 million (+ 10.3 %)
* Dividend proposal: EUR 0.35 per ordinary share
Q1 2009 results
* More than 450,000 patients treated (+ 10.3 %)
* Revenues: EUR 559.1 million (+ 7.4 %)
* Net consolidated profit: EUR 30.7 million (+ 3.7 %)
Outlook
* Forecast for 2009 reaffirmed
* Capital increase promptly in the second half of the year
Bad Neustadt a.d. Saale/Frankfurt am Main, 10 June 2009 ---- At its Annual
General Meeting today in Frankfurt am Main - for the first time held in the
Jahrhunderthalle Höchst - Wolfgang Pföhler, chairman of the Board of
Management of RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG, was pleased with the development in 2008:
'Also in its 21st financial year, the RHÖN-KLINIKUM Group succeeded in
reaching its targets and strengthening its position as a reliable
healthcare provider'.
For the first quarter, he reported further significant growth. And: 'We are
optimistic for the further course of the year', said Wolfgang Pföhler. The
Board of Management confirmed its forecast for 2009: The Group expects to
generate revenues of roughly EUR 2.3 billion and a net consolidated profit
of EUR 130 million within a possible fluctuation range of plus or minus EUR
5 million. Pföhler thus confirmed the forecast given at the results press
conference in March.
Company decides to strengthen capital basis for future growth
Regarding the planned capital increase, Pföhler moreover outlined the
Group's future development: 'Starting from the 37 sites in Germany, we want
to build up a healthcare network making it possible for patients to reach
one of the facilities of our hospital network within maximum 1.5 to two
hours. Our claim is to offer generalised high-quality healthcare provision
that is accessible and affordable for everyone.'
The Supervisory Board and the Board of Management on 24 May 2009 decided to
strengthen the Company's equity capital basis. The capital increase is
currently being prepared and is to be carried out promptly - if and to the
extent the capital markets permit - in the second half of the year.
Utilising its authorised capital, RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG wishes to raise an
amount of up to EUR 500 million.
'The crucial premise for our decision is the wave of hospital
privatisations in the offing for the period from 2010', Pföhler explained.
The global economic and financial crisis will result in rapidly declining
tax revenues at all levels of government (federal, state and local).
Already before the crisis, the investment backlog for German hospitals had
grown to as much as EUR 50 billion.
If the state wanted to avoid rationing medical care, one alternative would
be to work more with experienced, reliable and competent healthcare
providers. 'We are certain that we will succeed in convincing people of our
offering and in presenting an innovative concept of secure healthcare as an
answer to rationing.' Pföhler said.
Following the last recession in 2002/2003, public hospital operators added
almost 20 facilities to the hospital network between 2004 and 2006.
Building on this experience, a similar development could be expected from
2010 given the much more pronounced recession currently witnessed.
'Our capital increase thus at the same time is a strong signal and offer to
the federal states, cities and municipalities', Pföhler emphasised, 'We are
planning this capital increase out of a position of strength of a market
and innovation leader that has set its sights on growth. It is an offer to
shareholders and investors to invest in the core of our business model and
to participate in the expansion of our healthcare network at the different
care levels.'
'We shall continue to employ our restructuring and rationalisation
expertise, coupled with our innovative strength, to modernise hospitals and
to achieve an increasing integration of outpatient and inpatient care',
Wolfgang Pföhler concluded.
Shareholders approve increase in dividend
The proposal of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board to
distribute a dividend for financial year 2008 of EUR 0.35 (previous year:
EUR 0.28) per share with dividend entitlement (DE 0007042301; 103,680,000
non-par shares) was accepted by the shareholders.
Dr. Irmgard Stippler
Board Member for Communication/IT
Phone +49 9771 65-1321 Fax: +49 9771 65-1820
E-mail: kommunikation@rhoen-klinikum-ag.com
10.06.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP
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Language: English
Issuer: RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG
Schlossplatz 1
97616 Bad Neustadt a.d.Saale
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0)9771 - 65-0
Fax: +49 (0)9771 - 97 467
E-mail: rka@rhoen-klinikum-ag.com
Internet: www.rhoen-klinikum-ag.com
ISIN: DE0007042301
WKN: 704230
Indices: MDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), München;
Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart
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