Cloetta’s dividend policy states that the long-term intention is a dividend pay-out of 40-60 per cent of profit after tax.
As a consequence of the current uncertainty due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the Board of Directors has decided to withdraw the previously communicated proposal to the Annual General Meeting 2020 regarding a dividend of SEK 1.00 per share. The Board expresses its ambition, to summon the shareholders to an extraordinary general meeting later this year to resolve on a dividend, if, at such time, the market is stabilized, and the company’s visibility of earnings is normalized.
Cloetta’s long-term target is a net debt/EBITDA ratio of around 2,5x which was fulfilled in 2019. The ambition is to continue using future cash flows for payment of share dividends and to provide financial flexibility for complementary acquisitions. The long-term target to distribute 40-60 per cent of profit after tax continues to apply.
The dividend is resolved on by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and disbursement is handled by Euroclear Sweden AB. The right to dividends is granted to those persons who are listed as shareholders in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB on the record date established by the AGM.
Neither the Swedish Companies Act nor Cloetta’s Articles of Association contain any restrictions regarding the right to dividends for shareholders outside Sweden. Aside from any limitations related to banking or clearing activities in the affected jurisdictions, payments to foreign shareholders will be carried out in the same manner as to shareholders in Sweden.
Cloetta has no share buy back program.
| Dividend (1) | 2010/2011 (2) | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 (3) | 2018 | 2019 | ||
| Dividend per share, SEK | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Special dividend per share, SEK | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Dividend payout in total, SEKm | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 144.3 | 216.5 | 432.9 | 288.6 | 0.0 | ||
| Payout ratio, % | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37.0 | 53.0 | 54.0 | 60.0 | 0.0 | ||
| (1) From 2012 and onwards, Cloetta´s financial year is calendar year, earlier the financial year was 1 September - 31 August. The Cloetta share has been listed on OMX since 16 February 2009. | |||||||||||
| (2) Relates to old Cloetta before the merger with Leaf | |||||||||||
| (3) The AGM held on 16 April 2018 approved the proposed shareholder dividend of SEK 0.75 per share and a special dividend of SEK 0.75 per share, in total corresponding to SEK 1.50 per share | |||||||||||