Swedish Match shareholders approve dividend hike to 2.50 SEK
Major items approved by today’s Annual General Meeting include:
- Dividend will increase from 2.10 SEK/share to 2.50 SEK
- Election of Conny Karlsson as new Chairman of the Board
- Election of Charles A. Blixt and John P. Bridendall to the Board
- Mandate to repurchase up to 10 percent of all shares in the Company prolonged
- 13 million shares repurchased by the Company are authorized to be withdrawn
At the Annual General Meeting of Swedish Match on 23 April, it was resolved in accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors to pay a dividend per share of 2.50 SEK. The record date for the dividend entitlement was set at 26 April, 2007. The dividend is expected to be distributed on 2 May, 2007, through VPC.
Shareholders have re-elected Andrew Cripps, Sven Hindrikes, Arne Jurbrant, Conny Karlsson, Kersti Strandqvist and Meg Tivéus to the Board of Directors, and elected Charles A. Blixt and John P. Bridendall as new members to the Board of Directors. Conny Karlsson was elected new Chairman of the Board.
Furthermore, the shareholders approved a mandate to repurchase up to 10 percent of all shares in the Company for a maximum amount of 3,000 MSEK. In addition, the shareholders also approved an authorization for a reduction of 13,000,000 previously repurchased shares, with a simultaneous capitalization issue in an amount corresponding to the number of cancelled shares or 18,084,644.37 SEK. The shareholders also approved that the reduction will be allocated to a fund for use in repurchasing the Company’s own shares.
In addition, shareholders approved all other proposals made by the Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee as outlined in the published notice of the Annual General Meeting for Swedish Match AB.
Swedish Match is a global Group of companies with a broad assortment of market-leading brands in smokeless tobacco products, cigars, pipe tobacco and lights products. The Group’s global operations generated sales of 12,911 MSEK for the twelve month period ending December 31, 2006. Swedish Match shares are listed on Stockholmsbörsen (SWMA).
Swedish Match AB (publ), SE-118 85 Stockholm
Visiting address: Rosenlundsgatan 36, Telephone: +46 8 658 02 00
Corporate Identity Number: 556015-0756
www.swedishmatch.com
For further information, please contact:
Sven Hindrikes, President and Chief Executive Officer
Office +46 8 658 02 82, Mobile +46 70 567 41 76
Lars Dahlgren, Chief Financial Officer
Office +46 8 658 04 41, Mobile +46 70 958 04 41
Fredrik Peyron, Senior Vice President Legal Affairs, Secretary and General Counsel
Office +46 8 658 03 23, Mobile +46 70 548 23 23
Bo Aulin, Senior Executive Advisor & Senior Vice President Corp. Communications
Office +46 8 658 03 64, Mobile +46 70 558 03 64
Emmett Harrison, Vice President, Investor Relations
Office +46 8 658 01 73, Mobile +46 70 938 01 73
Richard Flaherty, COO OTP, North America Division, US Investor Relations contact
Office +1 804 302 1774, Mobile +1 804 400 1774
