The voestalpine AG share has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since October 1995; shortly thereafter (December 1995), it was listed in the ATX. After the 1:4 share split in August 2006, the initial offering price of EUR 20.71 corresponds to a share price of EUR 5.18, which equals a total increase in value (without dividends) of 363% as of the end of March 2013. Including the distributed dividends, this period saw a total shareholder return of 572%. Since its IPO, voestalpine AG has therefore created sustainable value not only for its customers and employees, but for its shareholders as well.
As a result of the Group’s consistent focus on high-quality niche products for high-end customer segments, it was successful in considerably limiting its dependence on the “classic” steel cycle. The sound business model with a broad diversification of products according to both regions and industries has contributed to reducing the overall dependence on the economy, i.e., cyclicality. The leading market position in all of the major business segments is based on innovative product solutions involving steel as the basic material as well as the Group’s technology and quality leadership due to its strong focus on research and development.
The long-term growth perspectives of the voestalpine Group are primarily directed toward the mobility and energy sectors with a definite growth focus outside of Europe and the objective of increasing revenue by 2020 from the current figure of EUR 11.5 billion to a figure in the range of around EUR 20 billion. The investments required to achieve this goal will not impair the dividend policies of voestalpine AG, which—under normal economic conditions—provide for a sustainable, four percent interest rate on the average share price of the respective business year. Since the IPO in 1995, dividends have been distributed to shareholders continuously without any interruptions caused by turbulent economic times. Despite the past crisis years, the average dividend return for the business years 1996 to 2012/13 is just slightly under this 4 percent mark at 3.9%.
