At a glance
IR activities in 2016
Vienna Insurance Group was represented at a total of 12 international investor conferences, and management met with existing and potential investors in, for example, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Warsaw and Prague to provide information on current developments in the Group. More than 270 contacts with investors took place in 2016. The IR team also assisted 13 analysts who issue reports on VIG and their estimates of share performance at various intervals. Vienna Insurance Group publishes continuously updated information on its IR webpages (www.vig.com/ir), including information on events (along with the presentations used), research reports and contact information for the IR team, who are available to answer questions at any time.
Dividend
Vienna Insurance Group continues to be an attractive investment for long-term investors, as the Group has paid a dividend each year since its stock exchange listing in 1994. Vienna Insurance Group has followed a long-term dividend policy that provides for a shareholder dividend of at least 30% of Group net earnings (after minority interests) since its capital increase in 2005. It plans to continue following this policy for financial year 2016. The Group Managing Board will propose a dividend of EUR 0.80 per share to the statutory body.
Supplementary capital bonds called in
In December 2016, Vienna Insurance Group informed the market that it was calling in two supplementary capital bonds. As the issuer, Vienna Insurance Group repaid around EUR 256 million on the first ordinary call-in date effective 12 January 2017. A new bond in the amount of EUR 400 million was issued in 2015 based on the callability of the two supplementary capital bonds mentioned. Due to the careful long-term financial planning of the Group, the call therefore had no negative effects on the Group’s rating and hardly any effect on solvency. Instead, Vienna Insurance Group provided proof of its reliability as a bond issuer.
Rating confirmed again
The A+ rating with stable outlook awarded by the internationally recognised rating agency Standard & Poor’s is clear evidence of the Group’s outstanding capitalisation. The rating underscores Vienna Insurance Group’s financial stability and was reconfirmed in July 2016. Moreover, due to its market leader position in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe, Vienna Insurance Group’s competitive situation was rated as “strong”. This means that Vienna Insurance Group, as an international insurance group, continues to enjoy the best credit rating of all companies in the ATX Index.
A+ with stable outlook