By End of 2014 Earnings per Share of Cement Giant Amounted to 62%

On Thursday, March 12, the general meeting of shareholders of Holcim (Azerbaycan) decided on the distribution of profit for 2014, according to which the shareholders for the second time in a row are to get high dividends.

As a rule, the Board of the Garadagh cement plant - the largest private company in Azerbaijan with foreign capital - does not disclose financial results in the media and provides information about the results of the general meeting of shareholders in the manner prescribed by law. The company places its financial statements in the corporate website. Therefore, some information is necessary to obtain from minority shareholders. According to one of them, as a result of financial and economic activity, the income of Holcim (Azerbaycan) amounted to more than 134 million manat. The company's profit amounted to 78 million 57.1 thousand manat. The payment of dividends is about 19 million manat. Per share dividend is 12.48 manat, which is paid in two stages. This represents 62% of its nominal value (20 manat). The market value of one share of the cement plant is not less than 85 manat.

JSC Holcim (Azerbaycan) is one of the few public companies in Azerbaijan, which pays dividends to its shareholders. By the end of 2013, its shareholders received a dividend of 32.5 manat per share. Recall that since the second quarter of 2009, the company has directed its net profit to cover the loan borrowed from international financial institutions for the modernization of the company and to bring its capacity up to 1.7 million tons of cement per year.

The controlling stake (66%) of the shares of Holcim (Azerbaycan) belongs to Holcim Ltd (Switzerland). 10% of the shares are at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the state-run Azerbaijan Investment Company each. The shareholders also comprise three legal entities: Holcim Auslandbeteiligungs GmbH - 3%, Azer Invest Company - about 2%, and Chelsea Capital -0.02%. Individuals (about 600 people) of Azerbaijan have a 9% stake. Each individual owns 186 shares.

JSC Holcim (Azerbaycan) was established in 1998 on the basis of the Garadagh cement plant. The authorized capital stock is 31 million manat. ------08B