Bremen, 19 September 2016. Günter Lammers and Dr Bodo Wilkens, the two founders and shareholders of Energiekontor AG (ISIN DE0005313506), each sold about 7.0 percent of the Energiekontor AG shares to several institutional investors via private placement. The transaction increases the percentage of Energiekontor AG’s free float to 42.9 percent. The two Company founders each hold on to about 28.6 percent (corresponding to a total of 57.1 percent) of the Company’s shares and thus continue to be anchor shareholders of Energiekontor AG. The composition of the Supervisory Board remains unchanged.
Peter Szabo, CEO of Energiekontor AG, comments: “Many institutional investors with whom we have spoken in recent years are very interested in the shares of Energiekontor. The low free float and the corresponding relatively low trading volume, however, prevented many investors from acquiring an interest in the Company. By selling part of their shares, the founders are now also allowing other capital market participants to buy the stock. We are pleased that the sale will expand our shareholder structure and increase the free float. Firstly, this can improve the liquidity of our shares. And secondly, this is bound to increase the visibility of Energiekontor on the capital market and make the shares more attractive.”
Günter Lammers explains the reasons for selling the shares: “As Company founders, my private assets and those of Dr Bodo Wilkens are largely tied up in Energiekontor AG. The aim of the transaction was to diversify our private assets more strongly and to simultaneously increase the free float of Energiekontor AG. We are convinced that the Company’s new growth strategy will lead to success. By selling part of our shares we want to allow other, non-strategical investors to participate in this success, thereby expanding the number of shareholders. We will continue to support the Company development with the same commitment as before.”
Dr Bodo Wilkens adds: “We are keeping our roles as anchor investors. We are still convinced of the positive prospects of renewable energies and Energiekontor AG’s excellent positioning as an international project developer and operator of wind farms and solar parks within this industry. As founders and Supervisory Board members, we fully back the Company strategy. By pushing ahead with innovative ideas and enhancement measures, Energiekontor makes an important contribution to the realisation of 100% energy supply via renewables. The more profitable the renewable energy sources are, the faster the share of renewables in the entire energy supply can be increased.”
Peter Szabo elaborates: “Energiekontor AG’s strategy combines innovation and efficiency in order to offer the most profitable solutions in the field of European onshore wind and solar energy. This gives us an excellent market position in Europe and enables us to benefit sustainably from the changed regulatory framework for renewable energies. Our international growth strategy aims at expanding existing markets and tapping into new markets. To date we are active in Germany, the Netherlands, England, Wales, Scotland and Portugal, while we are tapping into France and the US. Our main success factors and competitive advantages are based on our decentralised organisational structure with strong local teams as well as on the financial stability of our business model that can rely on continuous cash flows from power generation in Group-owned wind farms.”
In the 2015 financial year, the total output of Energiekontor AG rose by 31 percent from EUR 160.5 million to EUR 210.1 million, while earnings before interest and tax (EBT) increased by 36 percent to EUR 29.7 million. Provided all the projects planned in 2016 can be commissioned and sold as scheduled, the Management Board expects the current 2016 financial year to see a similar or slightly higher earnings level than in 2015.
About Energiekontor AG:
For the last 25 years, Energiekontor has stood for a sound approach to business. Formed in Bremerhaven in 1990, the Company was one of the pioneers in the industry and is now one of the leading German project developers. The Company's core business covers the planning, construction and operational management of wind farms in Germany and abroad, and was expanded to include solar power in 2010. In addition, Energiekontor also currently owns and operates 33 wind farms with a total rated power of around 269 megawatts (MW).
In addition to its headquarters in Bremen, Energiekontor also maintains offices in Bremerhaven, Hagen im Bremischen, Aachen, Bernau (near Berlin), Dortmund and Neubrandenburg. The Company also has subsidiaries in England (Leeds), Scotland (Glasgow), Portugal (Lisbon) and the Netherlands (Nijmegen). Our track record speaks for itself: 102 wind farms completed with around 580 turbines and a total rated power of just under 850 MW. This corresponds to an investment volume of over EUR 1.3 billion.
The Company went public on 25 May 2000. Energiekontor AG (WKN 531350/ISIN DE0005313506) is listed in the General Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Energiekontor shares can be traded on all German stock exchanges.