Dividend payment keeps shareholders happy

Following record sales figures in the fourth quarter, Kontron is to make its first dividend payment to shareholders since going public in 2000.

Kontron, one of the worldwide leading companies in the embedded computer technologies sector, is to make its first dividend payment to shareholders since going public in the year 2000.

As the Management Board of the TecDAX listed company announced at the balance sheet press conference in Munich, a proposal to disburse 10 cents per share will be submitted to the general meeting of shareholders.

With this step, Kontron is continuing the shareholder-oriented policies of the past year.

In 2005, an extensive programme was launched in the course of which around 1 million company shares were repurchased representing a volume of Eur 6.3 million.

Based on the company s sound liquidity, the share buyback programme will continue in 2006 at a volume of around Eur 3 million.

"We are making the transition from being a pioneer to a primarily technology oriented corporation with a strictly market and profitability oriented organisation", explained Management Board Chairman, Hannes Niederhauser.

Following a slightly low-key start, Kontron experienced a 2005 business year with consistently strong growth from quarter to quarter.

Although sales in the first quarter still came in at around Eur 62.3 million, the fourth quarter showed a leap to a renewed record value of Eur 93.4 million.

With these figures, Kontron has boosted sales by 15% to Eur 300.4 million over the previous year (Eur 262.1 million).

With this performance, the company recorded the sixth consecutive year of continuous growth.

Orders at hand showed an even more dynamic increase than sales, and leapt from Eur 100 million at the beginning of the year by more than 50% to Eur 151 million as per 31st December 2005.

This figure marked the largest volume of orders at hand in the history of the corporation.

In 2005, Kontron also recorde