FAQ related to AGM

There are 31,862,400 shares of NORMA Group SE issued. The shares of NORMA Group are registered shares.

All reports are available for download in German and English on our website in the Financial Reports section. For sustainability reasons, we refrain from printing our annual and quarterly reports.

The next Annual General Meeting will be held on May 20, 2021. Due to the ongoing corona pandemic, this year's Annual General Meeting will also be held as a virtual event. You will find more detailed information in good time before the meeting on our website in the "Annual General Meeting" section.

NORMA Group pursues a sustainable dividend policy, which is based on a dividend ratio of approx. 30% to a maximum of 35% of the adjusted Group annual earnings. The dividend will be paid annually (subject to the approval of the AGM) for the preceding completed financial year.

Exception in 2020 for the financial year 2019

As announced in the annual report for the 2019 financial year and the ad hoc communication of 18 March 2020, and in light of the effects of the COVID 19 Pandemic, which are hard to predict, the Management Board and Supervisory Board have considered whether a suspension of dividends for the 2019 financial year will be proposed to the Annual General Meeting. However, under the German Stock Corporation Act, generally a minimum sum amounting to 4% of share capital must be paid out to the shareholders from the balance sheet profit. It is only permissible to suspend any dividend from the balance sheet profit if this is necessary in order to secure the Company’s existence and ability to survive for the foreseeable future, according to reasonable commercial judgement. The Management Board and Supervisory Board take the view that this requirement for full suspension of dividends has not been met. They therefore propose a dividend amounting to 4% of share capital be paid out to the shareholders.

At the AGM shareholders can exercise their right to information and voting right. Every shareholder who has registered in time is allowed to attend the AGM, of course. Alternatively, shareholders are also allowed to send proxies.

It is the responsibility of the respective custodian banks to provide our shareholders with the invitation to the AGM, including the agenda of the annual general meeting. It is the responsibility of the respective custodian banks to provide our shareholders with the invitation to the AGM, including the agenda of the annual general meeting. Thus, shareholders have also the opportunity to request a confirmation of registration for a proxy or to instruct their bank to exercise their voting rights. For more information, please refer to the invitation to the AGM under "Further information and notes" or the terms of use of the InvestorPortal.

All shareholders listed in the share register will be invited to the AGM. In principle, shareholders, which register in due time, are entitled to attend the annual general meeting. In rare cases, it may happen that shareholders will not be sent their confirmation of registration even if they register in good time. This requires an examination at the registration office designated in the invitation as to whether they are listed in the reorder level. In this case, you can exercise your rights and opportunities as a shareholder by electronic communication or via the InvestorPortal.

Shareholders who are unable or unwilling to personally attend the AGM are authorized to issue a power of attorney and instructions. In this way, the shareholder may also instruct a proxy, for example a proxy appointed by the Company, to exercise the voting right in accordance with his instructions.

The procedure is as follows: The power of attorney and instructions to the proxies nominated by the Company may be given in text form – until the end of the general debate on the day of the AGM.

If, however, a credit institution or a shareholders' association is authorized to exercise its voting rights in accordance with the instructions of the shareholder, both the power of attorney and the instructions shall be sent directly to these offices. In this case, however, it is also important that the shareholder ensures in advance whether the bank or the shareholders' association accepts its voting rights for representation.

Yes, that is possible. If, for example, a shareholder has to leave the AGM early, but at the same time wants his voting rights to continue to be represented, he or she may authorize the proxies nominated by the company to exercise their voting rights.

The entitlement to payment of the dividend becomes due on the third banking day following the AGM.

All shareholders who hold NORMA Group shares in their custody account at the latest on the day of the AGM are entitled to dividends. In addition, there is no prescribed minimum holding period in this connection.

The voting right is the right to participate in the vote on the agenda items at the AGM, associated with the acquisition of a share. In principle, every shareholder is entitled to exercise the voting right. In accordance with the Articles of Association, every single share grants one vote at the AGM. Shareholders are also permitted to delegate voting rights to third parties, such as the custodian bank, shareholder associations or voting proxies appointed by the company.

It is possible to buy and sell shares regardless of the AGM at any time.

If shareholders purchase additional or sell shares after the registration for the AGM, the stockholding in the share register will be corrected to take purchases and sales into account. Please consider, however, that for processing reasons starting from the 7th day before the AGM (each inclusive) a so-called registration stop applies. This means that there will be no entries and deletion recorded in the share register.

The already issued Admission Ticket refers to the stockholding entered in the share register on the day the Admission Ticket was issued. However, the number of shares in the share register will be relevant for the voting process at the AGM.

The share register is maintained by public limited companies that have issued registered shares. All shareholders of the company are listed in the share register. Registered shares are to be entered in accordance with Section 67 I AktG, stating the name, date of birth and address of the holder. Thus, the share register serves to record and compile the changes of ownership of the registered shares. Any shareholder may request information from the company about the registrations concerning him.