Siemens Healthineers Annual Shareholders’ Meeting: Profitable Growth And Commitment To Germany

At this year’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Siemens Healthineers AG, one major focus is the MedTech company’s mid-term development. “In the past fiscal year, the Managing Board has further developed the business in a significant way and, in doing so, set the right course,” Prof. Dr. Ralf P. Thomas, the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board, told shareholders in his speech at the International Congress Center in Munich on Wednesday, adding that the company has successfully established itself on the stock market and is in a very strong strategic position. “And that's the best prerequisite for reaching the next entrepreneurial level of profitable growth,” said Ralf Thomas. According to the Chairman, Siemens Healthineers should continue to grow profitably and sustainably expand its leading market position.

In fiscal year 2019 (ending September 30), Siemens Healthineers AG posted strong revenue and earnings growth, mainly through a good performance in the Imaging and Advanced Therapies segments. Against this background, the dividend is to be increased by 14 percent compared to the previous year to EUR 0.80 per share, subject to the approval of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on Wednesday.

With the start of fiscal year 2020, the company entered the second phase of its “Siemens Healthineers Strategy 2025”, during which it aims, among other things, to strengthen its position in growth regions and drive forward the digitalization of its portfolio. “We will pursue the so-called Upgrading phase of our Strategy 2025 in a focused manner over the coming years,” said CEO Dr. Bernd Montag at the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. “At the same time, we are renewing our commitment to Germany.” In fiscal year 2019, the company decided on investment projects in Germany exceeding €400 million.

The Upgrading phase will run until the end of fiscal year 2022. For the current fiscal year, Siemens Healthineers aims to achieve revenue growth on a comparable basis, i.e. excluding currency translation and portfolio effects, of five to six percent, with adjusted1 basic earnings per share rising six to twelve percent over the previous year. In fiscal years 2021 and 2022, revenue is expected to grow by more than five prevent each year on a comparable basis and adjusted basic earnings per share should record an annual increase of around ten percent.

Both Ralf Thomas and Bernd Montag expressed their gratitude to Michael Sen at the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting for his services to Siemens Healthineers. Michael Sen helped shape the company for many years, first as CFO of the then Siemens Healthcare sector, then as Siemens Managing Board member responsible for Siemens Healthineers, and finally as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens Healthineers AG. On November 30, 2019, Mr. Sen resigned from this position to focus on the spin-off and future development of Siemens Energy AG in his new role as CEO-designate of the company.

At the end of November, the Supervisory Board of Siemens Healthineers AG unanimously elected Ralf Thomas as Michael Sen’s successor. At the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, Mr. Sen intends to step down completely from the Supervisory Board of Siemens Healthineers AG. Dr. Roland Busch will be proposed to the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on Wednesday as his successor. Mr. Busch is Deputy Chairman of the Managing Board, Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, which has an 85 percent stake in Siemens Healthineers AG.