“Option to receive the 2011 dividend payment in shares”
The Company’s General Meeting of Shareholders, held on 30 May 2012, has approved the proposed dividend for fiscal year 2011 of €0.50 per share, and has decided that each shareholder will be allowed to elect to receive the dividend payment either in cash or in newly-issued shares of the Company.
The option to receive the dividend payment in newly-issued shares of the Company can be exercised by the shareholders between 6 June 2012 and 20 June 2012 inclusive, by sending their request to the financial intermediaries authorized to pay said dividend or, for shareholders listed in the issuer registered accounts held by the Company, to its authorized representative (Société Générale, Département des titres et bourse, 32, rue du Champ du Tir, BP 81236 – 44312 Nantes Cedex 3). After 20 June 2012, or if the option is not exercised, the dividend shall only be paid in cash.
The maximum total number of newly-issued shares which may be issued for the purposes of the dividend payment in shares is 1,043,886 shares, which represents 1.24% of the share capital of the Company at the date of the General Meeting of Shareholders.
The issuance price of the newly-issued shares of the Company which will be issued in consideration for the dividend is set at €40.17, and is equal to 90% of the average opening prices on NYSE Euronext Paris regulated market over the twenty trading days before 30 May 2012, i.e. the date of the General Meeting of Shareholders, minus the dividend amount and rounded up to the next highest euro cent.
If the amount of the dividends for which the option is exercised does not correspond to a round number of shares, each shareholder may receive the immediately higher number of shares by paying, the day the option is exercised, the difference in cash, or receive the immediately lower number of shares and the balance in cash.
The dividend payment for the 2011 fiscal year will start on 2 July 2012.
The ordinary shares of the Company issued in consideration for the dividend will carry dividend rights as from 1 January 2012 and shall be the object of listing requests on NYSE Euronext Paris.
The newly-issued shares will be of the same class and equivalent to the ordinary shares of the Company already listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (Compartiment A – code ISIN FR0000051732).
Contacts
Press:
Caroline Crouch
Tel +44 77 333 100 86
caroline.crouch@atos.net
Investor Relations and Financial Communications:
Gilles Arditti
Tel +33 (0) 1 73 26 00 66
gilles.arditti@atos.net
Disclaimer
This press release constitutes the information document required pursuant to articles 212-4 4° and 212 5 5 of the French Market Authority (AMF) General regulations as well as article 13 and Annex III of the revised AMF instruction n°2005-11 as of 13 December 2005.
This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase securities. This press release and any other document relating to the payment of dividends in shares may only be published outside France in conformity with applicable local laws and regulations and shall not constitute an offer for securities in jurisdiction where such an offer would violate applicable local laws.
The option to receive the dividend payment, as described hereabove, is not available to shareholders residing in a country where such option would require registration or authorization by local market authorities. Shareholders residing outside France are required to inform themselves of any restrictions which may apply under their local law and comply therewith. In any event, this option is open to shareholders residing in a Member State of the European Union, orders originating from other countries would not be accepted.
In making their decision to receive or not the dividend in shares, shareholders must consider the risks associated with an investment in shares.
For any additional information regarding the Company, its activity, its strategy, its financial results and the risk associated with its activity, please refer to the section “Risk factors” of Atos Reference Document (available on www.atos.net).
