Amadeus shareholders vote in favour of 35% dividend increase

Shareholders of technology supplier and GDS Amadeus have approved a 35% increase in its 2013 dividend payment on last year’s level.

Shareholders of technology supplier and GDS Amadeus have approved a 35% increase in its 2013 dividend payment on last year’s level.

The proposal, put forward by the board of directors, was put to the vote at a Shareholders’ General Meeting on Thursday.

The total value of the 2013 dividend will be €223.8 million, the increase reflecting a new dividend policy agreed by directors in October 2012.

This increased the pay-out ratio to between 40% and 50%, up from the previous level of 30% to 40%.

The total value of the dividend per share is €0.50 and after an interim payment of €0.25 was paid in January a further €0.25 will be paid on July 30.

Luis Maroto, president and chief executive of Amadeus, said: “We are grateful today to our shareholders for their approval of the agenda and continued endorsement of the senior management team.

“The markets we operate in continue to be challenging, but our strong business model and product portfolio helped us to grow both revenues and profits in 2012 – leading to a strong cashflow generation. That in turn has allowed us to increase the dividend significantly this year.

“I would like to take this opportunity to pay thanks to our customers for their partnership and also give recognition to our employees, who are Amadeus’ biggest asset and lay behind our every success.”