Bastei Lubbe AG, a general-interest publishing group listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, held its annual general meeting yesterday as a digital event. Shareholders approved a dividend of EUR 0.25 per share for the 2025/2026 financial year, representing a total payout of EUR 3,300,025.00. Based on the XETRA closing price of EUR 7.00 on 8 September 2026, this equates to a dividend yield of 3.6 per cent. The payout ratio of 50 per cent is at the upper end of the company's defined dividend strategy, which targets a 40 to 50 per cent payout ratio.
The meeting also discharged the boards with overwhelming approval. CEO Soheil Dastyari commented, "The past financial year was enormously productive for us, whilst also being economically challenging. We were thus able to make various targeted investments in new offerings on the market and, in line with our corporate strategy, provide new impetus to broaden our scope and drive sustained growth." Chief Financial Officer Mathis Gerkensmeyer added, "Despite the economically challenging financial year, we were able to significantly increase our cash flow. Together with our solid balance sheet, this provides a sound financial basis for once again reliably sharing the company's success with our shareholders through a payout ratio of 50 per cent."
The 2025/2026 financial year was marked by an attractive programme of top-selling titles and continued community growth. The company made sustainable investments in new segments, products, and services. Key innovations included the product shelfie.audio, which makes audiobooks a physical experience; the new literary imprint Pfaueninsel; the acquisition of Papertoons, Germany's first manhwa and manga publisher; and the successful entry of the community brand LYX into the US market. These initiatives demonstrate Bastei Lubbe's commitment to innovation and expansion, providing new opportunities for revenue and profit growth.
For the new financial year 2026/2027, Bastei Lubbe has started with further revenue growth, driven by top titles such as 'Traume aus Feuer' by Florian Illies and Lucy Astner's novel 'Kein Sommer ohne August'. Strong sales of the paperback edition of Ken Follett's 'The Armour of Light' and Eva Almstadt's crime novel 'Akte Nordsee - Die letzte Predigt' also contributed to a strong first quarter. The company's community models show further growth potential, and segment, product, and service innovations create new opportunities.
Bastei Lubbe AG is the leading independent publishing group in Germany, with annual revenues exceeding EUR 118 million in the 2025/2026 financial year. The company owns more than 14 imprints and produces thousands of audio and eBooks distributed via all digital channels. Its shares have been listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2013. Detailed voting results and the Executive Board's presentation are available at bastei-luebbe.de/unternehmen/investor-relations/hauptversammlung (German language). Further information can be found at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
