Bastei Lubbe AG, a general-interest publishing group listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, held its annual general meeting as a digital event, where shareholders approved a dividend of EUR 0.25 per share for the 2025/2026 financial year. The total payout amounts to EUR 3,300,025.00, representing a payout ratio of 50 percent of distributable profit, at the upper end of the company's defined dividend strategy of 40 to 50 percent. Based on the XETRA closing price of EUR 7.00 on 8 September 2026, the dividend yield is 3.6 percent. The approval of this attractive dividend underscores the company's commitment to reliably sharing its success with shareholders, supported by a significant increase in cash flow and a solid balance sheet, as noted by Chief Financial Officer Mathis Gerkensmeyer.
The past financial year was marked by an attractive programme of top-selling titles from various publishing brands, alongside continued community growth and a sharp rise in reach and visibility. This community-driven model, which is increasingly being copied by competitors, has further underpinned the company's success. At the same time, Bastei Lubbe made sustainable investments in new segments, products, and services for the future. These include the product innovation shelfie.audio, which makes audiobooks a physical experience once again; 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. CEO Soheil Dastyari explained, "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."
The implications of these developments are significant for Bastei Lubbe's future prospects. The company has started the 2026/2027 financial year with further revenue growth, driven by top titles and SPIEGEL bestsellers 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 novel 'The Armour of Light' and Eva Almstadt's crime novel 'Akte Nordsee - Die letzte Predigt' also contributed to a strong first quarter. These results suggest that the investments in new segments and community models are paying off, creating new opportunities for revenue and profit growth. The digital annual general meeting, with 79.62 percent of share capital represented, approved the proposed resolutions with overwhelming support, discharging the boards. Detailed voting results and the Executive Board's presentation are available at bastei-luebbe.de/unternehmen/investor-relations/hauptversammlung (German language).
Bastei Lubbe AG is the leading independent publishing group in Germany, based in Cologne, with over 14 imprints and annual revenues exceeding EUR 118 million in the 2025/2026 financial year. The company sees itself as an innovation driver in the industry, pioneering digital media and community-driven business models. Its shares have been listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2013. Further information can be found at www.bastei-luebbe.de. The original release is available at www.newmediawire.com.
