Knorr-Bremse Raises Dividend to € 1.75; Stephan Sturm Running as Supervisory Board Candidate

Summary

Based on the very good business performance in 2024, the Executive and Supervisory Boards want to raise the dividend to € 1.75 per share
The Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation is planned to be represented by two members on the Supervisory Board in the future
The Supervisory Board recognizes and thanks Dr. Theodor Weimer, who will step down as member and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board at the Annual General Meeting

The operational performance of Knorr-Bremse AG over the past fiscal year has been very good, and the company’s shareholders are planned to profit from this noticeably, too. That is why the Executive Board and Supervisory Board have taken the decision to propose raising the dividend to € 1.75 per share at the Annual General Meeting. This corresponds to a roughly 7% increase year over year (previous year: € 1.64 per share). The associated increase of the payout ratio to around 60% this year takes account of the fact that consolidated net income has been reduced by non-recurring non-cash items. However, shareholders are to be distributed a dividend that reflects the company’s operational performance and is therefore consistent with the existing and long-term dividend policy of distributing 40% to 50% to shareholders.

Cover_Geschäftsbericht2024

Cover Annual Report 2024

There are also plans to change the makeup of the Supervisory Board. In December 2024, the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation took over the business interests of Heinz Hermann Thiele, among other things. As a majority shareholder, it now indirectly holds 58.99% of shares in Knorr-Bremse. At the Annual General Meeting of Knorr-Bremse AG, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Stephan Sturm, will run for election as a new Supervisory Board member. Simultaneously, Dr. Theodor Weimer, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Knorr-Bremse AG and until the end of 2024 Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse AG, is resigning from his position at his own request in amicable agreement with the Supervisory Board and Family Foundation with effect from this year’s Annual General Meeting. With Ms. Julia Thiele-Schürhoff and Mr. Stephan Sturm, two of the twelve seats on the Knorr-Bremse Supervisory Board will be filled by representatives of the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation in the future, conditional on this decision being passed at the Annual General Meeting.

Dr. Reinhard Ploss, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Knorr-Bremse AG, said: “Stephan Sturm will be an outstanding addition to and enrichment of the Supervisory Board thanks to his extensive and many years of management experience. Furthermore, his candidacy is evidence of the Foundation’s clear and strong commitment to our company. It creates stability and dependability for Knorr-Bremse’s ongoing development. We are greatly looking forward to the close and trusting collaboration with Mr. Sturm on the Supervisory Board. On behalf of the full Supervisory Board and our company’s workforce, I would like to thank Dr. Weimer for the extraordinary commitment and willingness with which he contributed his extensive, international experience for the benefit of our company in challenging times. All of us highly appreciated our collaboration and exchange with him.”

Stephan Sturm was Chairman of the Management Board of the Fresenius Group until 2022 before becoming the CEO of the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation in 2023. Between 2015 and 2021, he sat on the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa, most recently as Chairman of its Audit Committee.

The dividend payment and the new election to the Supervisory Board require the shareholders’ approval at the virtual Annual General Meeting, for which invitations have been sent for April 30, 2025: Investor Relations/Annual General Meeting.

Information about the previous fiscal year can be found in the 2024 Annual Report, which is available to download at www.knorr-bremse.com as of this moment.

About Knorr-Bremse

Knorr-Bremse (ISIN: DE000KBX1006, ticker symbol: KBX) is the global market and technology leader for braking systems and a leading supplier of other rail and commercial vehicle systems. Knorr-Bremse’s products make a decisive contribution to greater safety and energy efficiency on rail tracks and roads around the world. More than 32,000 employees at over 100 locations in 30 countries develop and produce innovative solutions and services that meet the highest technological standards. In 2024, Knorr-Bremse’s two divisions together generated revenues of approximately € 7.9 billion. For 120 years, the Company has been at the cutting edge of its industries, driving innovation in mobility and transportation technologies with a leading edge in connected system solutions. Knorr-Bremse is one of Germany’s most successful industrial companies and profits from the key global megatrends: urbanization, sustainability, digitalization, and mobility.

Disclaimer

This publication has been independently prepared by Knorr-Bremse AG. It may contain forward-looking statements which address key issues such as strategy, future financial results, events, competitive positions, and product developments. These forward-looking statements – like any business activity in a global environment – are always associated with uncertainty. They are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including, but not limited to, those described in Knorr-Bremse’s disclosures. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying expectations not occur or should assumptions prove incorrect, the actual results, performances, or achievements of Knorr-Bremse may vary materially from those described in the relevant forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “expect,” “want,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “will,” “project,” or words of similar meaning. Knorr-Bremse does not intend, nor does it assume any obligation, to update or revise its forward-looking statements regularly in light of developments which differ from those anticipated.

This publication may include supplemental financial measures – not clearly defined in the applicable financial reporting framework – that are or may be alternative performance measures (non-GAAP measures). Knorr-Bremse’s financial position, financial performance, and cash flows should not be assessed solely on the basis of these alternative supplemental financial measures. Under no circumstances do they replace the performance indicators presented in the consolidated financial statements and calculated in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. The calculation by other companies that report or describe similarly titled alternative performance measures may vary despite the use of the same or similar terminology.