Mercedes 2013 Annual Report Download - page 27

23
A | To Our Shareholders | Daimler and the Capital Market
Daimler share price up by 52% over the year. With a gain
of 52%, Daimler shares were able to substantially outperform
most stock market indices. Financial markets responded
favorably to the publication of the Daimler Group’s results for
2012, the outlook for 2013, and the recommendation that
dividends should remain unchanged at €2.20 per share. This
helped the share price to increase slightly in the first quarter.
However, the Daimler share price was not unaffected by the
uncertainties associated with the European sovereign debt
crisis and the Cyprus bailout. In addition, business did not develop
as well in the first quarter as had been expected at the begin-
ning of the year. During this phase, the Daimler share price
dropped to its lowest point of the year when it fell to €38.65
on April 18.
However, when we published our financial statements for
the first quarter, we emphasized that we expected results to
improve during the course of the year. In the following weeks,
the share price was also boosted by the very positive feedback
regarding the newly introduced products. Investors responded
especially positively to the presentation of the new S-Class and
the Concept GLA. In this environment, the Daimler share
price rose substantially until mid-May and temporarily peaked
at €50.37 on May 20. However, statements made by the Federal
Reserve Bank and the Chinese central bank in June caused
the Daimler share price to follow the general market trend and
lose some of its gains.
This temporary slump ended in mid-June. In the second half
of the year, the Daimler share price once again benefited from
a more favorable stock market climate and the positive busi-
ness development. For example, the capital markets responded
positively to Daimler’s second-quarter results, which were
better than most market participants had expected. In addition,
the good response to the new products and increasingly
dynamic car sales boosted investors’ interest in Daimler shares.
Daimler used the Frankfurt Motor Show to enable capital
market representatives to experience the new products at first
hand. And on September 20, Daimler Trucks held a Capital
Market Day in Wörth. At the event, the division informed analysts
and investors about the latest developments in the truck
business and our ongoing strategy. Under these conditions,
the Daimler share price rose to €58.43 on September 19,
achieving its highest value in more than two and a half years.
The Daimler share price then continued to increase in line
with the general stock market upswing, rising to €63.15
on December 27. This was not only its high for the year 2013
but also the highest price in more than five years. The Daimler
share price closed the year on December 30 at €62.90.
At the end of the year, the company had a market capitalization
of €67.3 billion.
The Daimler share price thus increased by 52% during the
year, performing better than the Dow Jones STOXX Auto Index
(+37%) and the DAX (+25%). When the dividend payout
of €2.20 per share is also considered, our shareholders had
an overall value gain of 58%.
In the first two weeks of the year 2014, stock-market prices
at first continued to rise, especially in Europe and North
America. Global equity prices weakened significantly after
that, resulting in falls of nearly all major stock-exchange
indices in January overall.
Increased dividend of €2.25.

A.02 At the Annual Share-
holders’ Meeting on April 9, 2014, the Board of Management
and the Supervisory Board will propose an increase in the
dividend to €2.25 per share (prior year: €2.20). With this proposal,
we are letting our shareholders participate in Daimler’s finan-
cial success while expressing our confidence about the ongoing
course of business. The total dividend will thus amount to
€2,407 million (prior year: €2,349 million).
A broad shareholder structure.

A.07 Daimler continues
to have a broad shareholder base of approximately 900,000
shareholders. However, the number of shareholders has
decreased by around 100,000 compared with the prior year.
After slightly increasing its holding in Daimler AG in 2012,
the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) readjusted its stake to
its original strategic level during 2013. At the end of the
reporting year, KIA owned 6.8% of Daimler’s shares. The Renault-
Nissan Alliance continues to hold 3.1% of Daimler’s shares.
BlackRock Inc., New York, still hold a stake above the 5%
reporting limit as defined by Germany’s Securities Trading Act
(WpHG). In August 2011, BlackRock notified us that it owned
5.7% of Daimler’s shares.
Dow Jones STOXX Auto Index
DAX
Daimler AG
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
Share price index
A.04
12/31/132/28/134/30/13 6/30/138/31/13 10/31/1312/31/12
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
Daimler share price (high/low), 2013
In euros
A.03
12/1311/1310/139/138/137/136/135/134/133/132/131/13