Press release
The Board of Directors of APU JSC (the “Company” or “APU”) resolved on 15 February 2021 to distribute a dividend of MNT 57.5 per share in respect of the second half of 2020. The record date for the dividend is set as the record date of the 2021 annual general meeting of shareholders and the dividend will be paid through the Central Securities Depository within 31 December 2021.
Last year, the global pandemic COVID-19 destabilized the country’s social situation and posed significant economic challenges to the government, the private sector, and citizens at all levels. During the period, the Company developed and implemented a comprehensive crisis management plan which focused on retaining jobs, maintaining employee salaries, and ensuring production continuity while halting large investments and freezing tolerable operating costs.
Although the nationwide lockdowns and operational restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the sales of some products, the company put a lot of effort into community support and CSR donations and organized a variety of activities within the “Improve Accountability and Win Together” initiative that aimed to strengthen public-private partnerships.
“As the largest public company in Mongolia, it is important that APU becomes a benchmark for other listed companies in terms of reporting transparency and shareholder right protection. Earning season announcements of large national champions such as APU tend to be widely anticipated by the stakeholders. As an independent director, I support APU’s practice of declaring and paying dividends twice a year because it enhances, especially, minority shareholders’ return on investment and the Company’s accountability and transparency.” independent director Unenbat J. remarked.
As a result of this dividend decision, the Company is paying an annual total dividend of MNT 95 per share for 2020, which equals approximately 120% of earnings per share in that year, thus will partially be financed from retained earnings of the previous years. Regarding the Board decision, APU’s CEO Erdenebileg Ts. noted: “From 2010 to 2018, the Company went through a period of rapid expansion and large capital investments of over USD 150 million financed by long-term foreign debt. As a result, APU was restricted in terms of dividend payout during this time. Having successfully implemented those CAPEX projects and fully repaid the loans, it is fair for the Company during this pandemic to pay its 6600+ shareholders well-deserved dividends from its retained earnings.”
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 16 February 2021