Bastei Lubbe AG, a general-interest publishing group listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN DE000A1X3YY0), held its annual general meeting as a digital event without shareholders attending in person. The meeting approved the proposed resolutions and an attractive dividend of EUR 0.25 per share for the 2025/2026 financial year, representing a total payout of EUR 3,300,025.00 and a payout ratio of 50 percent of distributable profit. Based on the XETRA closing price of EUR 7.00 on 8 September 2026, this equates to a dividend yield of 3.6 percent.
The 2025/2026 financial year was characterized by an attractive programme featuring top-selling titles from various publishing brands. Continued community growth, with a sharp rise in reach and visibility in relevant media, further underpinned the success of this model, which is increasingly being copied by competitors. At the same time, Bastei Lubbe used the past financial year as a year of further development, making sustainable investments in new segments, products and services for the future. The Executive Board highlighted in particular 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 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 Annual General Meeting discharged the boards with overwhelming approval. As of the time of the vote, the proportion of the share capital represented at the meeting amounted to 79.62 percent. The detailed voting results and the Executive Board's presentation can be found at bastei-luebbe.de/unternehmen/investor-relations/hauptversammlung (German language).
Bastei Lubbe has also kicked off the new financial year 2026/2027 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'. Additionally, 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' contributed to the strong performance in the first quarter.
This news matters because it demonstrates Bastei Lubbe's resilience and strategic focus amid economic challenges. The approved dividend and increased cash flow signal financial health, providing a reliable return to shareholders. The investments in innovative products and international expansion, such as shelfie.audio and LYX's US entry, position the company for sustained growth. For the publishing industry, Bastei Lubbe's community-driven models and digital initiatives set a benchmark, potentially influencing competitors. Readers and investors can look forward to a robust pipeline of content and further market penetration. With annual revenues exceeding EUR 118 million, Bastei Lubbe remains a leading independent publisher in Germany. Further information can be found at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
