Hera Shareholders Meeting: 2024 financial statements approved and dividend increases to 15 eurocents
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Hera Shareholders Meeting: 2024 financial statements approved and dividend increases to 15 eurocents
The Group’s process of industrial growth continues, closing 2024 with key operating-financial indicators and investments rising, continuing to successfully seize market opportunities and generate value for the local areas served and all stakeholders
The Hera Extraordinary and Ordinary Shareholders Meeting, chaired by Executive Chairman Cristian Fabbri, met this morning in Bologna to approve the 2024 financial statements and payment of a dividend increasing to 15 eurocents per share, in line with what had been previously announced when the 2028 Business Plan was presented, due to the significant results achieved.
Also presented to Shareholders Meeting was the Sustainability reporting which, as of this year, is an integral part of the consolidated and separate financial statements at 31 December 2024, as required by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) 2022/2464/EU.
Among the various resolutions passed, the Shareholders Meeting also approved an amendment to the Articles of Association, in compliance with Legislative Decree 125/2024 implementing the CSRD.
Amendment of Article 29 of the Articles of Association: new position of Manager responsible for Sustainability reporting
As part of the European Green Deal, in order to strengthen companies’ reporting obligations, Legislative Decree 125/2024 introduced the possibility of establishing the position of the Sustainability reporting manager. The Shareholders Meeting therefore approved the amendments of the Articles of Association aimed at regulating the procedures for appointment and the requirements concerning experience and professionalism for this new figure, in compliance with current legislation.
2024 financial statements approved with further growth in key indicators
The Shareholders Meeting approved the 2024 financial statements, which indicate increases in the main operating and financial indicators and investments. The creation of value for all stakeholders and the Group’s solid equity once again prove the validity of its multi-business model and its ability to combine corporate growth and sustainable development.
Among the main results: adjusted Ebitda rose to 1,587.6 million euro (+6.2%), mainly showing internal and structural growth, and the adjusted net profit attributable to shareholders increased sharply, reaching 494.5 million euro (+31.8%). Total operating investments grew to 860.3 million euro (+5.5%), an increase that demonstrates the ongoing focus on developing, enhancing and strengthening the resilience of assets under management, whose resistance was confirmed even during the extreme weather and climate phenomena that hit Emilia-Romagna last autumn.
Net debt stood at 3,963.7 million euro, as against 3,827.7 million euro at 31 December 2023, mainly as a result of growth in investments and M&A transactions, including the acquisition of 70% of TRS Ecology. The Group’s financial strength was fully confirmed, with the net debt / Ebitda ratio* at 2.50x, an improvement on both the third quarter of 2024 and the figure seen at 31 December 2023. These results prove, once again, the validity of the management policies implemented by the Group, whose solid equity and financial flexibility have enabled it to continue on its path of industrial growth, by increasing investments, successfully seizing market opportunities and continuing to generate value for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Payment of a dividend increasing to 15 euro cents per share approved
The Ordinary Shareholders Meeting approved the Board of Directors’ proposal to pay a dividend coming to 15 eurocents per share, up 7.1% compared to the last dividend paid. The ex-dividend date was set at 23 June 2025, with payment as of 25 June 2025. The dividend will be paid to shares recorded on 24 June 2025.
The entire dividend policy for the next few years will benefit from this increase, which once again confirms the Group’s strong focus on generating value for shareholders. This rise is also consistent with the remuneration policy set out in the 2024-2028 Business plan, which foresees growth in dividends coming to 17 eurocents per share by 2028, with net profit per share increasing by an average of 6% each year.
Sustainability reporting: growth in shared value Ebitda and investments
During the presentation of the 2024 financial statements, the Hera Group’s Sustainability reporting was also put to the attention of the Shareholders Meeting. In accordance with the CSRD and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), as of this year it is an integral part of the Directors’ report and contains all information needed to understand the company’s impact on sustainability issues and how they affect its performance and results.
As confirmation of Hera’s commitment to sustainability and creating value in the areas served, in 2024 shared-value Ebitda (CSV Ebitda), referring to business activities that also meet the sustainability objectives of the Global Agenda, rose to 856.6 million euro, up 10% from 776.0 million euro in 2023, and equivalent to 54% of the Group’s total Ebitda. This result is in line with the significant increase CSV Ebitda expected in the Business plan, projected to reach over 1,100 million euro in 2028, equivalent to 66% of the Group’s total Ebitda, along a path that generates concrete benefits for the communities served, alongside the company’s own development. This is also confirmed by the economic value distributed to stakeholders in the local areas in which Hera operates, which reached 2.1 billion euro in 2024.
Shared-value investments also rose, up from 558.4 million euro in 2023 to 655.1 million euro in 2024, and accounting for about 76% of total gross operating investments. Moreover, 90% of the investments eligible for the Taxonomy of environmentally sustainable activities are already aligned with the criteria of this European regulation, and are thus able to make a substantial contribution to environmental goals including climate change mitigation, circular economy, water resource protection and pollution prevention.
Other resolutions approved
The Shareholders Meeting, in its ordinary session, approved the report on the remuneration policy and compensation paid, in line with international best practices.
A supplement to the remuneration of KPMG, the external auditing firm, was also approved due to changes in the scope of business, regulatory changes and revised auditing standards compared to those in force in 2022, when KPMG was appointed for the period 2024-2032.
Lastly, the Shareholders Meeting approved the renewal of the Board of Directors’ authorisation to purchase treasury shares (and procedures for their management), for an amount of up to 240 million for 18 months, with the revocation of last year’s resolution for the portion not executed. The renewal of the authorisation to use treasury shares was requested in order to pursue the purposes permitted by regulations and accepted market practices, in order to increase the creation of value, within the scope of transactions carried out by Group companies as well, for which investment opportunities may arise, and for transactions involving the issue of financial instruments.
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Strong interest from international investors in Hera’s first European Green Bond (EuGB) with a 6-year maturity, which will finance strategic projects of the multi-utility aligned with the EU Taxonomy. Orders received amouned to 7 times the offered amount.
The Hera Group, the first Italian company to issue a green bond in 2014, continues today its commitment to sustainable finance with the launch of its first European Green Bond (“EuGB”), under its “Euro Medium Term Note Programme” (EMTN). This bond issuance – in line with its European Green Bond Factsheet, published in the dedicated section of the Group’s website (https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng/investor-relations/debt-and-rating/green-financing-framework-e-opinion), together with the relevant Pre-Issuance Review, attracted significant interest from international investors, receiving orders for approximately 3.6 billion euros, nearly 7 times the offered amount.
With this issuance, which corresponds to the fifth green issuance overall considering all those carried out by the multi-utility over the last 12 years, the Hera Group has once again offered the market the opportunity to finance strategic projects aimed at the green transition and aligned with the EU Taxonomy, reaffirming its position as a benchmark company for sustainable finance, also at an international level.
“The issuance of our first European Green Bond represents a further concrete step in the Hera Group’s sustainability journey, confirming our commitment towards carbon neutrality and the development of the circular economy” – states Orazio Iacono, Chief Executive Officer of the Hera Group. “This new sustainable finance instrument allows us to fund investments fully aligned with the EU Taxonomy, accelerating strategic projects for the energy and environmental transition, from the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the increase in resource recovery and regeneration. This is a significant contribution to our business plan and to the Net Zero 2050 target, confirming our Group’s strategy, where business growth, value creation, and sustainable development are closely interconnected.”.
Characteristics of the Group’s European Green Bond (“EuGB”) and funded areas
The Hera Group’s first European Green Bond (“EuGB”) (rated Baa1 with Stable Outlook by Moody’s and BBB+/A-2 with Stable Outlook by Standard & Poor’s), amounts to a total of 500 million euros, repayable in 6 years with a coupon of 3.50% and a yield of 3.574%. The settlement date of the new issuance is expected on 4 June 2026.
The EuGB is represented by senior, non-convertible, unsecured notes, intended for circulation among qualified investors and governed by English law. Furthermore, the European Green Bond (EuGB) is expected to be assigned a rating in line with that of Hera.
The transaction saw significant participation from international investors (in particular, United Kingdom, France, Germany). Substantially all of investors were green and sustainable, confirming the interest in the Group also beyond national borders.
The European Green Bond is expected to be listed on the regulated market of Euronext Dublin from the issue date, as well as on the regulated markets of Euronext Milan and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
In accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, the proceeds from the issuance are expected to finance or refinance the projects indicated in the Hera Group’s European Green Bond Factsheet, fully aligned with the EU Taxonomy.
In particular, the use of proceeds will cover three main areas:
- Sustainable management of water resources and wastewater: including construction, expansion and management of water collection, treatment and supply systems (economic activity 5.1 of the EU Taxonomy), as well as construction, expansion and management of wastewater collection and treatment systems (economic activity 5.3 of the EU Taxonomy);
- Circular economy, pollution prevention and control: including initiatives for the collection and transport of non-hazardous waste in source-segregated fractions (economic activity 5.5 of the EU Taxonomy);
- Energy efficiency and energy infrastructure: including (i) the generation of electricity using solar photovoltaic technology, (ii) the transmission and distribution of electricity, and (iii) installation, maintenance and repair of energy efficiency devices (economic activities 4.1, 4.9 and 7.3 of the EU Taxonomy).
To ensure the correct and transparent allocation of funds, Hera has adopted a monitoring and reporting process that provides for the publication of relevant information through a “Green Bond Report” which will include the “Allocation Reporting and the Impact Reporting”.
Transaction partners
The issuance of the Hera Group’s first European Green Bond (“EuGB”) was coordinated by BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole CIB, Mediobanca, UniCredit, BBVA, Intesa Sanpaolo – IMI CIB Division, Banco Santander, Banca AKROS, Deutsche Bank, BPER Banca, Montepaschi di Siena, Barclays, Caixabank and Goldman Sachs as Joint Bookrunners. The law firm Legance assisted Hera, while the law firm Linklaters supported the Joint Bookrunners.