Bastei Lubbe AG, a general-interest publishing group listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, held its annual general meeting as a digital event without shareholders attending in person. The meeting approved a dividend of EUR 0.25 per share for the 2025/2026 financial year, amounting to a total payout of EUR 3,300,025.00. This represents a payout ratio of 50 per cent of distributable profit, at the upper end of the company's defined dividend strategy of 40 to 50 per cent. Based on the XETRA closing price of EUR 7.00 on 8 September 2026, the dividend yield is 3.6 per cent.
The 2025/2026 financial year was marked by an attractive programme with top-selling titles across various publishing brands. The company continued to grow its community model, with a sharp rise in reach and visibility in relevant media. 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.”
Bastei Lubbe made sustainable investments in new segments, products, and services. Notable innovations include the product 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. These moves underscore the company’s strategy to diversify and capture new revenue streams.
The new financial year 2026/2027 has started well, 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’. 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’ also contributed to a strong first quarter.
At the time of the vote, the proportion of share capital represented at the meeting was 79.62 per cent. The detailed voting results and the Executive Board’s presentation can be found at bastei-luebbe.de/unternehmen/investor-relations/hauptversammlung (German language). Further information about the company is available at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
Bastei Lubbe AG is the leading independent publishing group in Germany, based in Cologne. It publishes books, audio books, and e-books featuring high-quality popular entertainment as well as periodical novel booklets. The company owns more than 14 imprints and sees itself as an innovation driver in the industry, having established several rapidly expanding community-driven business models. It is also a pioneer of digital media, producing thousands of audio and e-books distributed via all digital exploitation channels. The Group generates annual revenues of over EUR 118 million (2025/2026 financial year). Its shares have been listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2013.
The approved dividend and the strategic investments signal Bastei Lubbe’s confidence in its future growth potential. The company’s ability to increase cash flow despite economic challenges provides a solid foundation for continued shareholder returns and expansion into new markets and formats. This news is significant for investors and the publishing industry as it demonstrates how a traditional publisher can adapt and thrive through innovation and community engagement.
