Nordea’s holding in Alma Media remains above 15 %

ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION   STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT  21 Jan 2008, at 16.40 

 

 
NORDEA’S HOLDING IN ALMA MEDIA REMAINS ABOVE 15 %

 

The company has received information to the effect that the Swedish corporation Nordea Bank AB (publ) (business ID code 516406-0120) ownership in Alma Media has not changed according to the announcement on 28.12.2007.

 

In the announcement, Nordea Bank AB told that when the forward contracts mature in January 2008, the joint ownership of Nordea Group and the Finnish Nordea Bank Suomi Oyj (business ID 1680235-8) in Alma Media would fall below 3/20.

 

Nordea Bank AB announces that the forward contracts, due to mature January 2008, have been extended to longer maturities and that the holding of Nordea Group and Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj in Alma Media Corporation has thus not fallen under 3/20 but remains above that.

 

Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj presently holds 12.776.362 shares, representing 17.12 % of Alma Media’s share capital and voting rights.

 

Furthermore, Nordea Life Assurance Finland Ltd. (business ID 0927072-8), a subsidiary of the Nordea Group, owns 281.736 Alma Media shares, representing 0.38% of the share capital and votes.

 

Altogether, Nordea Group owns 13.058.098 Alma Media shares, or 17.50 % of the share capital and votes.

Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj, according to previously announced, has made forward contracts on Alma Media Corporation shares. The deals have been made on the Stock Exchange with brokerage firms. Of those, 103.233 contracts (10.323.300 shares) mature in February 2008 and 24.530 contracts (2.453.000 shares) mature in March 2008. As the forward contracts mature in February 2008, the holding of Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj and Nordea Group will fall below 1/20.

 

Nordea Pankki Suomi Oyj has acquired the Alma Media Corporation shares it now owns as part of its liquidity guarantee business.

ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION
 
Rauno Heinonen
VP, Corporate Communications and IR
 
DISTRIBUTION: Helsinki Exchanges, principal media
 
Alma Media is a profitably growing and internationally expanding company that invests in the future of newspapers and the online media. Its best known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com.
 
Net sales in 2006 totalled EUR 302 million and the operating margin was 16 %. The company’s share is listed in the Mid Cap segment of the OMX Nordic Exchange’s Nordic List, trading code ALN1V. More information at http://www.almamedia.fi/home