Rakuten, Inc. announces that at the meeting of the Board of Directors held today, it resolved to distribute year-end dividends with the record date of December 31, 2011, as per the following. As the Company does not disclose its dividends forecast, it will be disclosed upon the resolution of the Board of Directors.
1. Details of dividends
(1) Record date: December 31, 2011
(2) Dividend per share: \250
(3) Total amount of dividends: \3,283 million
(4) Effective date: March 30, 2012
(5) Source of dividends: Retained earnings
2. Reason for the above decision
Under its basic policy for return of profit, Rakuten, Inc. has constantly kept paying stable dividends, while fully aware of the necessity to maintain a sound financial structures , and to provide sufficient internal reserves, etc. for active business development in the future, with the ultimate aim to maximize its corporate value.
In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, Rakuten, Inc. reported a net loss due to recording extraordinary losses from the reorganization of its credit card business. However, as the Company has maintained robust growth, as evidenced by its record-level ordinary profit, it has decided in accordance with its basic policy to pay dividend of \250 per share (\200 per share for the previous fiscal year).
Rakuten, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not disclose earnings forecasts as these business operations include an Internet service business characterized by high uncertainty and financial related businesses such as securities business whose results heavily depend on highly volatile markets. This precludes us from making earnings forecasts.