35 years on the stock exchange
UNIQA has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange for 35 years via one of its predecessor companies. Behind the issue of the first preference shares of Bundesländer-Versicherung in 1990 were the motives that still guide us today: transparency and expansion.
Opening up to the capital market
Bundesländer-Versicherung was the first company in the insurance industry to raise additional capital in 1987 through participation certificates, which could later be exchanged for shares. The issue of non-voting preference shares with a nominal value of 72.5 million schillings at the end of October 1990 was a double opening: towards investors and towards Eastern Europe. Even with a relatively small free float, the company had to fulfill the requirements and conditions of the capital market for the first time. From 8 November 1999 as UNIQA Versicherungen AG.
However, the UNIQA share did not attract greater attention until the mid-2000s: With the euphoria in Eastern Europe and spurred on by the competition, analysts became interested in the share for the first time on a large scale and drove up the price.
Re-Initial Public Offering in 2013
The consistent opening to the capital market came in 2013 with the re-initial public offering (re-IPO), deliberately labelled as the second IPO. In preparation for this, the name of the listed holding company was changed to UNIQA Insurance Group AG. As a result of the capital increase of €757 million, the free float rose from around seven to a good 35 percent. Over the years, UNIQA shares established themselves as a reliable dividend stock in the ATX.
But it was not only equity, balance sheet structure and solvency ratio that benefited; a cultural transformation process within the company also gained momentum with the re-IPO. With our presence on the stock exchange, we are competing globally for the trust of investors: We measure ourselves by our promises and are measured by them.
I believe that a well-run company can master the balancing act of being fit for the capital markets while fulfilling the ultimate aim of longterm value growth.
New strategy boosts share price
Premium growth of around five percent and a consolidated profit of at least six percent per year until 2028: These are the key promises to the capital market under UNIQA 3.0 Growing Impact. Analysts and investors are delighted - like here at the Capital Markets Day in Vienna in January 2025.