The Essity share

Essity shares are quoted and traded on Nasdaq Stockholm. Essity’s market capitalization was SEK 153bn at December 31, 2018.

Share price performance

In 2018, the price of Essity’s B share declined 7%. During the same period, the OMX Stockholm 30 Index fell 11% and MSCI Household Products Index fell 6%. The closing price of Essity’s B share at year-end was SEK 217.60. The highest closing price for Essity’s B share during the year was SEK 240.50, which was noted on January 26, 2018. The lowest closing price was SEK 204.70 on October 29, 2018.

The total shareholder return for Essity’s B share for the year was –4%. The total shareholder return for the OMX Stockholm 30 Index was –7% and for MSCI Household Products Index –3%.

Dividend and dividend policy

Essity aims to provide long-term stable and rising dividends to its shareholders. When cash flow from current operations exceeds what the company can invest in profitable expansion over the long term, and under the condition that the capital structure target is met, the surplus shall be distributed to the shareholders.

The Board of Directors proposes a dividend of SEK 5.75 per share for the 2018 fiscal year. The 2018 dividend represents a dividend yield of 2.6%, based on Essity’s share price at the end of the year.

Index

On Nasdaq Stockholm, Essity is included in the OMX Stockholm 30 Index, OMX Nordic 40 Index and in the Personal & Household Goods sector within Consumer Goods. In addition to indexes directly linked to Nasdaq Stockholm, Essity is included in other indexes, such as the FTSE Eurofirst Index and FTSE All World Index. Within MSCI, Essity is included in Household Products Index within Consumer Staples. Essity is also represented in sustainability indexes including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Global Index.

Shareholders structure

46% of the share capital is owned by investors registered in Sweden and 54% by foreign investors. The US and the UK account for the highest percentage of shareholders registered outside Sweden. Of Essity’s shareholders, at least 22% perform sustainability assessments.

Beta coefficient

The beta coefficient for Essity’s B share was 0.55 in 2018. A beta coefficient of less than 1 indicates that the share is less sensitive to market fluctuations than the average.

Liquidity

In 2018, the volume of Essity shares traded on Nasdaq Stockholm was about 341 million, corresponding to a value of approximately SEK 77bn. Average daily trading for Essity on Nasdaq Stockholm amounted to approximately 1.4 million shares, corresponding to a value of approximately SEK 307m.

Total shareholder return 2018