Capital structure
Capital stock
As of December 31, 2023, the capital stock of Comet Holding AG amounted to CHF 7,773,966, divided into 7,773,966 fully paid-in, registered shares with a par value (nominal value) of CHF 1.00 per share. With the exception of any treasury stock held by the Company, every share carries dividend rights. Each share represents one vote at the Shareholder Meeting, provided that the shareholder is recorded in the share register. The Company no longer has any authorized capital.
Capital band (i.e., capital range)
At any time until April 14, 2026, the Board of Directors is authorized
i) to increase the capital stock by issuing a maximum of 1,554,793 fully paid registered shares with a par value of CHF 1.00 per share in one or more steps, by not more than a cumulative CHF 1,554,793, to a new total of CHF 9,328,759 (the upper limit of the so-called capital band), and ii) to reduce the capital stock in one or more steps to not less than CHF 7,385,268 (the lower limit of the capital band), either by cancelling not more than a total of 388,698 registered shares with a par value of CHF 1.00 per share or by reducing the par value of the registered shares accordingly. A capital reduction and a reincrease may be performed simultaneously. If the capital stock is increased by means of the capital band, the limit on the number of shares by which the capital can subsequently be reduced is raised so that the lower end of the capital band can be reached. If the capital stock is reduced by means of the capital band, the limit on the number of shares by which the capital can subsequently be increased is raised so that the upper end of the capital band can be reached. If a change in capital is performed by changing the par value, the upper and lower limits of the capital band remain constant, but the limits on the number of shares by which the capital can be changed are adjusted accordingly. In the case of an increase of the capital stock, the new shares must be fully paid in. In the case of a capital reduction, the amount of the reduction may, in the discretion of the Board of Directors, be distributed to the shareholders in whole or in part and/or added to reserves.
Conditional capital for equity compensation
Under article 3b of the Articles of Association, Comet has conditional capital (referred to in German as “bedingtes Aktienkapital”) that is designated for use only as equity-based compensation for members of the Executive Committee and of the Board of Directors of Comet Holding AG. At December 31, 2023, this conditional capital consisted of 189,154 shares with a nominal value of CHF 1.00 per share. It corresponded to approximately 2.4% of the existing capital stock. The issuance of stock or stock subscription rights is based on a compensation plan adopted by the Board of Directors. Further information about equity-based compensation can be found in the compensation report.
Conditional capital for financing, acquisitions and other purposes
The capital stock of the Company can be increased by a maximum of CHF 1,554,793 through the issuance of up to 1,554,793 fully paid registered shares with a par value of CHF 1.00 per share through the exercise (incl. mandatory exercise) of conversion, exchange, option, subscription, or similar rights to purchase shares granted to shareholders or third parties, alone or in connection with bonds, loans, options, warrants, or other financial market instruments or contractual obligations of the Company or its subsidiaries (collectively “Financial Instruments”).
Further details on the structure of and changes in shareholders’ equity of Comet Holding AG are disclosed in the separate financial statements of Comet Holding AG in the statement of changes in equity and within note 4, “Listing and shareholders”, note 5, “Equity capital structure” and note 7, “Options and conversion rights”. As of December 31, 2023, Comet Holding AG had no participation certificates or dividend-right certificates outstanding (prior year: nil).
Limitations on transferability and nominee registrations
The Company keeps a share register in which the shares’ owners and beneficial owners and the number of their shares are recorded. The share register is operated on behalf of Comet by Devigus Engineering AG. For the purposes of the legal relationship with the Company, shareholders or beneficial owners of shares are recognized as such only if they are registered in the share register. Purchasers of registered stock or of beneficial rights with respect to registered stock are upon their request recorded as voting shareholders in the share register by the Board of Directors if the purchasers state explicitly that they have acquired, and will hold, the stock or beneficial interest for their own account. Registration in the share register requires evidence of the acquisition of full legal title to the shares or evidence of the establishment of beneficial ownership. For the purpose of this condition, nominee shareholders (nominees) are deemed to be those persons who do not explicitly state in their registration application that they hold the shares for their own account. The Board of Directors registers nominees as holding voting shares only up to a maximum of 5% of the capital stock recorded in the Swiss commercial register of companies. Where legal entities or groups with joint legal status are connected by capital, voting rights, management or in some other manner, they are deemed to constitute a single nominee, as are all natural persons, legal entities or groups with joint legal status that by agreement, as a syndicate or in any other way act in a coordinated manner in circumventing the nominee rules. The Company may, after hearing the affected party, void registrations in the share register with retroactive effect from the date of registration if they were based on false information given by the purchaser. The purchaser must be informed of the deletion immediately. The Board of Directors determines the details of the application of these provisions and makes the arrangements necessary to ensure compliance with the rules outlined in the Company’s Articles of Association.
In fiscal year 2023, the Board of Directors did not recognize any acquirers of shares holding more than 5% of all registered shares as a shareholder or beneficial holder with voting rights, did not reject any requests for registration, and did not remove any shareholders with voting rights from the share register on the grounds of provision of false information.
Convertible bonds and options
As of December 31, 2023, Comet Holding AG had no conversion rights or stock options outstanding (prior year: nil).
Management transactions and measures to prevent insider-trading offenses
The Listing Rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange require the disclosure of management transactions in stock of the Company and related financial instruments. The Board of Directors has issued a corresponding regulation in order to comply with these requirements. The parties whose transactions of this nature are reportable to the Company are the members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee (the Executive Committee is the most senior level of operational management). In fiscal year 2023, one disclosure was filed. Published disclosures can be found on the website of the SIX Swiss Exchange: www.ser-ag.com/en/resources/notifications-market-participants/management-transactions.html.
For Comet, regular closed periods (also referred to as blackout periods) for trading in securities of Comet Holding AG are defined as the periods from December 16 and June 16 up to and including the trading day following the publication of the annual or half-year report, respectively, or the publication of the relevant key figures. These closed periods apply to the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, as well as members of group functions in finance, investor relations and communication. No exceptions were granted in fiscal year 2023.