Basel, Switzerland, 17 April 2018– On 22 March 2018 Lonza has published the invitation to the 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the Annual Report for the fiscal year 2017. In addition to the AGM 2018 Invitation, Lonza would like to provide its shareholders with some additional and detailed information regarding Return on Invested Capital (ROIC). This metric will replace CORE RONOA to better measure the company's performance based on the full invested capital. The specific guidance for 2018 on this metric will be communicated with the H1 2018 results.
Considering this timing, we would like to already expand on Item 9.3 in the AGM agenda (Maximum Aggregate Amount of Variable Long-Term Compensation of the Executive Committee) in view of the ROIC and CORE EPS target of the Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) for the performance period 2018 – 2020.
As already communicated in the AGM 2018 Invitation, the CORE EPS threshold target was determined to approximate 109% of the CORE EPS of the threshold set for the performance target for the LTIP 2017 – 2019. If such a level of CORE EPS is reached, 50% of the equity awards granted under the CORE EPS vesting conditions will vest.
The Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) threshold was determined by the Nomination and Compensation Committee to approximate 107% of the ROIC performance target estimated for the LTIP 2017 – 2019.
The maximum was determined to be above the prorated Mid-Term Guidance and is double digit above the threshold.
The Return on Invested Capital is expected to grow at a lower level than CORE EPS (Earnings per Share) and NOPAT (Net Operating Profit After Tax), given the continued year-on-year increase in invested capital.