The RWE Group emerged from Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk Aktiengesellschaft, Essen, which was founded in 1898. After the first municipalities had taken up shares in the young company in 1905, they represented the majority of the company´s shareholders for a long time. In 1922, the share was quoted on the Berlin Stock Exchange for the first time. But it was not before the change in the par value of the common share from DM 50 in 1968 to DM 5 in 1995 that RWE was increasingly tapping new investor circles. However, the shares with multiple voting rights held by the municipal shareholders, who thus had a safe absolute majority of votes at the general meetings from 1924 to 1998, prevented foreign investors from increasing their investments. In February 1998, an extraordinary general meeting passed the resolution to abolish the multiple voting rights, thus putting an end to this era.

According to the balance sheet as at December 31, 2009, RWE's capital stock amounts to € 1,440 million. It is divided into 523.4 million ordinary shares and 39.0 million preference shares. As of December 31, 2009 the number of treasury shares amounts to 28.8 million ordinary shares. Our shares are no-par stock. They represent a calculated share of the capital stock in the amount of € 2.56.

RWE share data

Official trading in RWE shares takes places in Germany at the stock exchanges Frankfurt/Main, Düsseldorf as well as Xetra. RWE shares are also listed in the over-the-counter market at Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart. Internationally RWE shares can be traded in Zurich at the SIX Swiss Exchange (secondary listing, until August 2008 SWX Swiss Exchange) and in New York (sponsored level-one ADR programme for RWE common shares).

The RWE share forms part of all relevant stock indices: