RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Owens & Minor announced today that its board of directors approved the payment of the first quarter 2005 cash dividend in the amount of $0.13 per share, an increase of $0.02, or 18.2 percent over the prior quarter. The cash dividend is payable on March 31, 2005 to shareholders of record as of March 15, 2005. The company currently has approximately 39,519,070 common shares outstanding.
“This above average increase in our dividend is affirmation of the confidence we have in the company now and for the future,” said G. Gilmer Minor, III, chairman and chief executive officer of Owens & Minor. “We’ve always believed in giving back to our shareholders a total return on their investment in the company, which includes the consistent payout of a portion of our profits every year since 1930 in the form of dividends.”
Owens & Minor, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is the leading distributor of national name-brand medical and surgical supplies and a healthcare supply chain management company. With a diverse product and service offering and distribution centers throughout the United States, the company serves hospitals, integrated healthcare systems, alternate care locations, group purchasing organizations, the federal government and consumers. Owens & Minor provides technology and consulting programs that enable healthcare providers to maximize efficiency and cost- effectiveness in materials purchasing, improve inventory management and streamline logistics across the entire medical supply chain--from origin of product to patient bedside. The company also has established itself as a leader in the development and use of technology. For news releases, or for more information about Owens & Minor, visit the company Web site at http://www.owens-minor.com/.
Owens & Minor, Inc.
CONTACT: Trudi Allcott, Manager, Investor Communications of Owens &Minor, Inc., +1-804-935-4291, or truitt.allcott@owens-minor.com
Web site: http://www.owens-minor.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/667125.html
