Then it could begin, the success story of the RATIONAL share. The stock exchange was launched on 3 March 2000 and the issue price was 23 euros. The first trading price of 35 euros was already around 50% above the issue price. Nevertheless, the RATIONAL share was not taken seriously by many market participants as a representative of the "old economy". Many software and technology stocks were heavily hyped, and the "New Economy" was predicted to have a prosperous future. It is a well-known story that many of these shares have now disappeared from the price list after spectacular price increases in the meantime. The noble expectations of investors were too speculative, too little geared to actual market needs and too much tied to unrealistic hopes for the future. Only about a quarter of the approximately 140 IPOs from the year 2000 are still represented on the trading floor today. Many with a price discount of 90% and more to the issue price at the time.
25 years IPO.
RATIONAL shares write stock market history.
In 2023, RATIONAL AG celebrated its 50th anniversary. 27 years after its foundation and a very successful business development up to that point, company founder Siegfried Meister dared to take the step onto the stock exchange.
- 03.03.2000
IPO of RATIONAL AG
The exciting stock market history of RATIONAL shares begins with an issue price of 23 euros.
- 01.04.2004
Introduction of the SelfCookingCenter
The market launch of the SelfCookingCenter marks the beginning of the age of intelligent cooking.
- 01.10.2005
All-in-2: Introduction of the VarioCookingCenter
The perfect counterpart to the combi-steamer was the launch of the VarioCookingCenter in 2005.
- 2008/2009
Financial crisis with the peak of the Lehman bankruptcy
RATIONAL shares lose around two thirds of their interim high during the financial crisis.
- 04.03.2009
Inclusion in the MDAX for the first time
The pearl in the SDAX becomes the hidden champion in the MDAX.
- 01.01.2014
Generation change at the top of the company
Dr. Günter Blaschke hands over to Dr. Peter Stadelmann after 17 successful years as CEO.
- 30.08.2016
Introduction of the SelfCookingCenter XS
World premiere for the smallest RATIONAL ever.
- 28.07.2017
Company founder Siegfried Meister passes away
RATIONAL founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Siegfried Meister dies at the age of 78.
- 2020/2021
Corona crisis and successful launch of the new generations
In the midst of the worst crisis in the commercial kitchen industry, RATIONAL launches two new generations of appliances.
- 05.08.2021
Share reaches record price of 1029.50 euros
Share price recovery after the coronavirus crisis leads to new records in share price and market capitalisation
- 2022/2023
Under the spell of the global logistics crisis
Delivery difficulties and price increases drive the order book to unexpected heights.
- 08.03.2024
Market launch of iHexagon
With the iHexagon, RATIONAL is introducing a new category of cooking systems.
- 03.03.2025
25th anniversary of the stock exchange
RATIONAL has been writing stock market history for 25 years - one of the top shares of the IPOs of the year 2000.
RATIONAL was initially not part of this at times hysterical price hunt – quite the opposite. "Sexy like Pichelsteiner stew" was the assessment of a major German daily newspaper. 25 successful years later, the issue price has increased almost fourty-fold and was at around 880 euros at the anniversary. This price performance puts RATIONAL shares at the top of the list of issues at that time.
The basis for the successful share price development is the solid and sustainable business model, the consistent focus on the basic human need to eat out-of-home and on a customer group in which the demand for innovative cooking technology remains almost unchanged. RATIONAL's solutions meet this need in the best possible way and thus help customers to master their challenges in the best possible way.
All of this is based on the company's philosophy: good financial ratios are not a goal for the company. The goal is to offer customers the highest possible benefit. If one is successful in doing this, good financial figures will come all by themselves.
Company founder Siegfried Meister put it as follows: "In today's world, only companies that offer the customer a benefit, have a right to exist. The quality of this benefit determines success or failure." The company's popular slogan "RATIONAL, a good investment for customers and investors" perfectly establishes the connection between the company's success and the stock market. Because only if a company or its products and solutions are good investments for customers, the stocks of this company can ultimately be a good long-term and sustainable investment for shareholders.
In 2009, the RATIONAL share was included in the MDAX for the first time. After a few ups and downs in the following years, RATIONAL is an established member of the 2nd German stock exchange league with a market capitalisation of around 10 billion euros. The fact that RATIONAL is a true dwarf in the MDAX is proven by the number of employees. With around 2,700 employees, RATIONAL was only about a fifth as large as the average in the index. But RATIONAL does not need to hide from large international corporations with many tens of thousands of employees either. Due to its high profitability and sustainable growth potential, investors attribute such a high valuation to the RATIONAL share that it is even ahead of many a global corporation in the index ranking.
The RATIONAL share was not spared external shocks such as the dotcom bubble, the financial crisis, corona or global supply bottlenecks. The fact that corporate quality and the long-term and sustainable orientation prevail in the long term was demonstrated by the recovery phases following these slumps. Good growth and earnings figures as well as product innovations and new solutions were the long-term drivers of a successful share price development. Investors of the first hour can therefore enjoy an average annual price increase of around 15%. In addition, a total of more than 130 euros in dividends per share were distributed to shareholders.
RATIONAL continues to see enormous growth potential for the existing iCombi Pro and iVario Pro cooking systems. New solutions such as the iHexagon, ConnectedCooking or a combi steamer specially developed for the Chinese market also round off the product portfolio. RATIONAL thus remains true to itself and to its shareholders, most of whom have a long-term orientation. The Management Board would like to thank the shareholders for their long-term loyalty and looks forward to a successful future together.