For many generations it is clear that the chocolate bunny that is so popular at Easter is made of gold.

We have the Swiss Lindt & Sprüngli Group to thank for this fact.

The cult bunny, wrapped in golden foil, with its characteristic red ribbon and bell, turns 70.

The gold bunny is celebrating its milestone birthday in style.

This year he is available in a glitter outfit for Easter.

Instead of the gold foil, the limited design edition with glittering hologram foil ensures a festive appearance.

He also wears a red ribbon with a gold rim.

For the first time, in addition to the gold bunny, there is also a trendy version in rose gold - to celebrate the anniversary.

Recently strong increases in market share

The Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli is present everywhere, especially with its products for the Christmas and Easter holidays.

Accordingly, one should be happy to have established such a cult figure as the gold bunny to heat up the marketing activities before Easter.

The balance sheets of the past decades show that Lindt & Sprüngli earns well with this – the most recent publication of figures also proves it.

With a view to the 2021 financial year, the management referred to growth characterized by increases in market share in all important markets with high profitability at the same time.

According to the group, increased advertising investments, an adjustment to changing consumer needs and further successes in the digital sales channels formed the basis for the good sales and profit development.

Group-wide sales increased by 14.2 percent year-on-year to CHF 4.6 billion.

Organic growth was 13.3 percent.

Particularly interesting: Not only were the weaker values ​​due to the pandemic exceeded in the 2020 financial year, Lindt & Sprüngli also exceeded the good results of 2019, the year before the pandemic began, organically by 6.4 percent.

The operating result (EBIT) improved by 53.4 percent to CHF 644.9 million, so that the corresponding EBIT margin increased by 3.6 percentage points to 14.1 percent compared to the previous year.

The group increased its net profit in 2021 by 53.2 percent to CHF 490.5 million.

Thanks to the positive business development, the company once again wants to be generous with the dividend; shareholders can look forward to a 9.1 percent increase in the distribution to CHF 1,200 per registered share.

A reliable dividend payer

However, the Lindt & Sprüngli paper belongs to the illustrious circle of stocks that only a few can afford.

The security currently costs the equivalent of more than 100,000 euros.

The participation certificates are significantly "cheaper" so that less well-heeled investors can also invest in Lindt & Sprüngli.

For this type of security, the distribution also increases by 9.1 percent - in this case to 120 francs.

Due to the high liquidity, the solid balance sheet and the continuously high cash flow, the Board of Directors has also decided on a buyback program for Lindt & Sprüngli registered shares and participation certificates in the amount of 750 million francs.

The program will run until the end of 2022. Anyone who is a shareholder can look forward to a distribution in the coming year.

That would see the company continue an impressive streak of 26 straight dividend increases.

Anyone who bought the share ten years ago, for example, now has a personal dividend yield of around 40 percent.

For 2022, management expects sales growth at the upper end of the range of 6 to 8 percent and an operating profit margin of 15 percent.

The chocolate manufacturer has even increased its medium to long-term goals.

Revenue growth is seen at 6 to 8 percent, up from 5 to 7 percent previously, while operating margin is projected to improve steadily by 20 to 40 basis points per year.

Strong course history

In terms of chart technology, the picture for Lindt & Sprüngli is intact.

After the participation certificates had reached a new all-time high of 12,770 Swiss francs in December 2021, prices switched to consolidation mode and fell back to 9,000 francs by early March.

In the meantime, the price has recovered to around 11,500 francs at times.

The participation certificates are once again trading well above the 200-day line (10,760 francs) and are therefore in the overriding upward trend.

In the long term, the course development of the Swiss is convincing.

Although there were sharp corrections and sideways movements here at times, the participation certificates have recorded an average price gain of 14.7 percent annually over a ten-year period.

For example, the result was twice as strong as that of the leading Swiss index SMI, which recorded an average annual price increase of 7.2 percent during this period.

But there is a small catch for German small investors: the price of around 11,500 francs, which is now visually expensive, should deter many from investing.

An alternative could therefore be an exchange-traded index fund that includes Lindt & Sprüngli.

Since Lindt & Sprüngli is not listed in the Swiss share index SMI, it is advisable to look at a suitable sector index fund.

The sector ETFs in which Lindt & Sprüngli is represented include the Lyxor ST.Europe 600 Food&Beverage UE D. (WKN: LYX04H / ISIN: LU2082997359).