Exhibit 12.3
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Report of the Statutory Auditors
to the General Meeting
Financial Statements 2002
KPMG Fides Peat
Zug, February 18, 2003
Ref. EK
Report of the Statutory Auditors to the General Meeting of
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
As statutory auditors, we have audited the accounting records and the financial statements (balance sheet, statement of earnings and retained earnings and notes) of Alcon, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2002.
These financial statements are the responsibility of the board of directors. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We confirm that we meet the legal requirements concerning professional qualification and independence.
Our audit was conducted in accordance with auditing standards promulgated by the Swiss profession, which require that an audit be planned and performed to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement. We have examined on a test basis evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. We have also assessed the accounting principles used, significant estimates made and the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the accounting records and financial statements and the proposed appropriation of available earnings comply with Swiss law and the company's articles of association.
We recommend that the financial statements submitted to you be approved.
KPMG Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler SA
Dr. Elisabeth Kruck Thomas Affolter
Swiss Certified Accountant Swiss Certified Accountant
Auditor in charge
Zug, February 18, 2003
Enclosure:
- Financial statements (balance sheet, statement of earnings and retained earnings and notes)
- Proposed appropriation of available earnings
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Balance Sheet as of December 31, Note 2002 2001
CHF CHF
ASSETS
Current Assets
Cash and banks 1,164,503,393 3,578,773
Accounts receivable
due from affiliated companies 84,059,224 261,294,488
due from parent company -- 468,361,875
Treasury Shares 10,926,520 --
Prepayments and other current assets 6,347,079 356,694
1,265,836,216 733,591,830
Non-current Assets
Loans due from affiliated companies 5 1,136,079,577 1,835,565,677
Investments 4 865,872,253 981,883,449
Intangible assets 186,330,421 195,344,222
2,188,282,251 3,012,793,348
3,454,118,467 3,746,385,178
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Balance Sheet as of December 31, Note 2002 2001
CHF CHF
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY
Current Liabilities
Bank overdraft -- 1,646,104
Accounts payable
due to third parties 16,803 851,625
due to affiliated companies 363,785,120 490,446,747
Accrued income taxes 14,893,898 14,947,334
Other accrued liabilities 19,566,848 67,700,764
Provision for unrealised exchange gains -- 88,664,354
398,262,669 664,256,928
Non-current Liabilities
Loan due to affiliated company -- 528,227,362
Other long-term liabilities 179,780,625 250,868,708
Provisions 1,395,000,000 --
1,574,780,625 779,096,070
Shareholder's Equity
Share capital 6 61,846,340 60,000,000
Legal reserve 7 605,449,967 602,433,711
Reserve for own shares 8 11,838,545 --
Other reserve -- 100,000
Retained earnings 801,940,321 1,640,498,469
1,481,075,173 2,303,032,180
3,454,118,467 3,746,385,178
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Statement of Earnings and Retained Earnings
for the year ended December 31, 2002 2001
CHF CHF
INCOME
Dividend income 317,833,260 441,554,306
Royalty income 662,333,463 768,916,945
Other investment income 636,680,970 --
Interest income 53,017,985 104,300,052
Miscellaneous income 4,984,540 4,808,581
1,674,850,218 1,319,579,884
EXPENSES
Royalty expenses (248,150,047) (137,731,855)
Research and development expenses (340,019,338) (338,409,651)
Outside services and fees (69,821,594) (61,990,872)
Amortization of intangibles (10,993,622) (11,666,262)
Investment write downs (68,790,935) (35,618,116)
Personnel related expenses (3,862,837) --
Administration and other operating expenses (24,381,688) (16,914,509)
Interest expenses (10,351,852) (46,000,133)
Withholding and miscellaneous taxes (9,658,230) (15,331,500)
Foreign exchange differences (71,894,886) (4,883,739)
Other expenses (14,488,964) (91,766,519)
(872,413,993) (760,313,156)
EARNINGS BEFORE INCOME TAXES 802,436,225 559,266,728
Income taxes (495,904) (15,066,792)
NET EARNINGS 801,940,321 544,199,936
Retained earnings at beginning of the year 1,640,498,469 1,096,298,533
Dividend distribution (1,640,498,469) --
Retained earnings at end of the year 801,940,321 1,640,498,469
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Notes to the Financial Statements
1. General
The Company is registered in Hünenberg in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland. Its principal activity is holding investments, patents, trademarks and technical and industrial know-how.
Nestlé S.A. holds 74.46% of the common shares of Alcon, Inc. The remaining shares are publicly traded at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) since March 21, 2002. The company is not aware of any other significant shareholder holding, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of the share capital.
2. Significant Accounting Policies
The accounting policies followed for dealing with items which are judged material or critical in determining the results for the year and stating the financial position are as follows:
2.1 Foreign Currency Translation
The accounting records are kept in USD, which is the functional currency of the Company. Assets and liabilities which arise in currencies other than USD are translated at the rates of exchange prevailing at year-end; revenues and expenses are converted at monthly booking rates.
For statutory purposes, the financial statements are translated into CHF at the following rates:
Investments - at historical rates
Other assets and liabilities - at year-end rates
Equity - at historical rates
Income and expenses - at average rates
Net exchange gains and losses on translation and transactions are recognized in the income statement, except for unrealised gains which are deferred.
- Investments
- Treasury Shares
- Intangible assets
Investments are recorded at cost or are written down on a conservative basis, taking into account the profitability of the company concerned.
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Notes to the Financial Statements
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Treasury shares are carried at the lower of cost or market.
The intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over a period between seven and twenty years.
2.5 Taxation
Provision has been made for all Federal and Cantonal income and capital taxes estimated to be payable on the basis of earnings reported through December 31, 2002.
2.6 Hedging
The company uses forward foreign exchange contracts to hedge foreign currency flows and positions, and also uses interest rate swaps to manage the interest rate risk.
3. Comparative financial statements
Certain captions of the 2001 comparative financial statements have been reclassified in order to conform with the presentation used in 2002.
4. Investments in Subsidiaries
The following is a list of the Company's major investments that remained unchanged since 2001:
Name Domicile Activity Issued share capital Ownership
S.A. Alcon-Couvreur N.V. Puurs Manufacturer EUR 4,491,831 99.62%
Belgium and Distributor
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Notes to the Financial Statements
4. Investments (continued)
Name Domicile Activity Issued share capital Ownership
Alcon Cusi S.A. El Masnou Manufacturer
(Barcelona) and Distributor EUR 11,599,783 100.00%
Spain
Laboratoires Alcon S.A. Rueil- Manufacturer
Malmaison and Distributor EUR 12,579,102 100.00%
France
Alcon Laboratories (UK) Ltd. Herts Distributor GBP 3,100,000 100.00%
UK
Alcon Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Hünenberg Distributor CHF 100,000 100.00%
Switzerland
Alcon Japan Ltd. Tokyo Distributor JPY 27,500,000 100.00%
Japan
Alcon Laboratories Frenchs Distributor AUD 2,550,000 100.00%
(Australia) Pty. Ltd. Forest
Australia
Alcon Canada Inc. Missisauga Distributor CAD (Shares with no 100.00%
Canada nominal value)
Alcon (Puerto Rico) Inc. Puerto Rico Distributor USD 100 100.00%
Alcon Laboratorios Sao Paulo Manufacturer and BRL 7,729,167 100.00%
do Brasil Ltda. Brazil Distributor
Alcon Laboratorios S.A. Mexico Manufacturer MXP 5,915,300 100.00%
de C.V. City and Distributor
Mexico
Trinity River Insurance Bermudas Insurance Activities USD 120,000 100.00%
Co. Ltd.
Alcon Hong Kong Ltd. Hong Kong Distributor HKD 77,000 100.00%
Alcon Pte Ltd. Singapore Distributor SGD 164,000 100,00%
Alcon (China) Ophthalmic Beijing Manufacturer USD 1,357,455 100.00%
Product Co. Ltd. China and Distributor
Alcon Ireland B.V. Amsterdam Manufacturer EUR 395,696 100.00%
The Netherlands
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Notes to the Financial Statements
4. Investments (continued)
Name Domicile Activity Issued share capital Ownership
Alcon Coordination Puurs Finance EUR 415,000,000 86.16%
Center (N.V.) Belgium
Alcon Italia S.p.A. Milan Distributor EUR 1,300,000 99.00%
Italy
The following is a list of the Company's major investments that were changed or newly acquired during 2002:
December 31, 2002 December 31, 2001
Name Domicile Activity Issued share capital / Ownership
Alcon Holdings Inc. Wilmington U.S. Sub-Holding
USA
Common shares USD 10 USD 10
100.00% 100.00%
Preferred shares A - CHF 15,000
100.00%
Preferred shares B - CHF 5,000
100.00%
Preferred shares C - CHF 4,000
100.00%
Preferred shares D - USD 10
79.00%
Alcon Laboratuvarlari Istanbul Distributor TRL 17,724,114,600,000 TRL 11,606,000,000,000
Ticaret AS Turkey 100.00% 85.00%
Alcon Pharma GmbH Freiburg Distributor EUR 511,292 -
Germany 100.00%
Alcon Credit Corporation Hünenberg Finance CHF 1,000,000 -
Switzerland 100.00%
Alcon Finance PLC Cork Finance EUR 38,100 -
Ireland 100.00%
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Notes to the Financial Statements
5. Loans due from affiliated companies
The Company has signed two subordination agreements for loans due from two subsidiaries that amount to CHF 8,591,000 as of December 31, 2002. (2001: CHF 8,416,700).
6. Share Capital
As of December 31, 2002 the Company's share capital comprises 309,231,699 issued and fully paid registered shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.20 each (2001: 300,000,000 shares).
The General Meeting held on February 25, 2002 resolved that the share capital may be increased in an amount not to exceed CHF 6,000,000 through the issuance of up to 30,000,000 fully paid registered shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.20 per share in connection with the issuance of new shares or options to employees or directors of the Company and group companies.
The Conditional Capital was reduced during the year by 2,165,699 shares due to the conversion of the Phantom Stock Plan into the new Alcon Incentive Plan for personnel, and by 91,000 shares due to the issuance of new shares based on exercises of share options by employees.
As of December 31, 2002 the Conditional Capital amounts to 27,743,301 registered shares at CHF 0.20 each representing a total of CHF 5,548,660.
7. Legal Reserve
The Company appropriates earnings to a legal reserve in accordance with the provisions of Swiss law. For holding companies such a reserve is, to the extent of 20 % of the share capital, not readily available for distribution.
8. Reserve for Own Shares
During the year a total of 199,532 shares have been acquired at a cost of CHF 11,838,545. These shares will be recorded in the Share Register as being without voting rights and will not rank for dividends.
The total of 199,532 own shares held at December 31, 2002 represents 0.06% of Alcon, Inc.'s share capital.
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Notes to the Financial Statements
9. Commitments
The Company is committed to make future minimum payments under non-cancellable patent and know-how licence agreements that amount to approximately CHF 59 million as of December 31, 2002 (2001: approximately CHF 108 million).
10. Contingent liabilities
The Company issued guarantees to third parties on behalf of subsidiaries that amount to approximately CHF 11 million (2001: CHF 9 million).
Alcon, Inc., Hünenberg
Proposed Appropriation of Available Earnings
According to the proposal submitted by the Board of Directors, the retained earnings of
CHF 801,940,321 are to be appropriated as follows:
Dividend for 2002, CHF 0.45 per share
on 309,032,167 shares 139,064,475
Dividend for 2002, CHF 0.45 per share
on 414,911 shares reserved for the
option rights which may be exercised
in 2003 prior to the record date for
dividend payments(a) 186,710
Balance to be carried forward 662,689,136
801,940,321
(a)The dividends on those shares for which the option rights will not have been exercised by the date of the dividend payment will be transferred to retained earnings.
The gross dividend amounts to CHF 0.45 per share. After deduction of the federal withholding tax of 35%, a net amount of CHF 0.2925 per share will be payable.