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Unlike their counterparts in the S&P 500, who were lamenting a 7.9% slide in their median total pay last week, S&P 400 CEOs have something to be (relatively) happy about: their total pay rose slightly from 2008 to 2009, increasing 1.7% to a median of $3.76 million. They also saw a bonus bump of 11.6%, slightly higher than the S&P 500 bonus pop of 8.5%.
S&P 500 CEOs, however, do have one thing to crow about over their mid-cap peers: the CEOs of the 400 seem to get less money when they do well, and take a bigger hit when they do poorly. The top quartile of S&P 400 CEOs by company performance definitely got a nice reward, with a 66.7% bonus rise, but their peers in the bottom quartile took a hit of 32.6% in their bonus pay. Compare that to an upside of 86.8% and a downside of only 10.3% for S&P 500 CEOs in the same positions, and you have to admit that the air’s a bit nicer up in the large-cap leagues, even if you’re flailing. With Washington crying for blood, we have to admit surprise that the biggest CEOs in the country had bigger bonus upsides and smaller bonus downsides than their smaller-cap peers– aren’t these folks the primary occupants of the spotlight?
The final chapter in the CEO Pay trilogy, the S&P 600, will debut next Wednesday, and we’ll be interested to see if the trend for bigger downsides continues as the stakes get (slightly) smaller. In the meantime, if you’re full of burning questions for the statistical minds behind this epic, consider logging in to Equilar’s CEO Pay Strategies Webinar, also next Wednesday. You can sign up for it here.
The biggest season for equity grants, December-February, has wrapped up, and Equilar is comparing the Form 4 filings of S&P 500 CEOs to the same time last year, with some interesting results. The percentage of CEOs receiving no equity grants at all rose from 53 percent last year to 60.8 percent this year, surprising given the combination of the market rebound and lowered performance goals in recent months. It\’s possible that some of this is from companies shifting their grant periods, but that still leaves some CEOs out in the cold.
For those who got bonuses in both years, grant sizes went down, but the market\’s new life caused values to go up, making the difference from last year essentially a wash: overall value rose about 0.5 percent. Also, companies seem to be shifting away from stock or stock/options mixes to pure options. (Yes, it\’s the SEC\’s favorite game show: Pay for Performance!) It should be interesting to see if this trend holds as we continue our journey into the heart of proxy season. Check out the report here.
Obviously, you don\’t want your executive to drop dead or be sidelined by a health crisis, but it\’s still pretty amazing to see the medical costs of the five CEOs profiled by Fortune. With full disclosure of perquisites drawing more attention every year, we\’re surprised to see these execs still receiving what is almost a universally poorly-received perk, instead of simply cutting it in favor of a cash replacement. (See also: club memberships.)
Particularly notable is the fact that Angela Braly, WellPoint\’s CEO, receives an annual physical to the tune of $1,044, despite the fact that she almost certainly has the best insurance plan that the large health conglomerate could possibly provide her. Wonder if she had to stay in-network.
On the other hand, Lowe\’s discloses that they consider these plans a best practice, noting that McDonald\’s recently lost two CEOs to poor health within nine months (one dying at work). While we certainly wouldn\’t want anyone to lose their life over a few grand, we have to wonder if the $4,986 exam Lowe\’s requires their CEO to receive isn\’t a little bit egregious, considering the notable disparity between what the two companies produce.
February 25th, 2010 in
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Equilar unveiled their 2010 Executive Compensation Summit today, and it looks to be a good one. In addition to being the only totally dedicated exec-comp conference, it\’s also going nationwide this year, with one big event in Washington, D.C. on June 15 and 16. They\’ve got many of the speakers from last year, like Blair Jones from Semler Brossy and George Paulin from Frederic W. Cook, with some cool new additions: Stanford professor Daniel Siciliano, Compensia principal Mark Borges, and the Washington Post\’s Tomoeh Murakami Tse.
We particularly like the new second day, which is an emphasis on education for younger or less seasoned people in the field. WorldatWork will be hosting a big workshop, and they\’ll be training people on Equilar products as well. If all this is old hat, they\’ll be doing focused roundtables and breakout sessions on specific industries and topics.
Registration is now open, and with a $300 discount through March 19th, this is a good time to sign up.
February 24th, 2010 in
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The world of compensation consulting is getting infinitely more complicated, with new SEC requirements for board compensation consultant disclosure sending many companies in search of advice on how to stay compliant with the rules. Should these trends hold, 2010 could be a very good year for those in the business of compensation consulting.
Equilar\’s Consultant League Table, released yesterday, has some fascinating facts and figures about compensation consultant market share. As expected, the newly merged mega-firm Towers Watson (formerly Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt) leads the pack in almost every major index, with 22.3% market share in the Russell 3000 and 26.8% in the Fortune 1000, in addition to dominant market share with all sizes of companies in the S&P 1500. They\’re also at the top in all four regions of the U.S.
But big firms aren\’t the only winners in the new climate; a few boutique shops have carved out niches in the data. Examples include Steven Hall & Partners and James F. Reda & Associates, which have built a strong client base in the consumer goods industry, and Amalfi Consulting, which is particularly strong in the South. We\’ll be interested to see if board independence requirements push these small firms even higher.
The report isn\’t available to the general public, but you can request a copy at Equilar\’s website.
February 4th, 2010 in
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Executive-compensation.com is your resource for the latest data and analysis on executive pay, benefits, bonuses, perquisites, and more.
Welcome! In an era of increased scrutiny, it\’s more important than ever to create executive compensation packages that are aligned with industry trends, company performance, and the long view of a company\’s success. This blog is designed to help you make informed decisions about your company\’s compensation packages, with data on every facet of executive compensation provided by Equilar, an independent research firm. Our resources will help you get into the nitty-gritty of what\’s required to create a good compensation portfolio, from clawbacks to say on pay, perquisites to stock ownership. We\’ll also have data on creating viable plans for board members, COOs, non-profit executives, and more.
And to help you in creating your own ideal executive compensation package, we have three great lists of relevant links: Pay Lists & Directories takes you through top media sources\’ lists of the highest-paid executives in various fields, Executive Compensation Advisorsdirects you to compensation professionals who can help your company determine the best pay package, and Executive Compensation Research features the latest research and developments in the world of executive pay.
We know that companies want to pay competitive salaries that attract top talent without sacrificing shareholders\’ interests. At Executive-Compensation.com, our goal is to provide the research, knowledge, and unbiased analysis that will help you make the tough decisions.
If you have any questions, want to suggest a topic, or are interested in sponsoring our site, be sure to write us here.
December 24th, 2009 in
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Here you will find pay lists and directories for CEO Earnings, Median Bonuses, and other data.
Whether you are a human resources professional, a benefits specialist, or a concerned shareholder, you have access to a wealth of compensation and salary data.
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November 11th, 2009 in
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Here you will find pay lists and directories for CEO Earnings, Median Bonuses, and other data.
November 11th, 2009 in
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compensation research,
executive benefits,
executive bonuses,
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executive compensation trends,
executive paywatch database,
industry executives,
Median Bonuses,
Pay Lists & Directories |
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