Yahoo Finance What Does Hays' (LON:HAS) CEO Pay Reveal?
Alistair Cox became the CEO of Hays plc (LON:HAS) in 2007, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for Hays.
See our latest analysis for Hays
How Does Total Compensation For Alistair Cox Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?
According to our data, Hays plc has a market capitalization of UK£2.4b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK£1.4m over the year to June 2020. That's a notable decrease of 48% on last year. In particular, the salary of UK£749.0k, makes up a huge portion of the total compensation being paid to the CEO.
In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations ranging from UK£1.5b to UK£4.8b, the reported median CEO total compensation was UK£3.0m. In other words, Hays pays its CEO lower than the industry median. What's more, Alistair Cox holds UK£5.8m worth of shares in the company in their own name, indicating that they have a lot of skin in the game.
Component | 2020 | 2019 | Proportion (2020) |
Salary | UK£749k | UK£753k | 54% |
Other | UK£648k | UK£1.9m | 46% |
Total Compensation | UK£1.4m | UK£2.7m | 100% |
Speaking on an industry level, nearly 77% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 23% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Hays allocates a smaller portion of compensation to salary in comparison to the broader industry. If total compensation veers towards salary, it suggests that the variable portion - which is generally tied to performance, is lower.
Hays plc's Growth
Over the last three years, Hays plc has shrunk its earnings per share by 31% per year. It saw its revenue drop 2.3% over the last year.
Few shareholders would be pleased to read that EPS have declined. And the fact that revenue is down year on year arguably paints an ugly picture. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.
Has Hays plc Been A Good Investment?
Since shareholders would have lost about 10.0% over three years, some Hays plc investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.
In Summary...
As we touched on above, Hays plc is currently paying its CEO below the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. EPS growth has failed to impress us, and the same can be said about shareholder returns. Although we wouldn’t say CEO compensation is high, it’s tough to foresee shareholders warming up to thoughts of a bump anytime soon.
CEO compensation is a crucial aspect to keep your eyes on but investors also need to keep their eyes open for other issues related to business performance. That's why we did some digging and identified 4 warning signs for Hays that you should be aware of before investing.
Switching gears from Hays, if you're hunting for a pristine balance sheet and premium returns, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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