Yahoo Finance Shareholders May Be Wary Of Increasing Leonteq AG's (VTX:LEON) CEO Compensation Package
Key Insights
Leonteq to hold its Annual General Meeting on 28th of March
CEO Lukas Ruflin's total compensation includes salary of CHF977.0k
Total compensation is 143% above industry average
Leonteq's three-year loss to shareholders was 37% while its EPS was down 18% over the past three years
Leonteq AG (VTX:LEON) has not performed well recently and CEO Lukas Ruflin will probably need to up their game. Shareholders can take the chance to hold the board and management accountable for the unsatisfactory performance at the next AGM on 28th of March. This will be also be a chance where they can challenge the board on company direction and vote on resolutions such as executive remuneration. The data we present below explains why we think CEO compensation is not consistent with recent performance.
See our latest analysis for Leonteq
How Does Total Compensation For Lukas Ruflin Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?
Our data indicates that Leonteq AG has a market capitalization of CHF451m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as CHF2.2m for the year to December 2023. Notably, that's a decrease of 16% over the year before. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at CHF977k.
On comparing similar companies from the Swiss Capital Markets industry with market caps ranging from CHF180m to CHF718m, we found that the median CEO total compensation was CHF908k. Accordingly, our analysis reveals that Leonteq AG pays Lukas Ruflin north of the industry median. Furthermore, Lukas Ruflin directly owns CHF41m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success.
Component | 2023 | 2022 | Proportion (2023) |
Salary | CHF977k | CHF977k | 44% |
Other | CHF1.2m | CHF1.6m | 56% |
Total Compensation | CHF2.2m | CHF2.6m | 100% |
On an industry level, around 45% of total compensation represents salary and 55% is other remuneration. Leonteq is largely mirroring the industry average when it comes to the share a salary enjoys in overall compensation. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance.
Leonteq AG's Growth
Leonteq AG has reduced its earnings per share by 18% a year over the last three years. Its revenue is down 44% over the previous year.
Few shareholders would be pleased to read that EPS have declined. And the impression is worse when you consider revenue is down year-on-year. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO. Historical performance can sometimes be a good indicator on what's coming up next but if you want to peer into the company's future you might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.
Has Leonteq AG Been A Good Investment?
The return of -37% over three years would not have pleased Leonteq AG shareholders. So shareholders would probably want the company to be less generous with CEO compensation.
In Summary...
Along with the business performing poorly, shareholders have suffered with poor share price returns on their investments, suggesting that there's little to no chance of them being in favor of a CEO pay raise. At the upcoming AGM, they can question the management's plans and strategies to turn performance around and reassess their investment thesis in regards to the company.
We can learn a lot about a company by studying its CEO compensation trends, along with looking at other aspects of the business. We identified 4 warning signs for Leonteq (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
Important note: Leonteq is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.
