The “Proxy Access Battlefront” has shifted once again, as reported by Ning Chiu of Davis Polk (The Proxy Access Battlefront for Next Season? SEC Staff Rejects Attempt to Exclude Proxy Access Shareholder Proposal). Chiu’s post captures the trajectory of proxy access amendment efforts. (more…)
Yesterday, several reporters asked me to comment on no-action requests and the SEC’s denial to Apple, as well as the Business Roundtable’s fanciful notions regarding the need for reform of the proxy proposal process. I am reluctant to give the Business Roundtable’s proposal, Modernizing the Shareholder Proposal Process, any more ink but will just touch on one […]
H & R Block Inc (NYSE:HRB, $HRB) provides tax preparation and banking services and is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their next annual meeting is September 8, 2016. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of one fund when I checked and voted but Proxy Insight had many more. I voted in favor of my suggested proxy access amendments to current bylaws […]
Cam C. Hoang, a Partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, warns that Staff denial of H&R Block Inc.’s request to exclude my proxy access proposal “discourages thoughtful, comprehensive discussions at the outset, since proponents may revisit the issues in subsequent years.” (SEC Denial of H&R Block’s Request to Exclude Proxy Access Proposal, The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate […]
There will be no rush to binding proxy access proposals, thanks to a July 21 denial of a no-action request filed by H&R Block. Corporations (HRB) continue with Wile E. Coyote type plots to derail genuine proxy access. See this incoming no-action request from Microsoft (MFST). However, in the case of H&R Block we foiled the […]
H & R Block Inc (NYSE:HRB) provides tax preparation and banking services and is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their next annual meeting is September 10, 2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of one fund when I checked and voted. I voted with the Board’s recommendations 67% of the time. View Proxy Statement. Read Warnings below. What follows are my […]
In response to proxy access proposals filed this year, both Whole Foods Market (WFM) and H&R Block (HRB) have adopted proxy access. While I had filed standard proposals seeking the ability of shareholders with 3% of shares held for 3 years to be able to nominate up to 25% of the board, both companies adopted […]
H&R Block Inc. (HRB) has informed me, without any attempt to negotiate terms over my submitted proposal, that their board has gone ahead and adopted proxy access bylaws. In their words: The key provisions included in the Company’s proxy access bylaw provision are substantially consistent with the Proposal. Given that the purpose of the Proposal […]
My wife and I don’t have the resources to or stock holdings to allow us to file 75 proxy access shareholder proposals, like New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s Boardroom Accountability Project. However, I have been writing about proxy access for 20 years and, together with Les Greenberg, filed the petition in 2002 with the […]
H&R Block $HRB, which provides tax preparation and related services to the general public, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their next annual meeting is September 11, 2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two funds when I checked and voted on 9/7/2014. I also checked the votes of OTPP and CalSTRS. All advance disclosers that I know of […]
H&R Block, Inc. $HRB is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 9/12/2013. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two funds when I checked on 9/6/2013 and again on 9/9/2013. I voted with management 53% of the time. View Proxy Statement. (more…)
The influential proxy analyst, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), recommends voting against Kenneth Steiner’s proxy access proposal at H&R Block (HRB) on 9/13 because it “could undermine the efforts of larger, long-term shareholders whose interests might better reflect those of the broader shareholder base.” Their logic appears flawed. Larger, longer-term shareowners would gain rights, not lose them, […]
H&R Block ($HRB) is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 9/13/2012. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two funds when I voted on 9/5/2012. I voted with management 40% of the time but in complete alignment with CalSTRS. I generally vote against pay packages where NEOs were paid above median in […]
After his victory at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), Ackman claimed “Directors are sitting up more straight and reading board materials more carefully and questioning the CEO more intently. That is a very, very good thing.” Who can argue with that? But will better posture, thorough reading of thousands of pages of board materials and asking more […]
The cartoon at left accompanied an article entitled Where are the funds? (Pensions & Investments, 3/5/2012) P&I lamented, “instead of sitting on the sidelines, activist investors should take advantage of the opportunity to file access proposals… proxy access proponents must be adventurous.” We are going to use the key; adventure is on the way. As I […]