As reported by the Wall Street Journal (Apple Offers Proxy Access) and the Financial Times (Campaigners hail Apple shareholder move), Apple adopts proxy access. Yes, that’s progress, but we shouldn’t be gushing in praise over proxy access lite. See Apple bylaws, pages 18-26, 5.15 Proxy Access for Director Nominations. Compare with the Council of Institutional Investors’ (CII) Best Practices. […]
Women in California companies continue to make slight progress. More of California’s largest 400 public companies public companies than ever have women chief executive officers (CEOs), and fewer have no women in their C-suites and boardrooms. However, the annual University of California, Davis, study shows women still hold just one in eight of the senior […]
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) designs, manufactures, and sells Internet Protocol (IP) based networking products and services related to the communications and information technology industry worldwide. Cisco is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is on November 19, 2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of four funds when I checked. I voted with the Board’s recommendations 50% […]
Many readers refer to and rely on QuickScores issued by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). It is in our interest to have those scores calculated using the best available data. Issuers have until Friday, 11/13/2015, 8 pm ET to submit updates and corrections through the ISS verification process. New scores are expected to be released on […]
ISS’s 2015-2016 global voting policy survey indicate investors are prepared to vote against directors at companies that ignore shareholders wishes and adopt proxy access mechanisms with overly burdensome ownership requirements. An overwhelming majority of investors said ISS should issue negative director recommendations if a shareholder proposal to provide proxy access receives majority support and a […]
Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) provides consumer packaged goods and is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their next annual meeting is October 13, 2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of four funds when I checked and voted. I voted with the Board’s recommendations 56% of the time. View Proxy Statement. Read Warnings below. What follows are my recommendations on how to vote […]
Attention everyone who thinks ISS has too much say over how proxies are voted. It might be a good time for you to see how those policies are actually developed. No, ISS doesn’t develop its policies by reviewing all the academic research to determine which types of proxy proposals create value or are correlated with […]
Ocata Therapeutics Inc (NASD:OCAT), formerly Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a promising biotechnology company engaged in the development and commercialization of human pluripotent stem cell technology in the field of regenerative medicine. The company is one of the stocks in my portfolio, purchased about a year ago. Their next annual meeting is July 22, 2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had nothing on the company […]
LinkedIn Corporation (LNKD), together with its subsidiaries, operates an online professional network worldwide. It is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 6/3/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of two funds when I checked and voted on 5/28/2015. I voted with management 17% of the time and assigned LinkedIn Corporation a proxy score of 17. […]
PDL BioPharma Inc (NASD:PDLI), one of the stocks in my portfolio, manages a portfolio of patents and royalty assets in the United States and Europe. The company is involved in the humanization of monoclonal antibodies and the discovery of a new generation of targeted treatments for cancer and immunologic diseases. Their annual meeting is coming up […]
Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD), one of the stocks in my portfolio, sells a wide assortment of building materials, home improvement products and lawn and garden products and provides a number of services. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/21/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of four funds when I checked and voted on 5/14/2015. I voted with management 79% […]
American Tower Corp (NYSE:AMT), one of the stocks in my portfolio, operates and develops wireless and broadcast communications real estate with a portfolio of over 87,000 communications sites. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/20/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of one fund when I checked and voted on 5/13/2015. I voted with management 60% of the time and assigned […]
3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) is one of the stocks in my portfolio. The Company is a provider of three-dimensional (3D) printing centric solutions. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/19/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of 0 funds when I checked and voted on 5/10/2015. I voted with management 67% of the time and assigned 3D Systems a proxy score of […]
Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Union Pacific is primarily a railroad operator. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/14/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of two funds when I checked and voted on 5/7/2015. I voted with management 50% of the time and assigned Union Pacific a proxy score of 50. View Proxy Statement. Read Warnings below. What follows are […]
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Chipotle Mexican Grill develops and operates fast-casual, fresh Mexican food restaurants throughout the U.S., which serve a focused menu of healthy burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads. The company also has restaurants in Canada, England, France and Germany. Their annual meeting is coming up […]
3M Co (MMM), which operates as a diversified technology company worldwide, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/12/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of four funds when I checked and voted on 5/7/2015. I voted with management 58% of the time and assigned 3M a proxy score of 58. View Proxy Statement. […]
NRG Energy Inc $NRG is one of the stocks in my portfolio. They are an integrated wholesale power generation and retail electricity company in the United States. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/7/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of funds when I checked and voted on 4/29/2015. I voted with management 69% of the time and assigned NRG […]
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY), which is engaged in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of biopharmaceutical products on a global basis, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 5/5/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of four funds when I checked and voted on 4/30/2015. I voted with management 46% of […]
Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) is one of the stocks in my portfolio. They offer a comprehensive selection of merchandise, which include equine, livestock, pet and small animal products; hardware, truck, towing and tool products; seasonal products, including lawn and garden items, power equipment, gifts and toys; maintenance products for agricultural and rural use, and work/recreational clothing and […]
EMC Corporation (EMC), which develops, delivers, and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure technologies, solutions, and services, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 4/30/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of three funds (I added CalSTRS) when I checked and voted on 4/26/2015. I voted with management 56% of the time and assigned […]
Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB), which manufactures and markets personal care, consumer tissue, and K-C professional products, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 4/30/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of four funds when I checked and voted on 4/24/2015. I voted with management 57% of the time and assigned Kimberly Clark a proxy […]
Fluor Corporation (FLR), which provides engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication and modularization, commissioning and maintenance, and project management services worldwide, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 4/30/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of one fund when I checked and voted on 4/23/2015. I voted with management 64% of the time and assigned Fluor […]
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (BIO), which manufactures and supplies products and systems used to separate complex chemical and biological materials, as well as to identify, analyze, and purify their components for life science research, healthcare, analytical chemistry, and other markets, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 4/28/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote […]
General Electric Company (GE), which operates as an infrastructure and financial services company worldwide, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 4/22/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of two funds when I checked and voted on 4/15/2015. I voted with management 57% of the time and assigned General Electric a proxy score […]
NCR Corporation (NCR), which provides solutions and services that enable businesses to connect, interact, and transact with their customers worldwide, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 4/22/2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had the vote of one fund when I checked and voted on 4/14/2015. I voted with management 50% of the time and assigned […]
FirstMerit (FMER) included a management proposal for proxy access in their annual meeting agenda and excluded a shareholder proposal on the same topic from the Firefighter’s Pension System of the City of Kansas City with a higher cap on nominees. See Proposal #4 Proxy Access. What was even more startling in the ‘news’ from an […]
Starbucks Corporation $SBUX, which operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of specialty coffee worldwide, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 3/18/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of four funds (now more) when I checked and voted on 3/8/2015. I voted with management 81% of the time and assigned Starbucks a […]
Update: Preliminary voting results indicate that our proxy access proposal got 39% of the vote. Yes, the proposal could have been worded to more closely conform to the Rule 14a-11 standards. Hopefully, Apple got the message and will propose a “best practices” revision of their articles and bylaws as needed for the 2016 annual meeting. […]
The Walt Disney Company $DIS, which operates as a worldwide entertainment company, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 3/12/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of four funds when I checked and voted on 3/8/2015. I voted with management 79% of the time and assigned them a proxy score of 79. View Proxy […]
Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM), which designs, develops, manufactures, and markets digital communications products and services in China, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 3/9/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of four funds when I checked and voted on 3/2/2015. I voted with management 89% of […]
Berry Plastics Group Inc. (BERY), which manufactures and distributes plastic consumer packaging and engineered materials in North America and internationally, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 3/4/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had the votes of only one fund when I checked and voted on 3/1/2015. However, I was able to find the votes […]
Disclaimer: I’m sharing a few notes from Directors Forum 2015 held at San Diego University beginning 2/25/2015 and ending 2/27/2015. The Forum is held under the Chatham House Rule, so you won’t read any juicy tidbits here. However, I do hope to give readers some flavor of the topics discussed and a little on the general range […]
On January 12, 2015, Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance hosted a panel discussion called “The Rise of Controlled Corporations.” Unfortunately, this is one program at the Rock Center that I missed. With Alibaba’s recent IPO on NYSE (instead of Hong Kong or China), the “one-share, one-vote” corporate governance standard has once again been challenged. […]
A new study finds that economic value creation is not a major factor in institutional investors’ Say-on-Pay voting, nor in the recommendations of the two largest proxy advisors that counsel investors how to vote. The research reveals that there is no material difference between institutional investors’ Say-on-Pay voting for those companies that create economic value […]
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) , which distributes and retails natural, organic, and specialty foods, as well as non-food products primarily in the United States and Canada, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 12/17/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org was down when I checked and voted on 12/14/2014. I hope they are able to obtain […]