Alphabet 2018 proxy recommendations. Alphabet is run by an Oligarchy. Will $GOOG overlords give up their position as a dictatorship? Are companies governed by dictatorships and oligarchies healthy for democratic governments? Shareholders can vote for change. Alphabet Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides online advertising services in the United States and internationally. Most shareholders do not vote […]
First Hawaiian, Inc. (FHB) operates as a bank holding company for First Hawaiian Bank that provides a range of banking services to consumer and commercial customers in the United States. Although First Hawaiian is controlled by BNP Paribas (“BNPP”), it is still worth it for non-controlling shareholders to vote and express our wishes because of […]
Starbucks Corp (SBUX), operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of specialty coffee worldwide. Most shareholders do not vote because reading through 70 pages of the proxy is not worth the time for the small difference your vote will make. Below, I tell you how I am voting and why. If you have read these posts […]
The Walt Disney Company (DIS), operates as an entertainment company worldwide. Most shareholders don’t vote because reading through 74 pages of the proxy AND many more pages of appendices is not worth the time for the small difference your vote will make. Below, I tell you how I am voting and why. If you have read […]
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), operates as a pharmacy-led health and wellbeing company. It operates through three segments: Retail Pharmacy USA, Retail Pharmacy International, and Pharmaceutical Wholesale. Walgreens opposes giving shareholders more effective proxy access to enable us to place nominees on our company’s ballot. Additionally, Walgreens opposes lowering the threshold to enable shareholders to call […]
$UNFI, United Natural Foods, Inc. distributes natural, organic, and specialty foods and non-food products in the United States and Canada. The company operates through three divisions: Wholesale, Retail, and Manufacturing and Branded Products. $UNFI opposes giving shareholders effective rights to allow shareholders to call a special meeting and opposes putting change-in-control agreements to a shareholder […]
The Clorox Company, CLX, manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Cleaning, Household, Lifestyle, and International. CLX opposes giving shareholders effective proxy access to enable us to place nominees on our company’s ballot. Shareholders have no right to act by written consent. It takes 25% of shareholders to call […]
Reeds, Inc fights to deepen its a democratic-free zone through dilutions to strengthen the grip of insiders and by opposing proxy access. They are headed for private control, while keeping the company public. Last year, the founder picked a new board. Is it really independent? Reeds, Inc (REED) develops, manufactures, markets, and sells natural non-alcoholic […]
FedEx Fights for a democratic-free zone @ 9/25/2017 annual meeting. Seeks to maintain fake proxy access; refuses to disclose lobbying payments; wants to continue to monitor say-on-pay vote to lobby those who vote against; wants to disrespect human rights where allowed by state laws. FedEx Corporation provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services worldwide. FedEx is […]
Williams-Sonoma Proxy Voting Guide by CorpGov.net. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM) operates as a multi-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. Williams-Sonoma is one of the stocks in my portfolio. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of one fund family when I checked and voted. Their annual meeting is coming up on May 31, 2017. I voted AGAINST #5 lite proxy access, […]
Chipotle Proxy Voting Guide by CorpGov.net. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG), together with its subsidiaries, develops and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. As of December 31, 2016, the company operated 2,198 Chipotle restaurants throughout the United States, as well as 29 international Chipotle restaurants; and 23 restaurants with non-Chipotle concepts. Chipotle is one of the stocks […]
PayPal Proxy Voting Guide by CorpGov.net. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) operates as a technology platform company that enables digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants worldwide. PayPal is one of the stocks in my portfolio. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of three fund families when I checked and voted. Their annual meeting is coming up on May […]
Twitter Proxy Voting Guide by CorpGov.net. Twitter, Inc. operates as a global platform for public self-expression and conversation in real-time. The company offers various products and services, including Twitter which allows users to create, distribute, and discover content; and Periscope, a mobile application that enables users to broadcast and watch videos live with others. Twitter […]
EllieMae, Inc. (ELLI) provides on-demand software solutions and services for the residential mortgage industry in the United States. EllieMae is one of the stocks in my portfolio. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of one fund family when I checked and voted. Their annual meeting is coming up on May 17, 2017, so vote now. I voted FOR #4 to declassify […]
Apple Inc. (NASD:AAPL) designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players to consumers, small and mid-sized businesses, and education, enterprise, and government customers worldwide. AAPL is one of the stocks in my portfolio. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two funds when I checked and voted. Their annual meeting is coming […]
Whole Foods Proxy Access, we have another chance to vote to make proxy access real before the annual meeting on February 17. Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASD:WFM) is a retailer of natural and organic foods and is one of the stocks in my portfolio. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of four funds when I checked and voted. I […]
Be Part of the SRI Movement A lack of affordable SRI investing solutions may incentivize some savvy investors to do their own research and purchase their own portfolio of individual stocks, but this is almost always a mistake. There is power in the SRI Movement. If you’re joining the SRI movement, it’s likely because you have a […]
United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI) is a distributor and retailer of natural, organic and specialty products. The Wholesale segment is engaged in the national distribution of natural, organic and specialty foods, produce and related products in the United States and Canada. The Other segment includes a retail division, which engages in the sale of natural foods […]
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), operates a technology company, develops, licenses, and supports software products, services, and devices worldwide. MSFT’s annual meeting is coming up on November 30, 2016. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of 3 fund families when I checked. Vote AGAINST pay, pay committee, stock plan. Vote FOR all other proxy items, especially my proposed amendments to proxy access […]
Reed’s Inc. (REED), develops, manufactures, markets and sells fantastic natural non-alcoholic carbonated soft drinks and other confectionaries, such as Reed’s Ginger Brews; Virgil’s Root Beer, Cream Sodas, Dr. Better and Real Cola, including ZERO diet sodas; Culture Club Kombucha; China Colas; Reed’s Ginger candy and ice creams, and Sonoma Sparkler and other juice based products. Their […]
Clorox Company (CLX), operates through four segments: Cleaning – laundry, home care and professional products. Household – charcoal, cat litter and plastic bags, wraps and container products. Lifestyle – food products, water-filtration systems and filters, and natural personal care products. International many of the same consumer brands. Their annual meeting is coming up on November 16, 2016. ProxyDemocracy.org had […]
FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services in the United States and internationally. Their annual meeting is coming up on September 26, 2016. Last day to vote is the 25th, unless you attend the meeting. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two fund families when I checked. Vote AGAINST pay, compensation committee; FOR all shareholder […]
STERIS Corporation (NYSE:STE) is a provider of infection prevention and other procedural products and services focused on healthcare, pharmaceutical and research. Steris is one of the stocks in my portfolio added at the end of 2008 for a gain to date of 182%. Their next annual meeting is August 27, 2015. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of one fund when I […]
In part 2 of a post on facilitating votes and activism by retail shareowners I continue to speculate on what could be done to improve the situation by recalling some of the better features of major efforts to date and possible improvements that would help conscientious shareowners. As Mark Latham reminded me after yesterday’s part 1, […]
Retail shareowners own about 1/3 of shares traded in the United States but vote only about 1/3 of the shares we own. As Nell Minow once quipped, “you can lead a shareholder to a lot of dense material, but you can’t make them read it.” (Video Friday: SEC Proxy Voting Roundtable) Our voting influence is much smaller […]
Operating as CookESG Research, Jackie Cook specializes in securities-related corporate disclosure analysis, particularly with respect to environmental and governance issues. We’ve updated our handy list of upcoming annual general meetings thanks to CookESG Research. (more…)
The revolution is being tweeted. Social media have enabled political uprisings in the Middle East, the global Occupy movement and even a swift blowback against banking fees in the United States. A logical (more…)
The Seattle-based Swedish Medical Center announced it received an unrestricted $100,000 gift from nationally known shareholder advocate Evelyn Y. Davis and the Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation. Since establishing her Foundation in 1989, Davis – who is from Washington, D.C. – has now made significant donations across the country to leading medical centers, nationally prominent universities, […]
You’ve read Gretchen Morgenson’s What Iceberg? Just Glide to the Next Boardroom (NYTimes, 12/26/09) about failing directors moving to other boards, now what? CorpGov.net offers advice on action you can take.
Mutual Funds: Pass Through Voting? Various studies have shown that mutual funds often place their own interest in asset gathering ahead of their fiduciary duties. After studying proxy voting by US funds, Jennifer S. Taub (of UMass) concludes one option might be to “borrow from British reforms by creating a uniform set of best practices […]
Yes, the huge California teachers fund is moving into a beautiful new headquarters building along the Sacramento River on June 22, but more importantly they are also taken what Gary Lutin, of the Shareholder Forum, says is "a major step in the development of a clearinghouse for shareholder voting recommendations." CalSTRS has become the first […]
Rank Fund Family Score 1 (tie) Templeton 7 1 (tie) Oppenheimer 7 3 (tie) T. Rowe Price 7.67 3 (tie) AIM 7.67 5 (tie) Schwab 8 5 (tie) JP Morgan 8 7 Janus 9 8 American Century 10.67 9 Legg Mason 11 10 Federated 11.33 11 Franklin 11.67 12 Morgan Stanley 13 13 Van Kampen […]
Yippee-i-o-ki-ay! From the conference flyer, I half expected Will Pryor, Director of the IAFF Local 1014 and conference “go-to” guy, to show up in chaps, especially with his e-mail encouraging attendees to dress casually. Well, maybe next year. Suits and jackets prevailed in the fashion arena but there was little in the way of pretense […]
India’s Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will offer financial help, as “investor education and related activities,” to select investor rights groups fighting court battles against listed companies and market intermediaries such as brokerages. “Funding will be considered on a case-to-case basis,” said a senior Sebi official, who did not want to be identified. […]