As the 2018 proxy season is now gaining full speed, the first group of the required CEO-to-median employee pay ratio disclosures have made their eagerly-awaited debut. Gibson Dunn has been tracking all required pay ratio disclosures by S&P 500 and Fortune 100 companies and, while still early, there are a number of key observations and emerging trends from the filings to date.
Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings
Corp Fin Clarifies Non-GAAP Guidance in the Business Combination Context
On October 17, 2017, the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff”) issued one new Compliance & Disclosure Interpretation (“C&DI”) and revised an existing C&DI addressing the disclosure of forward-looking financial measures in the business combination context. These two C&DIs seek to clarify the Staff’s position as to when:
SEC Staff Grants No-Action Request Concurring with Exclusion of Shareholder Proposal On Virtual-Only Annual Meetings
In recent years, an increasing number of companies have opted to hold annual shareholder meetings exclusively online. These annual meetings are commonly referred to as “virtual-only annual meetings”. In a decision critical for companies that currently hold or are contemplating switching to virtual-only annual meetings, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC Staff”) recently issued a no-action letter permitting a company to exclude a shareholder proposal that objected to virtual-only annual meetings. Specifically, the shareholder proposal requested that the company’s board adopt a policy to initiate or restore in-person annual meetings. The SEC Staff concurred that the proposal could be excluded under Rule 14a-8(i)(7) on the grounds that the decision whether to hold in-person annual meetings is related to the company’s ordinary business operations because the proposal “relates to the determination of whether to hold annual meetings in person.” The SEC Staff’s decision is not yet available on the SEC’s website.
First-Come, First-Served: Enrollment Opens for Glass Lewis 2017 Issuer Data Report Program
On November 17, Glass Lewis announced that it has opened enrollment for its 2017 Issuer Data Report (IDR) program. The IDR program enables public companies to access (for free!) a data-only version of the Glass Lewis Proxy Paper report prior to Glass Lewis completing its analysis and recommendations relating to public company annual shareholders meetings. Glass Lewis does not provide drafts of its voting recommendations report to issuers it reviews, so the IDR is the only way for issuers to confirm the accuracy of the data before Glass Lewis’ voting recommendations are distributed to its clients. Moreover, unlike Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), Glass Lewis does not provide each issuer with complimentary access to the final voting recommendations for its annual shareholders meeting. IDRs feature key data points used in Glass Lewis’ corporate governance analysis, such as information on directors, auditors and their fees, summary compensation data and equity plans, among others. The IDR is not a preview of the final Glass Lewis analysis as no voting recommendations are included. Each participating public company receives its IDR approximately three weeks prior to its annual shareholders meeting and generally has 48 hours to review the IDR for accuracy and provide corrections, including supporting public documents, to Glass Lewis. Participation is limited to a specified number of companies, and enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrollment closes on January 6, 2017, or as soon as the annual limit is reached. To learn more about the IDR program and sign up to receive a copy of the 2017 IDR for your company, go to https://www.meetyl.com/issuer_data_report.
New SEC Staff C&DI Permits Website Posting of Annual Reports in Lieu of Filing Hard Copies with SEC
A new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation (C&DI) affords companies relief from the requirement to file seven hard copies of the annual report to shareholders with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Under the C&DI, which was issued yesterday, companies may now satisfy this requirement by posting the annual report on their corporate websites, as long as it remains available on the site for one year. The C&DI is available here and excerpted below.
Schedule 13G “Passive” Investor Status – When Being A Little Active Is Still Passive!
On Thursday, July 14, 2016, the Staff in the Division of Corporation Finance posted a new C&DI on Section 13(d) that provides stockholders (and issuers) with some helpful insights, and perhaps greater clarity, on when significant stockholders can engage in a dialogue with management and still remain on Schedule 13G. As many practitioners know, Schedule 13G (the “short form” for reporting beneficial ownership of equity positions of 5% or more) often requires an affirmative certification from the reporting person(s) that the securities were not acquired, and are not held, with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing control of the issuer. This is commonly referred to as the “passive” investor certification which is set forth at the end of Schedule 13G, directly above the signature line.
NASDAQ Proposes Disclosure of Third-Party Compensation for Directors and Nominees
NASDAQ has proposed changes to its listing standards to require disclosure of third-party compensation arrangements for directors and nominees. After withdrawing an initial proposal on this subject, NASDAQ has revised the proposal, and it has been published in the Federal Register for public comment. Comments are due on or before April 26, 2016. The proposal is available here, and a redline showing proposed changes to the rule text begins on page 21 of the document. Under amendments NASDAQ is proposing to Rule 5250(b), NASDAQ companies would have to disclose all agreements and arrangements between any director, or director nominee, and any third party that provide for compensation or other payments in connection with the individual’s candidacy or service as a director. The proposed rule would be construed broadly to apply to both compensation and other forms of payment, such as health insurance. The disclosure requirement would not apply to reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with serving as a nominee. The proposal also addresses the following aspects of the proposed disclosure requirement: