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In the past three years, the share price of Barnes Group Inc. (NYSE:B) has struggled to generate growth for its shareholders. However, what is unusual is that EPS growth has been positive, suggesting that the share price has diverged from fundamentals. Shareholders may want to question the board on the future direction of the company at the upcoming AGM on 07 May 2021. They could also influence management through voting on resolutions such as executive remuneration. We discuss below why we think shareholders should be cautious of approving a raise for the CEO at the moment.
View our latest analysis for Barnes Group
Comparing Barnes Group Inc.'s CEO Compensation With the industry
According to our data, Barnes Group Inc. has a market capitalization of US$2.6b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$8.2m over the year to December 2020. This means that the compensation hasn't changed much from last year. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at US$720k.
On examining similar-sized companies in the industry with market capitalizations between US$2.0b and US$6.4b, we discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was US$5.5m. This suggests that Patrick Dempsey is paid more than the median for the industry. Furthermore, Patrick Dempsey directly owns US$19m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success.
| Component | 2020 | 2019 | Proportion (2020) |
| Salary | US$720k | US$894k | 9% |
| Other | US$7.4m | US$7.4m | 91% |
| Total Compensation | US$8.2m | US$8.3m | 100% |
On an industry level, around 19% of total compensation represents salary and 81% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Barnes Group allocates a smaller portion of compensation to salary in comparison to the broader industry. If non-salary compensation dominates total pay, it's an indicator that the executive's salary is tied to company performance.
Barnes Group Inc.'s Growth
Over the past three years, Barnes Group Inc. has seen its earnings per share (EPS) grow by 3.9% per year. Its revenue is down 25% over the previous year.
We would argue that the lack of revenue growth in the last year is less than ideal, but the modest EPS growth gives us some relief. In conclusion we can't form a strong opinion about business performance yet; but it's one worth watching. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.
Has Barnes Group Inc. Been A Good Investment?
Given the total shareholder loss of 7.0% over three years, many shareholders in Barnes Group Inc. are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.