Shareholders May Be Wary Of Increasing Mister Car Wash, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:MCW) CEO Compensation Package

Key Insights

• Mister Car Wash's Annual General Meeting to take place on 22nd of May
• Salary of US$1.00m is part of CEO John Lai's total remuneration
• The total compensation is similar to the average for the industry
• Mister Car Wash's EPS declined by 7.0% over the past three years while total shareholder loss over the past three years was 34%

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Shareholders will probably not be too impressed with the underwhelming results at Mister Car Wash, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCW) recently. Shareholders will be interested in what the board will have to say about turning performance around at the next AGM on 22nd of May. This will be also be a chance where they can challenge the board on company direction and vote on resolutions such as executive remuneration. From our analysis, we think CEO compensation may need a review in light of the recent performance.

See our latest analysis for Mister Car Wash

Comparing Mister Car Wash, Inc.'s CEO Compensation With The Industry

According to our data, Mister Car Wash, Inc. has a market capitalization of US$2.5b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$6.7m over the year to December 2024. Notably, that's a decrease of 18% over the year before. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at US$1.0m.

On comparing similar companies from the American Consumer Services industry with market caps ranging from US$2.0b to US$6.4b, we found that the median CEO total compensation was US$6.1m. From this we gather that John Lai is paid around the median for CEOs in the industry. Moreover, John Lai also holds US$54m worth of Mister Car Wash stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company.

Component	2024	2023	Proportion (2024)
Salary	US$1.0m	US$1.0m	15%
Other	US$5.7m	US$7.2m	85%
Total Compensation	US$6.7m	US$8.2m	100%

Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 24% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 76% of the pie. In Mister Car Wash's case, non-salary compensation represents a greater slice of total remuneration, 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.

A Look at Mister Car Wash, Inc.'s Growth Numbers

Over the last three years, Mister Car Wash, Inc. has shrunk its earnings per share by 7.0% per year. It achieved revenue growth of 8.2% over the last year.

Overall this is not a very positive result for shareholders. The modest increase in revenue in the last year isn't enough to make us overlook the disappointing change in EPS. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..

Has Mister Car Wash, Inc. Been A Good Investment?

The return of -34% over three years would not have pleased Mister Car Wash, Inc. shareholders. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.

To Conclude...

Given that shareholders haven't seen any positive returns on their investment, not to mention the lack of earnings growth, this may suggest that few of them would be willing to award the CEO with a pay rise. At the upcoming AGM, management will get a chance to explain how they plan to get the business back on track and address the concerns from investors.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. That's why we did some digging and identified 1 warning sign for Mister Car Wash that you should be aware of before investing.

Important note: Mister Car Wash is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.