Shareholders May Be A Little Conservative With uniQure N.V.'s (NASDAQ:QURE) CEO Compensation For Now

CEO Matt Kapusta has done a decent job of delivering relatively good performance at uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE) recently. As shareholders go into the upcoming AGM on 16 June 2021, CEO compensation will probably not be their focus, but rather the steps management will take to continue the growth momentum. Here is our take on why we think the CEO compensation looks appropriate.

View our latest analysis for uniQure

Comparing uniQure N.V.'s CEO Compensation With the industry

At the time of writing, our data shows that uniQure N.V. has a market capitalization of US$1.7b, and reported total annual CEO compensation of US$4.5m for the year to December 2020. That's a notable increase of 9.3% on last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth acknowledging that the salary portion is lower, valued at US$585k.

On examining similar-sized companies in the industry with market capitalizations between US$1.0b and US$3.2b, we discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was US$4.7m. This suggests that uniQure remunerates its CEO largely in line with the industry average. Moreover, Matt Kapusta also holds US$6.5m worth of uniQure stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company.

Component	2020	2019	Proportion (2020)
Salary	US$585k	US$548k	13%
Other	US$3.9m	US$3.5m	87%
Total Compensation	US$4.5m	US$4.1m	100%

On an industry level, around 20% of total compensation represents salary and 80% is other remuneration. uniQure sets aside a smaller share of compensation for salary, in comparison to the overall industry. If total compensation is slanted towards non-salary benefits, it indicates that CEO pay is linked to company performance.

A Look at uniQure N.V.'s Growth Numbers

uniQure N.V. has reduced its earnings per share by 9.2% a year over the last three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 506%.

The decrease in EPS could be a concern for some investors. On the other hand, the strong revenue growth suggests the business is growing. It's hard to reach a conclusion about business performance right now. This may be one to watch. 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 uniQure N.V. Been A Good Investment?

uniQure N.V. has generated a total shareholder return of 3.8% over three years, so most shareholders wouldn't be too disappointed. Although, there's always room to improve. In light of that, investors might probably want to see an improvement on their returns before they feel generous about increasing the CEO remuneration.

To Conclude...

Although the company has performed relatively well, we still think there are some areas that could be improved. Despite robust revenue growth, until EPS growth improves, shareholders may be hesitant to increase CEO pay by too much.

It is always advisable to analyse CEO pay, along with performing a thorough analysis of the company's key performance areas. That's why we did our research, and identified 2 warning signs for uniQure (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock.

Switching gears from uniQure, if you're hunting for a pristine balance sheet and premium returns, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.

If you’re looking to trade uniQure, open an account with the lowest-cost* platform trusted by professionals, Interactive Brokers. Their clients from over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account. Promoted

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
^*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.