How Should Investors Feel About Perficient, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PRFT) CEO Pay?

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In 2009 Jeff Davis was appointed CEO of Perficient, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRFT). This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

See our latest analysis for Perficient

How Does Jeff Davis's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

Our data indicates that Perficient, Inc. is worth US$1.0b, and total annual CEO compensation is US$5.2m. (This number is for the twelve months until December 2018). That's a notable increase of 37% on last year. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at US$622k. When we examined a selection of companies with market caps ranging from US$400m to US$1.6b, we found the median CEO total compensation was US$2.7m.

It would therefore appear that Perficient, Inc. pays Jeff Davis more than the median CEO remuneration at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this fact alone doesn't mean the remuneration is too high. We can get a better idea of how generous the pay is by looking at the performance of the underlying business.

You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Perficient has changed over time.

Is Perficient, Inc. Growing?

Perficient, Inc. has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 4.5% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 3.2%.

I'd prefer higher revenue growth, but I'm happy with the modest EPS growth. Considering these factors I'd say performance has been pretty decent, though not amazing. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.

Has Perficient, Inc. Been A Good Investment?

I think that the total shareholder return of 46%, over three years, would leave most Perficient, Inc. shareholders smiling. As a result, some may believe the CEO should be paid more than is normal for companies of similar size.

In Summary...

We compared the total CEO remuneration paid by Perficient, Inc., and compared it to remuneration at a group of similar sized companies. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group.

While we generally prefer to see stronger EPS growth, there's no arguing with the strong returns to shareholders, over the last three years. Considering this fine result for investors, we daresay the CEO compensation might be apt. CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting to check if the CEO is buying or selling Perficient (free visualization of insider trades).

Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.