Should You Be Pleased About The CEO Pay At Calix Inc's (NYSE:CALX)

Carl Russo has been the CEO of Calix Inc (NYSE:CALX) since 2002. 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. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

View our latest analysis for Calix

How Does Carl Russo's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, Calix Inc has a market capitalization of US$551m, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth US$1.9m. We note that's an increase of 168% above last year. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations from US$200m to US$800m, and the median CEO compensation was US$1.6m.

So Carl Russo receives a similar amount to the median CEO pay, amongst the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.

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

Is Calix Inc Growing?

On average over the last three years, Calix Inc has shrunk earnings per share by 30% each year. In the last year, its revenue is down -8.0%.

Sadly for shareholders, earnings per share are actually down, over three years. This is compounded by the fact revenue is actually down on last year. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO.

You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

Has Calix Inc Been A Good Investment?

I think that the total shareholder return of 50%, over three years, would leave most Calix Inc shareholders smiling. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO is paid more than is normal for a company of its size.

In Summary...

Carl Russo is paid around what is normal the leaders of comparable size companies.

The company isn't growing earnings per share, but shareholder returns have been strong over the last three years. So we think most shareholders wouldn't be too worried about CEO compensation, which is close to the median for similar sized companies. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Calix Inc shares (free trial).

Of course, the past can be informative so you might be interested in considering this analytical visualization showing the company history of earnings and revenue.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.