Yahoo Finance Is Superior Energy Services, Inc.'s (NYSE:SPN) CEO Overpaid Relative To Its Peers?
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Dave Dunlap has been the CEO of Superior Energy Services, Inc. (NYSE:SPN) since 2010. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.
View our latest analysis for Superior Energy Services
How Does Dave Dunlap's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?
Our data indicates that Superior Energy Services, Inc. is worth US$253m, and total annual CEO compensation is US$6.7m. (This number is for the twelve months until December 2018). That's actually a decrease on the year before. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at US$850k. We examined companies with market caps from US$100m to US$400m, and discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was US$1.2m.
Thus we can conclude that Dave Dunlap receives more in total compensation than the median of a group of companies in the same market, and of similar size to Superior Energy Services, Inc.. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the pay is too high. We can get a better idea of how generous the pay is by looking at the performance of the underlying business.
The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Superior Energy Services has changed from year to year.
Is Superior Energy Services, Inc. Growing?
Over the last three years Superior Energy Services, Inc. has grown its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 54% per year (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 8.2%.
This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently. A good result. It's nice to see a little revenue growth, as this is consistent with healthy business conditions. It could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.
Has Superior Energy Services, Inc. Been A Good Investment?
With a three year total loss of 91%, Superior Energy Services, Inc. would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. So shareholders would probably think the company shouldn't be too generous with CEO compensation.
In Summary...
We compared total CEO remuneration at Superior Energy Services, Inc. with the amount paid at companies with a similar market capitalization. Our data suggests that it pays above the median CEO pay within that group.
However we must not forget that the EPS growth has been very strong over three years. However, the returns to investors are far less impressive, over the same period. Considering the per share profit growth, but keeping in mind the weak returns, we'd need more time to form a view on CEO compensation. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Superior Energy Services shares (free trial).
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.
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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.
