Only five of Cincinnati’s publicly traded companies failed to boost shareholder wealth in 2016 and 18 of the top 20 delivered total shareholder returns above the 11.96 percent rate achieved by the S&P 500.
Total shareholder return represents the total change in stock price plus dividends paid to stockowners in the calendar year. The median rate among Cincinnati-based companies was 22.48 percent.
RELATED: Cincinnati bosses widened the gap on pay disparity in 2016
Financial companies and manufacturers dominate the list of the top 10. Eight of those 10 companies awarded CEO raises that were smaller than the percentage gains of shareholders for the year.
This is part of WCPO’s annual analysis of executive pay. This year’s searchable database includes details on cash and stock-based compensation totaling $403 million for 149 executives from 28 companies.
#10 Craig Lindner
American Financial Group, Inc.
Total shareholder return:
25.80%
2016 total compensation:
$9,752,845
#10 Carl Lindner III
American Financial Group, Inc.
Total shareholder return:
25.80%
2016 total compensation:
$9,736,384
#9 Steven Johnston
Cincinnati Financial Corporation
Total shareholder return:
31.85%
2016 total compensation:
$4,249,903
#8 Greg Carmichael
Fifth Third Bancorp
Total shareholder return:
37.85%
2016 total compensation:
$7,555,081
#7 Steven Foster
LCNB Corp.
Total shareholder return:
47.35%
2016 total compensation:
$341,900
#6 Thomas Goeke
Milacron Holdings Corp.
Total shareholder return:
48.92%
2016 total compensation:
$941,506
#5 Michael McDonnell
General Cable Corporation
Total shareholder return:
49.73%
2016 total compensation:
$4,089,954
#4 Joseph Hete
Air Transport Services Group, Inc.
Total shareholder return:
58.33%
2016 total compensation:
$2,282,131
#3 Claude Davis
First Financial Bancorp.
Total shareholder return:
62.34%
2016 total compensation:
$2,259,739
#2 Jeffrey Lang
CECO Environmental Corp.
Total shareholder return:
87.10%
2016 total compensation:
$1,322,236
#1 Roger Newport
AK Steel Holding Corporation
Total shareholder return:
355.80%
2016 total compensation:
$4,173,187
METHODOLOGY
WCPO obtained compensation data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, which pulled it from annual proxy statements companies filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, compensation data from the "summary compensation table" in each company's proxy document was analyzed. The pay category Changes in Pension Value was excluded from tabulations, because it is an actuarial estimate and does not reflect actual gains and losses. Some executives benefit from above-market interest rates in their pension plans. Those benefits, when disclosed, are counted as cash-based pay.
That data was combined with average worker salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report: May 2016 National Industry Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) data was also used to most closely match each company to determine average industry worker salary, although many companies actually compete in multiple categories. NAICS data is the standard used by federal agencies to classify businesses in order to collect, analyze and publish statistics tied to the U.S. economy.
Performance data for each company was supplied by S&P Global Market Intelligence, which pulled total shareholder return estimates over one year and three years for the fiscal year in which that company operates.
