As many shareholders of Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) will be aware, they have not made a gain on their investment in the past three years. Despite positive EPS growth in the past few years, the share price hasn't tracked the fundamental performance of the company. These are some of the concerns that shareholders may want to bring up at the next AGM held on 19 May 2021. They could also try to influence management and firm direction through voting on resolutions such as executive remuneration and other company matters. We discuss below why we think shareholders should be cautious of approving a raise for the CEO at the moment.

See our latest analysis for Investar Holding

Comparing Investar Holding Corporation's CEO Compensation With the industry

Our data indicates that Investar Holding Corporation has a market capitalization of US$230m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as US$1.1m for the year to December 2020. Notably, that's an increase of 14% over the year before. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at US$517k.

On examining similar-sized companies in the industry with market capitalizations between US$100m and US$400m, we discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was US$772k. This suggests that John D'Angelo is paid more than the median for the industry. Furthermore, John D'Angelo directly owns US$3.9m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success.

Speaking on an industry level, nearly 42% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 58% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Investar Holding pays out a greater portion of remuneration through salary, compared to the industry. If non-salary compensation dominates total pay, it's an indicator that the executive's salary is tied to company performance.

A Look at Investar Holding Corporation's Growth Numbers

Investar Holding Corporation's earnings per share (EPS) grew 22% per year over the last three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 20%.

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's a real positive to see this sort of revenue growth in a single year. That suggests a healthy and growing business. Historical performance can sometimes be a good indicator on what's coming up next but if you want to peer into the company's future you might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.

Has Investar Holding Corporation Been A Good Investment?

Given the total shareholder loss of 14% over three years, many shareholders in Investar Holding Corporation are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.

In Summary...

Shareholders have not seen their shares grow in value, rather they have seen their shares decline. The fact that the stock price hasn't grown along with earnings may indicate that other issues may be affecting that stock. Shareholders would probably be keen to find out what are the other factors could be weighing down the stock. At the upcoming AGM, shareholders will get the opportunity to discuss any issues with the board, including those related to CEO remuneration and assess if the board's plan will likely improve performance in the future.

If you think CEO compensation levels are interesting you will probably really like this free visualization of insider trading at Investar Holding.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a different set of stocks. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.

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