In 2015 Antoine de Saint-Affrique was appointed CEO of Barry Callebaut AG (VTX:BARN). First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at other large companies. 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 Barry Callebaut

How Does Antoine de Saint-Affrique's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, Barry Callebaut AG has a market capitalization of CHF12b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth CHF7.0m over the year to August 2019. We note that's an increase of 14% above last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at CHF1.6m. We note that more than half of the total compensation is not the salary; and performance requirements may apply to this non-salary portion. We took a group of companies with market capitalizations over CHF7.8b, and calculated the median CEO total compensation to be CHF5.4m. (We took a wide range because the CEOs of massive companies tend to be paid similar amounts - even though some are quite a bit bigger than others).

That means Antoine de Saint-Affrique receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a large company. While this data point isn't particularly informative alone, it gains more meaning when considered with business performance.

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

Is Barry Callebaut AG Growing?

Barry Callebaut AG has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 19% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 5.2%.

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's also good to see modest revenue growth, suggesting the underlying business is healthy. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

Has Barry Callebaut AG Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Barry Callebaut AG for providing a total return of 87% over three years. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

In Summary...

Antoine de Saint-Affrique is paid around what is normal the leaders of larger companies.

The company is growing earnings per share and total shareholder returns have been pleasing. Although the pay is a normal amount, some shareholders probably consider it fair or modest, given the good performance of the stock. So you may want to check if insiders are buying Barry Callebaut shares with their own money (free access).

Important note: Barry Callebaut may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.

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. Thank you for reading.