The Advisors' Blog

While some CEO special grants have rightfully garnered a lot of attention, this recent report from ISS-Corporate, “Special Grants: Who Gets Them and How Much?“, concluded that CEO non-cash special equity awards are typically used sparingly and in relatively modest amounts. In 2022, only 10% of Russell 3000 companies gave special grants to CEOs. Among the S&P 500, the median value was around $4.5 million.

The most common form of special award was a sign-on grant in connection with the appointment of a new CEO. 44% of new CEOs at Russell 3000 companies received a special grant while only 4% of incumbent CEOs were so lucky. Special grants were much more common if the new CEO was an external hire. Check out the full report (available for download) for more information — including detailed data by index.

– Meredith Ervine