New Report: Trends to Watch This Proxy Season

The push for proxy access has largely run its course; environmental proposals down so far.

NEW YORK, NY – The 2017 proxy season is underway, and early trends have already begun to emerge. A new report from the Manhattan Institute’s Proxy Monitor highlights early developments and previews upcoming meetings to watch as the season goes into full swing.

Authors James R. Copland and Margaret O’Keefe find that so far in 2017:

• No shareholder proposal has received majority—or even 40 percent—support of shareholders.
• The number of environmental proposals is down so far this year, but the authors predict that will soon change when the large oil and gas companies hold their meetings in May. Last year’s proxy season saw an uptick in support for such proposals, though no such proposal has received majority support over board opposition.
• The push for proxy access has largely run its course at the Fortune 250. Most proxy-access measures up for consideration this year seek revisions to companies’ existing proxy-access rules.

Click here to read the full report.