RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:No distribution raise in 9 years?PaulKing wrote: Well, a couple of facts were mis-represented in your comments. I just spent time looking on SEDAR, and correct as follows:
1) In April of 2010, they paid a distribution of $.08. In May, it was reduced to $.07, and has been that amount for the past 11 years... and still is. It was never higher than that, and has not changed in all that time.
2) In the Nov. 17 2020 "Management Information Circular", which you can read on SEDAR, the following statement was made regarding CEO compensation:
"Pending such new arrangements, in the first quarter of 2020 and at the recommendation of the CGN Committee, the Board approved a one-time extraordinary cash bonus of $6,795,576 to NWVP for 2019, which represents approximately $1,360,000 for each of the five years Mr. Dalla Lana was not compensated for his role as CEO".
Regarding his ongoing compensation, again I quote:
"At the same time, the Board and Mr. Dalla Lana agreed that he would receive a base salary of $1.25 million and participate in the Incentive Plan on a go-forward basis."
In the end, the proof is in the pudding. The size of the pudding bowl has stayed the same for 11 years! It would appear with this company that they exist solely for the benefit of the insiders. The more information I obtained, the more this seems to be the case. I have been down this path with other companies (two examples: Rogers Sugar and Crombie REIT). I have learned my lesson. Good luck to all
I only talked about 2017-2020 but you're right, back at some point in the past, they've reduced the dividend.
As to the CEO (Dalla Lana), I missed the part in the last management circular about receiving a salary going forward but mentionned his $6.7M award. That being said, since he owns 27.3M shares, he already gets $21.8M per year from dividends, so the salary is a pittance in comparison. Dalla Lana would benefit the most from higher dividends but his focus is on building a stronger, more robust REIT, which so far he has achieved (despite the net cashflows staying at the same level). The market has noticed and gives NWH a better valuation than in the past.
I'm okay with that direction, as long as it pushes the share price forward due to a lower cap rate for the REIT.
If, as you propose, the insider (Dalla Lana) really wanted to profit from the REIT, they could raise the dividend to an unsustainable level, driving share price down, and he could use the money from the dividend to take NWH private cheaply. This would be unethical, but it's pretty much what Brookfield was trying to do with BPY.