H Partners Management, LLC (“H Partners”), the largest shareholder of
Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (the “Company” or “Tempur Sealy”)
(NYSE: TPX) with an approximate 10% stake, today announced that proxy
advisory firms Glass Lewis & Co. (“Glass Lewis”) and Proxy Mosaic, LLC
(“Proxy Mosaic”) have both issued reports recommending that Tempur Sealy
shareholders vote “AGAINST” the re-election of the following directors
at the 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 8, 2015:
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Mark Sarvary, President and Chief Executive Officer
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P. Andrews McLane, Chairman of the Board
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Christopher A. Masto, Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee
Usman Nabi of H Partners said, “It is notable that three proxy advisory
firms all recommend voting exactly in-line with our campaign. We urge
shareholders to follow the recommendations of ISS, Glass Lewis and Proxy
Mosaic and send a clear message to the Board by voting against these
directors today.”
In their reports issued on April 24, 2015, Glass Lewis and Proxy Mosaic
criticized Tempur Sealy’s weak financial performance and poor corporate
governance and endorsed H Partners’ framework to reinvigorate
leadership*:
Weak Financial Performance Overseen by CEO Mark
Sarvary
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“Ultimately, we believe shareholders seeking to mitigate the decidedly
negative impact associated with more recent portions of Mr. Sarvary's
tenure – which have, again, been marked by strategic miscalculations,
poor cost controls, lackluster integration efforts, faulty guidance,
damaged investor confidence and clear underperformance – must actively
effect significant change at the board level.” – Glass Lewis
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“…incumbent management fails to meaningfully deflect concerns
regarding Tempur Sealy's relatively poor share price performance,
eroding margins and wide earnings misses, all of which appear to stem
from a disconcertingly extensive series of strategic gaffes and
financial miscues.” – Glass Lewis
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“Despite Management’s lofty claims of ‘strong performance’ and
‘year-over-year improvements in important financial measures,’ CEO
Mark Sarvary’s tenure has been marked by declining performance and
decaying margins, threatening the Company’s competitive position as
the leader in the premium mattress sector.” – Proxy Mosaic
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“Worryingly, Management has a track record of consistently promising
the moon in terms of financial results, but subsequently failing to
deliver.” – Proxy Mosaic
Poor Corporate Governance Overseen by Directors P.
Andrews McLane and Christopher A. Masto
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“…we do believe the Dissident raises fair questions as to why Messrs.
Masto and McLane not only continue to serve as board members in lieu
of more experienced external candidates or direct shareholder
representatives, but also continue to serve in critical oversight
capacities…We fail to see how their continued service aligns with the
historical tenure of [TA Associates] and [Friedman Fleischer & Lowe]
nominees on public boards, or, much more importantly, how their
appointment to key board roles acts to the benefit of disinterested
investors, particularly after a period of marked operational decline
and poor share price performance.” – Glass Lewis
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“Rather than confront many of these issues with what we would regard
as objective, relative analyses and cogent explanations, we find the
board’s response is mired in selective analyses, half-step remedies
and continued assurances that there will be imminent value creation
for independent investors.” – Glass Lewis
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“…we would note Tempur Sealy’s pay-for-performance grade for fiscal
year 2014 is a D, primarily because the Company paid only moderately
less than its peers, but performed materially worse….we note Tempur
Sealy’s pay-for-performance grade dipped from a B for fiscal year 2011
to a C for fiscal year 2012, with a further drop to Ds in each of the
last two fiscal years. This trend is strongly consistent with Tempur
Sealy’s increasingly mediocre performance…and contributes to our
overarching concern that the board is not exercising sufficiently
thorough oversight on behalf of independent investors.” – Glass
Lewis
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“A poor corporate governance structure has neglected to hold Mr.
Sarvary accountable for numerous execution errors, such as the
continued expansion into tangential product lines and failed expansion
in Europe. The Company’s supposed ‘best-in-class’ corporate governance
consists largely of doing the bare minimum, and the Company’s lack of
oversight of related party and insider transactions raises significant
concerns.” – Proxy Mosaic
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“Mr. Masto and Mr. McLane are holdovers from when the Company was
private equity-owned, and their continued presence on the Board – long
after their firms have exited their respective investments – should
concern shareholders….The fact that both directors seem to be pursuing
a policy of personal enrichment at the expense of shareholders,
judging from their stock trading history, strengthens our conviction
that the pair do not provide an effective voice for the interests of
shareholders.” – Proxy Mosaic
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“Given the obvious competency gaps on the current Board, we do not see
[Directors Masto and McLane] adding any incremental value. Investors
would be better-served by removing Messrs. Masto and McLane and
‘making room’ for two truly independent candidates that will act in
the best interests of shareholders, rather than attempt to profit at
their expense.” – Proxy Mosaic
Endorsement of H Partners’ Framework
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“While we recognize H Partners’ solicitation framework is atypical, we
believe it is particularly necessary here, given that the sitting
directors have expressly backed both Mr. Sarvary’s continued service
and the pursuit of a forward operating strategy that appears to
display a fairly limited degree of hindsight. Given the Company's
well-documented struggles – particularly over the last three years –
we believe all investors would benefit from sending a clear message
that maintenance of the status quo represents an inadequate resolution
to the extensive concerns detailed by H Partners.” – Glass Lewis
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“The Dissident offers a compelling plan to unlock shareholder value by
making margins – not revenue – the primary focus. This is a
significant departure from current Management’s thinking, which has
pursued size at the expense of efficiency. A shakeup of the Board and
Management team, like the one H Partners pursued at Six Flags, should
be enough to enable Tempur Sealy to realize its undoubted
potential….In contrast to Management’s half-baked plan, the Dissident
presents a compelling plan to create shareholder value at the
Company.” – Proxy Mosaic
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“The Company’s assertion that the Dissident has ‘outlined no
constructive steps to enhance the Company’s strategy’ indicates either
a fundamental misunderstanding of the Dissident’s plan or a blatant
attempt to mislead shareholders into believing that H Partners is
somehow unprepared for the challenges at Tempur Sealy. On the
contrary, the Dissident has crafted a five-step plan to restore value
that suggests a strong grasp of not only the Company’s history of
strategic missteps but, more importantly, what actions must be taken
going forward….Shareholders should feel comfortable that the Dissident
has executed this blueprint before, to great effect.” – Proxy Mosaic
H Partners is urging shareholders of Tempur Sealy to vote the BLUE
proxy card “AGAINST” the re-election of Mark Sarvary, P. Andrews McLane,
and Christopher A. Masto.
Per Tempur Sealy’s Bylaws, any director who does not receive a majority
of the votes cast “for” his or her election must promptly tender his or
her resignation to the Board.
Additional information can be found at: www.FixTempurSealy.com.
If you need assistance in voting your shares or have other questions,
you can contact Innisfree M&A Incorporated, H Partners’ proxy solicitor,
at (212) 750-5833.
About H Partners Management
H Partners Management, LLC is an independent investment firm founded in
2005 based in New York City.
* Permission to quote third party reports and analysis was neither
sought nor obtained.
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