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Is uniQure N.V.'s (NASDAQ:QURE) CEO Pay Justified?

In 2016 Matt Kapusta was appointed CEO of uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE). This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. 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. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid.

View our latest analysis for uniQure

How Does Matt Kapusta's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

Our data indicates that uniQure N.V. is worth US$1.7b, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as US$4.1m for the year to December 2018. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at US$502k. We further remind readers that the CEO may face performance requirements to receive the non-salary part of the total compensation. We examined companies with market caps from US$1.0b to US$3.2b, and discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was US$4.1m.

So Matt Kapusta receives a similar amount to the median CEO pay, amongst the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.

You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at uniQure, below.

NasdaqGS:QURE CEO Compensation, September 30th 2019
NasdaqGS:QURE CEO Compensation, September 30th 2019

Is uniQure N.V. Growing?

uniQure N.V. has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 9.1% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). It saw its revenue drop 26% over the last year.

I generally like to see a little revenue growth, but the improvement in EPS is good. These two metric are moving in different directions, so while it's hard to be confident judging performance, we think the stock is worth watching. It could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.

Has uniQure N.V. Been A Good Investment?

Boasting a total shareholder return of 422% over three years, uniQure N.V. has done well by shareholders. As a result, some may believe the CEO should be paid more than is normal for companies of similar size.

In Summary...

Remuneration for Matt Kapusta is close enough to the median pay for a CEO of a similar sized company .

The company isn't showing particularly great growth, but shareholder returns have been pleasing. So we can conclude that on this analysis the CEO compensation seems pretty sound. Shareholders may want to check for free if uniQure insiders are buying or selling shares.

If you want to buy a stock that is better than uniQure, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.

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.

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. Thank you for reading.

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