Friday, November 1, 2019

Covington, Kentucky-Based Ashland Global Holdings Inc's Top-Tier Executives Average Annual Pay and Employee Benefits Increase Was a Blistering 19.0% Per Year During the Most Recent Five Years

The State of Kentucky is holding its 2019 Governor's election on November 5, 2019.

Thus I think it would be helpful to research the extent of income inequality expansion in the State of Kentucky in the most recent years.

So far in my research of large US Corporations I have shown that their Top-Tier Executives have been rewarded continually with just enormous annual increases in pay and employee benefits, mostly stock equity compensation, even to the extent that the key issue to US citizens should be the huge and continuing Income Inequality Expansion which is at the core of many critical problems the US faces.

There have been many US Government laws enacted in the past two decades that have substantially increased income inequality expansion including the year after year after year of annual furtive tax extenders of predominately special interests additional tax loopholes, which both the Democratic and Republican Establishments voted for under the radar screen every year just before calendar year end, but nothing was even close to being more income inequality expanding than the Trump Tax Cuts Act.

On the other hand, the only highly effective US Government law enacted by either party in the past two decades that has substantially reduced income inequality expansion is Obamacare.

My objective is to get a better handle on just why the US has such massive continuing Income Inequality Expansion ..... it appears to be predominantly about the relative long-term annual pay and employee benefits percentage increases for the executives of a Company vs the many non-executive employees of a Company, coupled with the stock price appreciation subsequent to the time the company executives were rewarded in their pay with stock equity compensation.

In my study here of large Kentucky Companies I will be doing this research by largest stock market capitalization and thus the sixth Kentucky Company I am addressing here is Ashland Global Holdings Inc.

From annual compensation information contained in Company Proxy Statement filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the table below shows Ashland Global Holdings Inc's Top-Tier Executives Annual Total Compensation for each of two consecutive substantially full years of employment for the most recent ten years.
   
Ashland Global Holdings Inc's Top-Tier Executives Average Annual Pay and Employee Benefits Increase was a blistering 19.0% per year during the most recent five years and 16.5% per year for the most recent ten years.


FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE
Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept
Ashland Global Holdings 2018 2017 2017 2016 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 2013
Top-Tier Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total
Executive Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp
$ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s
Wulfsohn Chairman and CEO       9,144       7,218       7,218     13,040  N/A   N/A     
Willis CFO       3,007       2,355       2,355       6,537       6,537       4,209       4,209       3,269       3,269          901
Ganz General Counsel       2,185       1,778       1,778       3,772       3,772       2,642       2,642       1,700       1,700       1,466
Schumann Chief HR and IT Officer       1,482       1,071       1,071       2,730    
Silverman SVP  N/A   N/A 
Fernandez-Moreno Former SVP  N/A   N/A        3,720       4,187       4,187       3,873    
Mitchell Former SVP and President Valvoline       4,505       3,171       3,171       1,951       1,951       1,717
O'Brien Former Chairman and CEO  N/A   N/A        9,421       6,955
Harris President Performance Materials       2,984       1,193
 Totals      15,818     12,422     12,422     26,079     18,534     14,209     14,209     10,793     19,325     12,232
Annual % Change vs Prior Year 27.3% -52.4% 30.4% 31.7% 58.0%
5 Year Average Per Year % Change 19.0%
FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE FYE
Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept
Ashland Global Holdings 2013 2012 2012 2011 2011 2010 2010 2009 2009 2008
Top-Tier Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total Total
Executive Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp Comp
$ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s $ 000s
Willis CFO  N/A   N/A 
Ganz General Counsel       1,466       1,543    
Mitchell Former SVP and President Valvoline  N/A   N/A            2,384       1,234       1,234       1,067
O'Brien Former Chairman and CEO       6,955       8,562       8,562       6,951       6,951       8,826       8,826       4,788       4,788       4,760
Harris President Performance Materials       1,193       1,799       1,799       1,304       1,304       1,300       1,300       1,532    
Chambers Former CFO  N/A   N/A        3,101       1,870       1,870       2,885       2,885       1,719       1,719       1,135
Panichella President Water Technologies       1,429       1,994       1,994       1,621       1,621       1,591    
Hausrath SVP       1,871       2,493       2,493       1,567       1,567       1,154
 Totals      11,043     13,898     15,456     11,746     13,617     17,095     17,888     10,840       9,308       8,116
Annual % Change vs Prior Year -20.5% 31.6% -20.3% 65.0% 14.7%
5 Year Average Per Year % Change 14.1%
10 Year Average Per Year % Change 16.5%