PEARSON PLC (PSON)

PEARSON PLC (PSON)

Blog posts

Pearson Pay Vote Lost

Shareholders in Pearson (PSON) yesterday rejected the Remuneration Report on a vote at the company's AGM. That was by 61% opposed to 32% supporting with 6% abstaining. But they approved the Remuneration Policy. Opposition to the Report seemed to be based on the fact that CEO John Fallon achieved a 20% rise in total pay despite a record loss and several profit warnings. However the share price rose on the day substantially by 12% perhaps because of a positive first quarter trading statement ...

Technology change impact – Pearson and Royal Mail

I wrote an article for this month’s ShareSoc Informer Newsletter that covered forecasts for the future. One of the aspects covered was the impact of technology on many companies...

Rolls-Royce and Other AGMs

Yesterday I attended the Annual General Meeting of Rolls-Royce Plc - held at 11.00 in Nottingham (at a conference centre on the University Park). Why move the venue from London where it has been held since 2004? Probably to attract a more sympathetic audience of ex-employees I suspect. Shareholders in Rolls-Royce don't need to be told that this company is going through a rough patch. Profits in the last two years have been miniscule, the dividends have been cut and even revenue ...

AGM Reports

Pearson (PSON) AGM 2016

It is two years since I last attended Pearson’AGM. Back then the share price was around £11 and John Fallon, who took over as chief executive at the start of 2013, was promising that a major restructuring of the world’s leading education company was “on track” and would “drive a leaner, more cash generative, faster growing business from 2015”. Sadly, things did not turn out as planned. Since then there have been numerous profit warnings, Pearson’s share price has fallen by around ...

Pearson (PSON) AGM Report 2014

The media reports of Pearson’s AGM, on Friday April 25th, , focussed on the predictable shareholder protest against the £1.15m leaving package for Rona Fairhead, the former chief executive of Pearson’s Financial Times Group, who quit after missing out on the top job. As shareholder protests go, the third of the votes cast against approving Pearson’s 2013 remuneration report, was high by comparison with other shareholder revolts, such as Barclays, which have hit the headlines recently. But the fact that the pay ...