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Should You Worry About Sayona Mining Limited’s (ASX:SYA) CEO Salary Level?

The CEO of Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA) is Dan O’Neill. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. Third, we’ll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

See our latest analysis for Sayona Mining

How Does Dan O’Neill’s Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

At the time of writing our data says that Sayona Mining Limited has a market cap of AU$26m, and is paying total annual CEO compensation of AU$135k. (This figure is for the year to June 2018). We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at AU$123k. We examined a group of similar sized companies, with market capitalizations of below AU$282m. The median CEO total compensation in that group is AU$354k.

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Most shareholders would consider it a positive that Dan O’Neill takes less total compensation than the CEOs of most similar size companies, leaving more for shareholders. However, before we heap on the praise, we should delve deeper to understand business performance.

The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Sayona Mining has changed from year to year.

ASX:SYA CEO Compensation, March 18th 2019
ASX:SYA CEO Compensation, March 18th 2019

Is Sayona Mining Limited Growing?

Sayona Mining Limited has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 34% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 319%.

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. Most shareholders would be pleased to see strong revenue growth combined with EPS growth. This combo suggests a fast growing business. We don’t have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Has Sayona Mining Limited Been A Good Investment?

Given the total loss of 23% over three years, many shareholders in Sayona Mining Limited are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. It therefore might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously.

In Summary…

Sayona Mining Limited is currently paying its CEO below what is normal for companies of its size. Many would consider this to indicate that the pay is modest since the business is growing. Unfortunately, some shareholders may be disappointed with their returns, given the company’s performance over the last three years. We’re not critical of the remuneration Dan O’Neill receives, but it would be good to see improved returns to shareholders before the remuneration grows too much.

When I see fairly low remuneration, combined with earnings per share growth, but without big share price gains, it makes me want to research the potential for future gains. Shareholders may want to check for free if Sayona Mining insiders are buying or selling shares.

Important note: Sayona Mining may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.