Carlyle Revamps Pay Structure to Spur Deal-Making, Announces $1.4 Billion Stock Buyback

The changes are part of Chief Executive Officer Harvey Schwartz’s biggest effort so far to boost the firm’s languishing stock price. The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. co-president is under pressure from shareholders and fund investors to articulate a clear vision after years of leadership churn.

Carlyle shares rose 8.1% to $44 at 9:50 a.m. in New York.

By handing over a bigger chunk of future profits to employees, Carlyle is trying to give them more reason to stick around and tend to bets just as a dealmaking freeze is beginning to thaw, with investors wagering that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates this year. 

The move frees up more stable sources of cash known as fee-related income to shareholders. 

“We want to make sure that we are investing in the business and investing for growth,” Schwartz said in a conference call with journalists, adding that the changes give the firm “flexibility to return capital to shareholders when we think it makes sense.”

Carlyle plans to lift employees’ share of profits tied to deal exits to 60% to 70%, up from an average of 47%, the company said in a statement. The portion of their compensation tied to fee-related earnings will fall.  

The shift resulted in a $1.1 billion charge that fueled a fourth-quarter loss of $692 million, or $1.92 a share. 

The firm also issued roughly $300 million in performance share units to top brass. The incentives are designed to motivate executives to think about the entire firm, which has grown more complex in the past few years as it expands into new business lines. 

These shares will only vest if Carlyle shares hit key levels. 

The changes follow moves by other firms to knit shareholder profits less to the boom and bust of buyouts. KKR & Co. and Apollo Global Management Inc. have both handed over more fee-related earnings to shareholders.  

Meanwhile, the amount of stock that Carlyle’s board authorized the firm to repurchase equals almost 10% of its $14.7 billion market value as of Tuesday. The shares have lagged far behind rivals, climbing 20% over the past three years, compared with gains of more than 100% for Apollo and KKR, and roughly 75% for Blackstone Inc.

Source: Fortune