(Bloomberg) -- Chief executive officers in the US are heading for the exits faster in battles with activist investors, according to a report from Barclays Plc.
In its third-quarter review of shareholder activism, the bank found that CEO turnover in the US is increasing as a result of campaigns, with about 21% of targeted company bosses resigning within a year. That compares with a 12% market average for the last two years.
“Activist shareholders are holding CEOs accountable in 2024 for underperformance,” said Jim Rossman, global head of shareholder activism and advisory defense at Barclays. “The time to departure from the point of attack to resignation has dropped 36% from 138 days three years ago, to 88 days in 2024.”
The trend is being fueled by activists’ increased push for strategic and operational changes, which often means quicker criticism of incumbent management. So far this year, demands related to strategy and operations have appeared in 23% of campaigns, compared with a three-year average of 18%, Barclays found.
“The macroeconomic uncertainties, geopolitical disruptions and inflation and recession fears over the past few years are leaving underperforming companies vulnerable to new angles of attack, giving rise to higher levels of activism,” Rossman said.
Overall levels of activism remain elevated, according to the Barclays report, driven by activity in the US and Asia Pacific. Globally, 181 campaigns were conducted at companies with market values greater than $500 million at time of announcement during the first nine months, compared with 158 over the same period in 2023.
Demands relating to mergers and acquisitions continue to be the most popular among activist investors.
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