shareholder communications
7 Investor Relations “Things to Do” Before Your IPO
If you’re the CFO of a pre-IPO company, the months leading up to your S-1 filing can be exhausting. You’ve read your registration statement so many times you have it memorized. And you cannot even begin to imagine a time when you won’t be spending every waking moment with your bankers. But now that you’ve left…
Crisis Communications: Preparing for the Unexpected
When you do work in crisis communications, you’re often asked to share war stories alongside other communications professionals on conference panels. The cases that are analyzed run the gamut of private and public companies, from small start-ups to large multinationals, in industries from consumer goods and high tech to pharmaceuticals and financial organizations. But there…
The Art of Communicating an Acquisition: M&A in 2016
Global merger and acquisition activity set an all-time high last year, breaking the previous record set in 2007. According to an EY survey in October 2015, 59% of executives planned to actively pursue acquisitions in the coming 12 months. Given that this number is significantly higher than the 40% reported in the survey a year…
5 Tips for a Successful Investor Day
Hosting an investor day can be a powerful way to raise management visibility and credibility, highlight the depth of your management team, and clarify your company’s value proposition and growth strategy. But planning a successful investor day is no small task. Here are five tips to help you along the way.
Three Step Approach to Social Media for Investor Relations
By Dennis Walsh, Vice President I recently moderated a webinar hosted by NIRI on social media strategies for investor relations. On the panel with me were David Jackson, CEO, Seeking Alpha; RJ Jones, Investor Relations Officer, Zillow; and Andrew Shapiro, Founder, President and Portfolio Manager, Lawndale Capital Management. The discussion made clear that professional investors…
10 Tips for Dealing with Shareholder Activism
By Maureen Wolff, President and Partner, Sharon Merrill Associates For many companies, a looming activist shareholder is no longer the exception – it’s the rule. One reason is that an increasing number of hedge funds are using activism as a standalone strategy. Assets managed by activist hedge funds increased 42% in 2013 to $93 billion from $65.5…
Sharon Merrill President and Partner Maureen Wolff selected as 2014 NIRI Fellow
Sharon Merrill Associates President and Partner Maureen Wolff was selected as one of five new National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) Fellows. NIRI Fellows are recognized leaders who represent the ideals of the investor relations (IR) profession, and have distinguished themselves on the basis of their integrity, leadership, involvement and contributions to the IR profession throughout…
Shareholder on a Shelf: An Earnings Tradition
By Dennis Walsh, Vice President The Shareholder on a Shelf is a new tradition that has become the holiday gift of choice for IROs to their executive management teams. The story of the Shareholder on a Shelf is as follows: “Have you ever wondered how the SEC could know; If you’re naughty or nice in…
Employee Training: From Reg FD to “Wall Street 101”
By Maureen Wolff, President and Partner, Sharon Merrill Associates When the SEC last month charged First Solar’s former head of investor relations with violating its fair disclosure rules, the announcement gave more than a few IROs pause. And for good reason. Lawrence Polizzotto paid a $50,000 fine for the violation. Although corporate IROs and the…
Getting Investors Ready For Your New CEO
By Maureen Wolff, President and Partner When The Men’s Wearhouse dismissed George Zimmer, the company’s high-profile pitchman and executive chairman, this summer, observers were left wondering what had caused the split. The company announced it had parted ways with Zimmer, who founded The Men’s Wearhouse in 1973, on June 19, five hours before its annual…