8-KShareholder Matters

STARBUCKS CORP 8-K Report, Shareholder Vote Results (Mar 27, 2017)

Filed March 27, 2017For Securities:SBUX

Summary

This 8-K filing from Starbucks Corporation, filed on March 26, 2017, reports the results of its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on March 22, 2017. The primary focus of the report is the voting outcomes on several key corporate governance matters, including the election of directors, advisory votes on executive compensation, the frequency of future executive compensation votes, the ratification of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent auditor, and a shareholder proposal concerning the company's proxy access bylaw. Investors will note that all director nominees received overwhelming support, with votes 'for' significantly outnumbering those 'against.' Similarly, the advisory resolution to approve executive compensation and the proposal to hold annual votes on executive compensation ('One Year' frequency) were also strongly approved. The ratification of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent auditor also passed with substantial shareholder backing. However, the shareholder proposal to amend the proxy access bylaw did not receive majority support.

Key Highlights

  • 1All 14 nominated directors were overwhelmingly elected to serve until the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
  • 2Shareholders provided strong advisory approval for the company's executive compensation package.
  • 3A majority of shareholders voted in favor of holding an advisory vote on executive compensation annually.
  • 4Deloitte & Touche LLP was ratified as Starbucks' independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending October 1, 2017, with broad support.
  • 5A shareholder proposal seeking an amendment to the company's proxy access bylaw did not receive majority approval from shareholders.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 2017 Annual Meeting saw shareholders overwhelmingly re-elect all 14 director nominees, approve executive compensation on an advisory basis, and vote for an annual advisory vote on executive compensation. Shareholders also ratified the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent auditor. However, a shareholder proposal to amend the proxy access bylaw did not pass.

All 14 director nominees received a substantial majority of votes 'for' their election, with the lowest 'for' vote count being over 985 million and 'against' votes being significantly lower, indicating strong shareholder confidence in the Board.

The advisory resolution to approve executive compensation received strong support, with approximately 983 million votes 'for' it compared to about 26 million votes 'against.' Furthermore, shareholders overwhelmingly favored holding this advisory vote on an annual basis ('One Year' frequency) with over 922 million votes in favor.

Yes, the shareholder proposal regarding an amendment to the Company’s proxy access bylaw did not receive majority support. It received approximately 285 million votes 'for' and over 721 million votes 'against.'