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Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our Class A common stock involves substantial risks and uncertainties. You should carefully consider each of the risks below, together with all of the other information contained in this document, before deciding to invest in shares of our Class A common stock. If any of the following risks develops into an actual event, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be negatively affected, the market price of your shares could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to our Business
The loss of key investment professionals or senior members of our distribution and management teams could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our success depends on our ability to retain the portfolio managers who manage our investment strategies and have been primarily responsible for the historically strong investment performance we have achieved. Because of the long tenure and stability of many of our portfolio managers, our clients generally attribute the investment performance we have achieved to these individuals. The departure of a portfolio manager, even for strategies with multiple portfolio managers, could cause clients to withdraw funds from the strategy which would reduce our assets under management, investment management fees and our net income, and these reductions could be material if our assets under management in that strategy and the related revenues were material. The departure of a portfolio manager or other senior members of investment teams also could cause consultants and intermediaries to stop recommending a strategy, and clients to refrain from allocating additional funds to a strategy or delay such additional funds until a sufficient new track record has been established.
In addition to our key investment professionals, we also depend on the contributions of our senior management team led by Eric R. Colson, and our senior marketing and client service personnel who have direct contact with our institutional clients, consultants, intermediaries and other key individuals within each of our distribution channels. The loss of any of these key professionals could limit our ability to successfully execute our business strategy and may prevent us from sustaining the historically strong investment performance we have achieved or adversely affect our ability to retain existing and attract new client assets and related revenues.
Any of our key professionals may resign at any time, join our competitors or form a competing company. Although many of our portfolio managers and each of our named executive officers are subject to post-employment non-compete obligations, these non-competition provisions may not be enforceable or may not be enforceable to their full extent. In addition, we may agree to waive non-competition provisions or other restrictive covenants applicable to former key professionals in light of the circumstances surrounding their relationship with us. We do not carry “key man” insurance that would provide us with proceeds in the event of the death or disability of any of our key professionals.
If we are unable to maintain or evolve our investment environment or compensation structures in a way that attracts, develops and retains talented investment professionals, there could be a negative impact to the performance of our investment strategies, our financial results and our ability to grow. In addition, our efforts to maintain and evolve our investment environment and compensation structures could themselves cause instability within our existing investment teams and/or negatively impact our financial results and ability to grow.
Attracting, developing and retaining talented investment professionals is an essential component of our business strategy. To do so, it is critical that we continue to foster an environment and provide compensation that is attractive for our existing investment professionals and for prospective investment professionals. If we are unsuccessful in maintaining such an environment (for instance, because of changes in management structure, corporate culture, corporate governance arrangements, or applicable laws and regulations) or compensation levels or structures for any reason, our existing investment professionals may leave our firm or fail to produce their best work on a consistent, long-term basis and/or we may be unsuccessful in attracting talented new investment professionals, any of which could negatively impact the performance of our investment strategies, our financial results and our ability to grow.
Over our firm’s history we have sought to successfully design and implement compensation structures that align our investment professionals’ economic interests with those of our clients, investors, partners, and shareholders. We believe our historical structures have been important to our long-term growth and that objective, predictable, and transparent structures work best to incentivize investment professionals to perform over the long-term.
With respect to asset-based revenues, we use a single revenue share arrangement across all of our investment teams. Under the revenue share, each team shares a bonus pool consisting of 25% of the asset-based revenues earned by the strategies managed by the respective team. The revenue share directly links the majority of the investment teams’ cash compensation to long-term growth in revenues, which, over the long-term, we believe is primarily linked to investment performance. The asset-based revenue share is objective, predictable, transparent, and the same for all teams. In addition, each team is generally entitled to a share of performance-based revenues earned by the strategies managed by the team. In the future, we expect that performance fees will represent a higher proportion of our total revenues.
Over our firm’s history we have used a variety of equity incentives to align the long-term interests of our investment professionals and other senior personnel with the interests of clients, investors, partners and shareholders. Until our IPO in 2013, firm equity awards were in the form of partnership profits interests, which entitled recipients to a percentage of future profits and future appreciation in the value of the firm. Award recipients had the right to cash out their profits interests only after the end of their careers, and 50% of the awards were subject to forfeiture if the recipient left Artisan without proper notice or was terminated. Prior to the IPO Reorganization, the profits interests were converted into partnership units and, as part of the IPO Reorganization, the 50% forfeiture feature was eliminated and employee-partners were given the right to liquidate a portion of their partnership units during each year that they remained employed with Artisan. At the time of our IPO, the partnership units held by employee-partners represented 53% of the ownership interests in our firm. At the time of this report, the partnership units held by employee-partners represented approximately 10% of the ownership interests in our firm.
Since our IPO, our equity incentives have been in the form of APAM restricted share-based awards. Initially, 100% of the restricted share-based awards were standard restricted shares vesting pro rata over five years from the date of grant. In 2014, as we continued to evolve our equity incentives, we introduced career shares, which are restricted share-based awards that, in general, remain subject to forfeiture until the recipient’s qualifying retirement. For these purposes, a qualifying retirement generally requires that the employee have ten years or more of service at the date of retirement and offered one year’s advance written notice (or eighteen months’ notice in the case of employees who are portfolio managers or executive officers) of the intention to retire, subject to our right to accept a shorter period of notice. Career shares and standard restricted shares also vest upon a termination of employment due to death or disability and, for employees other than executive officers, upon a change in control. In addition, after the fifth anniversary of the grant date, if the Company terminates an employee without cause (as defined in the award agreement), career shares will fully vest. Prior to February 2019, the eighteen months’ written notice requirement for career shares was three years, subject to the Company’s discretion to waive the period to no less than one year.
In February 2019 we further evolved our equity incentives by introducing franchise shares for our investment professionals. Franchise shares are identical to career shares, except with respect to the Franchise Protection Clause, which applies to current or future portfolio managers. The Franchise Protection Clause provides that the total number of franchise shares ultimately vesting will be reduced to the extent that cumulative net client cash outflows from the portfolio manager’s investment team during a 3-year measurement period beginning on the date of the portfolio manager’s retirement notice exceeds a set threshold.
In general, since 2014, excluding sign-on or walk away awards, approximately 50% of the awards we have made to our senior employees have been career shares or franchise shares, and the other 50% standard restricted shares.
Unlike our pre-IPO profits interests, the APAM restricted share-based awards are “full value” awards (as opposed to “option-style” awards) and the standard restricted shares provide recipients with liquidity prior to the end of their careers. The percentage ownership in our firm represented by the newly granted restricted stock each year is less than the percentage ownership represented by the partnership units that employee-partners may exchange and sell each year. Therefore, the amount of our firm owned by employees, including our portfolio managers, is expected to continue to decline.
As we have since our founding, we continue to assess the effectiveness of our compensation arrangements and equity structures in aligning the long-term interests of our investment professionals, clients, investors, partners, and shareholders and whether different types of, or modified, awards or structures would enhance incentives for long-term growth and succession planning.
The implementation of new or modified compensation arrangements or equity structures could cause instability within our existing investment teams and/or impact our ability to attract and retain new investment talent. As with our historical and current compensation arrangements and equity structures, any future or modified arrangements or structures could materially impact our financial performance and financial results (or expectations about our future financial performance and financial results) and result in dilution to other shareholders.
Poor investment performance could lead to a loss of assets under management which could reduce our revenues and negatively impact our financial condition.
The performance of our investment strategies is critical in retaining existing client assets and in attracting new client assets. Poor performance may cause financial intermediaries, advisors and consultants to remove our investment products from recommended lists and may result in lower Morningstar and Lipper ratings and rankings. Our existing clients may decide to withdraw funds from, or refrain from allocating additional funds to, our investment strategies or to end their relationships with us entirely. In addition, our ability to attract new client assets could also be adversely affected. A decrease in the value of our assets under management as a result of poor performance would have an adverse impact on our revenues, as nearly all of the investment management fees we earn are based on a specified percentage of clients' average assets under management. Poor performance would also adversely affect the portion of our revenues attributed to performance-based fees.
Our investment strategies can perform poorly for a number of reasons, including general market conditions; investor sentiment about market and economic conditions; investment styles and philosophies; investment decisions; the performance of the companies in which our investment strategies invest and the currencies in which those investments are made; the liquidity of securities or instruments in which our investment strategies invest; and our inability to identify sufficient appropriate investment opportunities for existing and new client assets on a timely basis. In addition, while we seek to deliver long-term value to our clients, volatility may lead to under-performance in the near term, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
In contrast, when our strategies experience strong results relative to the market, clients’ allocations to our strategies typically increase relative to their other investments and we sometimes experience withdrawals as our clients rebalance their investments to fit their asset allocation preferences despite our strong results.
While clients do not have legal recourse against us solely on the basis of poor investment results, if our investment strategies perform poorly, we are more likely to become subject to litigation brought by dissatisfied clients. In addition, to the extent clients are successful in claiming that their losses resulted from fraud, negligence, willful misconduct, breach of contract or similar misconduct, these clients may have remedies against us, the mutual funds and other funds we advise and/or our investment professionals under various U.S. and non-U.S. laws.
Difficult market conditions can adversely affect our business in many ways, including by reducing the value of our assets under management and causing clients to withdraw funds, each of which could materially reduce our revenues and impact our financial condition.
The fees we earn under our investment management agreements are typically based on the market value of our assets under management, and to a much lesser extent based directly on investment performance. Investors in the mutual funds we advise can redeem their investments in those funds at any time without prior notice and our clients may reduce the aggregate amount of assets under management with us with minimal or no notice for any reason, including financial market conditions and the absolute or relative investment performance we achieve for our clients. In addition, the prices of the securities held in the portfolios we manage may decline due to any number of factors beyond our control, including, among others, a declining market, general economic downturn, political uncertainty or acts of terrorism. In connection with the severe market dislocations of 2008 and 2009, for example, the value of our assets under management declined substantially due primarily to the sizable decline in stock prices worldwide. In the period from June 30, 2008 through March 31, 2009, our assets under management decreased by approximately 43%, primarily as a result of general market conditions. More recently, during the fourth quarter of 2018, our assets under management declined by 17.5% due to market conditions and $4.9 billion of net client cash outflows.
The growth of our assets under management since 2009 has benefited from the prolonged bull market in equity securities around the world. That prolonged bull market may increase the likelihood of a severe or prolonged downturn in world-wide equity prices which would directly reduce the value of our assets under management and could also accelerate client redemptions or withdrawals. If any of these factors cause a decline in our assets under management, our investment management fees would decline as well. If our revenues decline without a commensurate reduction in our expenses, our net income will be reduced.
Our efforts to establish and develop new teams and strategies may be unsuccessful, which could impact our results of operations, our reputation and culture.
We seek to recruit new investment teams that manage high value-added investment strategies and would allow us to grow strategically. We also look to offer new, differentiated strategies managed by our existing teams. We expect the costs associated with establishing a new team or strategy to initially exceed the revenues generated, which will likely negatively impact our results of operations. New strategies, whether managed by a new team or by an existing team may invest in instruments (such as certain types of derivatives) or present operational, legal, regulatory, or distribution-related issues and risks with which we have little or no experience. Our lack of experience could strain our resources and increase the likelihood of an error or failure. The establishment of new teams or strategies (in particular, alternative investment teams or strategies) may also cause us to depart from our traditional compensation and economic model, including the allocation of resources among investment teams, which could reduce our profitability and harm our firm’s culture.
Historical returns of our existing investment strategies may not be indicative of the investment performance of any new strategy and new strategies may have higher performance expectations that are more difficult to meet. Poor performance of any new strategy could negatively impact our reputation and the reputation of our other investment strategies.
We generally support the development of new strategies by making one or more seed investments using capital that would otherwise be available for our general corporate purposes. Making such seed investments exposes us to capital losses.
Failure to properly address conflicts of interest could harm our reputation or cause clients to withdraw funds, each of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The SEC and other regulators have increased their scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest. We have implemented procedures and controls that we believe are reasonably designed to address these issues. However, appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest, we could face reputational damage, litigation or regulatory proceedings or penalties, any of which may adversely affect our results of operations.
As we expand the scope of our business and our client base, we must continue to monitor and address any conflicts between the interests of our stockholders and those of our clients. Our clients may withdraw funds if they perceive conflicts of interest between the investment decisions we make for strategies in which they have invested and our obligations to our stockholders. For example, we may limit the growth of assets in or close strategies when we believe it is in the best interest of our clients even though our assets under management and investment management fees may be negatively impacted in the short term. Similarly, we may establish new investment teams or strategies or expand operations into other geographic areas if we believe such actions are in the best interest of our clients, even though our profitability may be adversely affected in the short term. Although we believe such actions enable us to retain client assets and maintain our profitability, which benefits both our clients and
stockholders, if clients perceive a change in our investment or operations decisions in favor of a strategy to maximize short term results, they may withdraw funds, which could adversely affect our investment management fees.
Several of our investment strategies invest principally in the securities of non-U.S. companies, which involve foreign currency exchange, tax, political, social and economic uncertainties and risks.
As of December 31, 2019, approximately 52% of our assets under management were invested in strategies that primarily invest in securities of non-U.S. companies. Some of our other strategies also invest on a more limited basis in securities of non-U.S. companies. Approximately 45% of our assets under management were invested in securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could negatively affect the returns of our clients who are invested in these strategies. In addition, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to non-U.S. currencies is likely to result in a decrease in the U.S. dollar value of our assets under management, which, in turn, would likely result in lower revenue and profits. See “Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures Regarding Market Risk-Exchange Rate Risk” in Item 7A of this report for more information about exchange rate risk.
Investments in non-U.S. issuers may also be affected by tax positions taken in countries or regions in which we are invested as well as political, social and economic uncertainty. Declining tax revenues may cause governments to assert their ability to tax the local gains and/or income of foreign investors (including our clients), which could adversely affect clients’ interests in investing outside their home markets. Many financial markets are not as developed, or as efficient, as the U.S. financial markets, and, as a result, those markets may have limited liquidity and higher price volatility, and may lack established regulations. Liquidity may also be adversely affected by political or economic events, government policies, and social or civil unrest within a particular country, and our ability to dispose of an investment may also be adversely affected if we increase the size of our investments in smaller non-U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. legal and regulatory environments, including financial accounting standards and practices, may also be different, and there may be less publicly available information about such companies. These risks could adversely affect the performance of our strategies that are invested in securities of non-U.S. issuers and may be particularly acute in the emerging or less developed markets in which we invest. In addition to our Sustainable Emerging Markets and Developing World strategies, a number of our other investment strategies are permitted to invest, and do invest, in emerging or less developed markets.
We may not be able to maintain our current fee rates as a result of poor investment performance, competitive pressures, as a result of changes in our business mix or for other reasons, which could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
We may not be able to maintain our current fee rates for any number of reasons, including as a result of poor investment performance, competitive pressures, changes in global markets and asset classes, or as a result of changes in our business mix. Although our investment management fees vary by client and investment strategy, we historically have been successful in maintaining an attractive overall rate of fee and profit margin due to the strength of our investment performance and our focus on high value-added investment strategies. In recent years, however, there has been a general trend toward lower fees in the investment management industry as a result of competition and regulatory and legal pressures. In order to maintain our fee structure in a competitive environment, we must retain the ability to decline additional assets to manage from potential clients who demand lower fees even though our revenues may be adversely affected in the short term. In addition, we must be able to continue to provide clients with investment returns and service that our clients believe justify our fees.
We may be forced to lower our fees in order to retain current, and attract additional, assets to manage. We may also make fee concessions in order to attract early investors in a new strategy or increase marketing momentum in a strategy. Downward pressure on fees may also result from the growth and evolution of the universe of potential investments in a market or asset class. Changes in how clients choose to access asset management services may also exert downward pressure on fees. Some investment consultants, for example, have implemented programs in which the consultant provides a range of services, including selection, in a fiduciary capacity, of asset managers to serve as sub-adviser at lower fee rates than the manager’s otherwise applicable rates, with the expectation of a larger amount of assets under management through that consultant. The expansion of those and similar programs could, over time, make it more difficult for us to maintain our fee rates. Over time, a larger part of our assets under management could be invested in our larger capacity, lower fee strategies, which could adversely affect our profitability. In addition, plan sponsors of 401(k) and other defined contribution assets that we manage may choose to invest plan assets in vehicles with lower cost structures than mutual funds (such as a collective investment trust, if one is available) or may choose to access our services through a separate account. We provide a lesser array of services to collective investment trusts and separate accounts than we provide to Artisan Funds and we receive fees at lower rates.
The investment management agreements pursuant to which we advise mutual funds are subject to an annual process of review and renewal by the funds’ boards. As part of that process, the fund board considers, among other things, the level of compensation that the fund has been paying us for our services. That process may result in the renegotiation of our fee structure or an increase in the cost of the performance of our obligations. Any fee reductions on existing or future new business could have an adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
We derive substantially all of our revenues from contracts and relationships that may be terminated upon short or no notice.
We derive substantially all of our revenues from investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements, all of which are terminable by clients upon short notice or no notice. Our investment management agreements with mutual funds, as required by law, are generally terminable by the funds’ boards or a vote of a majority of the funds’ outstanding voting securities on not more than 60 days’ written notice. After an initial term, each fund’s investment management agreement must be approved and renewed annually by that fund’s board, including by its independent members. In addition, all of our separate account clients and some of the mutual funds that we sub-advise have the ability to re-allocate all or any portion of the assets that we manage away from us at any time with little or no notice. The decrease in revenues that could result from the termination of a material client relationship or the re-allocation of assets away from us could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Investors in most of the pooled vehicles that we advise can redeem their investments in those funds at any time without prior notice, which could adversely affect our earnings.
Investors in the mutual funds, UCITS, and some other pooled investment vehicles that we advise may redeem their investments in those funds at any time without prior notice or on fairly limited prior notice, thereby reducing our assets under management. These investors may redeem for any number of reasons, including general financial market conditions, the absolute or relative investment performance we have achieved, or their own financial condition and requirements. In a declining stock market, the pace of redemptions could accelerate. Poor investment performance tends to result in decreased purchases and increased redemptions. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we generated approximately 80% of our revenues from advising mutual funds and other pooled vehicles (including Artisan Funds, Artisan Global Funds, Artisan Private Funds, and other entities we advise). The redemption of investments in those funds could adversely affect our revenues.
We depend on third parties to market our investment strategies.
Our ability to attract additional assets to manage is highly dependent on our access to third-party intermediaries. We gain access to investors primarily through consultants, 401(k) platforms, mutual fund platforms, broker-dealers and financial advisors through which shares of the funds are sold. We have relationships with some third-party intermediaries through which we access clients in multiple distribution channels. Our two largest relationships across multiple distribution channels represented approximately 9% and 7% of our total assets under management as of December 31, 2019.
We compensate most of the intermediaries through which we gain access to investors in Artisan Funds by paying fees, most of which are a percentage of assets invested in Artisan Funds through that intermediary and with respect to which that intermediary provides shareholder and administrative services. The allocation of such fees between us and Artisan Funds is determined by the board of Artisan Funds, based on information and a recommendation from us, with the goal of allocating to us, at a minimum, all costs attributable to marketing and distribution of shares of Artisan Funds.
In the future, our expenses in connection with those intermediary relationships could increase if the portion of those fees determined to be in connection with marketing and distribution, or otherwise allocated to us or payable by us, increased. In addition, as the fees described above have declined and consistent with the experience of other investment managers, we have seen increased requests from intermediaries for alternative forms of compensation. To date, such alternative forms of compensation have not been material, but they could be over time. In addition, clients of these intermediaries may not continue to be accessible to us on terms we consider commercially reasonable, or at all. The absence of such access could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Recently, a number of intermediaries have significantly culled the number of products available on their platforms, making it increasingly challenging for smaller funds with shorter track records or highly differentiated strategies to gain platform access. If we are unable to gain access to investors through such platforms, our ability to attract new assets for our funds and strategies will be impaired.
We access institutional clients primarily through consultants upon whose referrals our institutional business is highly dependent. Many of these consultants review and evaluate our products and our firm from time to time. As of December 31, 2019, the investment consultant advising the largest portion of our assets under management represented approximately 8% of our total assets under management. Poor reviews or evaluations of either a particular strategy or us as an investment management firm may result in client withdrawals or may impair our ability to attract new assets through these consultants.
Substantially all of our existing assets under management are managed in primarily long-only, equity investment strategies, which exposes us to greater risk than certain of our competitors who may manage significant amounts of assets in more diverse strategies.
15 of our 17 existing investment strategies invest primarily in publicly-traded equity securities. Our Credit team, which primarily invests in fixed income securities, manages the High Income strategy and the Credit Opportunities strategy. Together, these strategies accounted for only $3.8 billion of our $121.0 billion in total assets under management as of December 31, 2019. Under market conditions in which there is a general decline in the value of equity securities, the assets under management in each of our 15 equity strategies is likely to decline. The amount of assets that we manage in strategies that can take short positions in equity securities, which could offset some of the poor performance of our long-only equity strategies under such market conditions, accounted for less than $1.0 billion of our total assets under management as of December 31, 2019. Even if our investment performance remains strong during such market conditions relative to other long-only, equity strategies, investors may choose to
withdraw assets from our management or allocate a larger portion of their assets to non-long-only or non-equity strategies. In addition, the prices of equity securities may fluctuate more widely than the prices of other types of securities, making the level of our assets under management and related revenues more volatile.
Our failure to comply with investment guidelines set by our clients and limitations imposed by applicable law could result in damage awards against us and a loss of assets under management, either of which could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
When clients retain us to manage assets on their behalf, they generally specify certain investment guidelines that we are required to follow in managing their portfolios. In addition, some of our clients are subject to laws that impose restrictions and limitations on the investment of their assets. For example, U.S. mutual fund assets that we manage must be invested in accordance with limitations under the 1940 Act and applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Our failure to comply with any of these guidelines and other limitations could result in losses to clients or investors in a fund which, depending on the circumstances, could result in our obligation to reimburse clients or fund investors for such losses. If we believed that the circumstances did not justify a reimbursement, or clients and investors believed the reimbursement we offered was insufficient, they could seek to recover damages from us or could withdraw assets from our management or terminate their investment management agreement with us. Any of these events could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business.
Operational risks may disrupt our business, result in losses or limit our growth.
We are heavily dependent on the capacity and reliability of the communications, information and technology systems supporting our operations, whether developed, owned and operated by us or by third parties. We also rely on manual workflows and a variety of manual user controls. Operational risks such as trading or other operational errors or interruption or failure of our financial, accounting, trading, compliance and other data processing systems, whether caused by human error, fire, other natural disaster or pandemic, power or telecommunications failure, cyber-attack or viruses, act of terrorism or war or otherwise, could result in a disruption of our business, liability to clients, regulatory intervention or reputational damage, and thus materially adversely affect our business. The potential for some types of operational risks, including trading errors, may be increased in periods of increased volatility, which can magnify the cost of an error. Although we have not suffered material operational errors, including material trading errors, in the past, we may experience such errors in the future, the losses related to which we would absorb. Insurance and other safeguards might not be available or might only partially reimburse us for our losses.
Although we have back-up systems in place, our back-up procedures and capabilities in the event of a failure or interruption may not be adequate, and the fact that we operate our business out of multiple physical locations may make such failures and interruptions difficult to address on a timely and adequate basis. As our client base, number and complexity of investment strategies, client relationships and/or physical locations increase, and as our employees become increasingly mobile, developing and maintaining our operational systems and infrastructure may become increasingly challenging.
Any changes, upgrades or expansions to our operations and/or technology or implementation of new technology systems to replace manual workflows or to accommodate increased volumes or complexity of transactions or otherwise may require significant expenditures and may increase the probability that we will experience operational errors or suffer system degradations and failures.
We depend substantially on our Milwaukee, Wisconsin offices, where a majority of our employees, administration and technology resources are located, for the continued operation of our business. Any significant disruption to those offices could have a material adverse effect on us. We also depend on a number of key vendors for trading, middle- and back-office functions, various fund administration, accounting, custody and transfer agent roles and other operational needs. The failure of any key vendor to fulfill its obligations could result in financial losses for us and/or our clients.
Our operational systems and networks are subject to evolving cybersecurity and other technological risks, which could result in the disclosure of confidential client information, loss of our proprietary information, business interruptions, damage to our reputation, additional costs to us, regulatory penalties and other adverse impacts.
We are heavily reliant upon internal and third party technology systems and networks to view, process, transmit and store information, including sensitive client and proprietary information, and to conduct many of our business activities and transactions with our clients, vendors/service providers (collectively, “vendors”) and other third parties. In addition, in recent years we have increased our use of and reliance on mobile and cloud technologies. Maintaining the integrity of these systems, networks and technologies is critical to the success of our business operations. We rely on our (and our vendors’) information and cybersecurity infrastructure, policies, procedures and capabilities to protect those systems, networks and technologies and the data that reside on or are transmitted through them.
We are subject to international, federal and state regulations, and in some cases contractual obligations, designed to protect sensitive client, employee, contractor and vendor information. In addition to the European Union’s general data protection regulation, we may also be or become subject to or affected by new laws, regulations and guidance impacting consumer privacy, such as the recently enacted California Consumer Privacy Act effective January 2020, which provides for enhanced consumer protections for California residents and statutory fines for data security breaches or other CCPA violations. As the regulatory focus on privacy continues to intensify and laws and regulations concerning the protection of personal data expand, risks related to privacy and data collection within our business will increase and we may be required to expend additional resources to enhance or expand upon the security measures we currently maintain.
To date, we have not experienced any known material breaches of or interference with our systems, networks or technologies; however, we routinely encounter and address such threats. Our experiences with and preparation for cybersecurity and other technology threats have included phishing scams, introductions of malware, attempts at electronic break-ins, and unauthorized payment requests. Any such breaches or interference that may occur in the future could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Despite the measures we have taken and may in the future take to address and mitigate cybersecurity and other technology risks, we cannot guarantee that our systems, networks and technologies, and those of third parties on whom we rely, will not be subject to breaches, unauthorized access, outages, or other interference. Any such event may result in operational disruptions as well as unauthorized access to or the disclosure, corruption or loss of our proprietary information or our clients’ or employees’ information, which in turn may result in legal claims, regulatory scrutiny and liability, reputational damage, the incurrence of costs to eliminate or mitigate further exposure, or the loss of clients or other damage to our business. In addition, any required public notification of such incidents could exacerbate the harm to our business, financial condition or results of operations. Even if we successfully protect our technology infrastructure and the confidentiality of sensitive data, we may incur significant expenses in connection with our responses to any such attacks and the adoption and maintenance of additional appropriate security measures. Although we maintain insurance to mitigate the expense associated with a potential incident, the damage or claims arising from an incident may not be covered or may exceed the amount of any insurance available. We cannot be certain that advances in criminal capabilities, discovery of new vulnerabilities, attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in our or our vendors’ systems, data thefts, physical system or network break-ins or inappropriate access, or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology or other security measures protecting the networks and systems we use.
Our newest investment strategies and strategies we may establish in the future present certain investment, operational, distribution and other risks that are different in kind and/or degree from those presented by our earlier investment strategies, and we have less experience with those risks.
The below-investment-grade instruments in which the High Income and Credit Opportunities strategies invest and the debtors to which the strategies are exposed present different risks and/or degrees of risk (including liquidity and legal risks) than our other strategies, which invest primarily in publicly-traded equity securities. In particular, the instruments in which the strategies invest may be less liquid than higher-rated bonds and are not as liquid as most of the publicly-traded equity securities in which our other strategies primarily invest. This potential lack of liquidity may make it more difficult for Artisan High Income Fund to accurately value these securities for purposes of determining the fund’s net asset value per share and, under certain circumstances, may make it more difficult for the fund to manage redemption requests. In order to identify, monitor and mitigate our exposure to these new or increased risks, we implemented or modified a number of policies, procedures and systems and hired new individuals with relevant experience. However, neither the measures we have taken, nor the Credit team’s investment decision-making and execution, can eliminate the risks associated with investing in the instruments described above. Any real or perceived problems with respect to our fixed income strategies (or any of our individual strategies) could negatively impact our reputation and business more generally.
During 2017 we established two strategies primarily offered through private funds. Prior to the launch of those strategies, external investors had not invested in our strategies through private funds. Offering private funds presents new and different operational, regulatory and distribution-related risks. Establishing our private funds required that we engage new service providers for purposes of administration, operation and advice, with whom we had not previously had a relationship or with whom we only had a limited relationship, and build out new operational infrastructure and systems to support new processes, reporting and controls. Our private funds may invest in instruments (such as derivative securities) and engage in activities (such as shorting and use of leverage) with which we previously had no or limited operational experience. These instruments and activities present different types and higher degrees of investment risk than our other investment strategies. In addition, our lack of experience with these instruments and activities could strain our resources and increase the likelihood of an error.
Offering private funds also poses risks associated with side by side management and the potential for real or perceived conflicts of interest, which, if not managed correctly, could cause reputational damage, litigation or regulatory proceedings or penalties. We have created or modified a number of policies and procedures, brought in expertise from third party advisors, and implemented training programs in order to identify and mitigate exposure to these new risks. However, we are unable to completely eliminate the risks associated with offering private funds.
Our newer investment strategies and investment vehicles and those that we establish in the future may have more limited capacity and provide less room for growth than our earlier large capacity investment strategies. Despite their limited capacity, these newer strategies, with broader degrees of freedom may require increased access to market data and resources, including bespoke operational solutions. Requests for resources that are disproportionate to the size of the investment team may put pressure on the resource allocation model among teams and cause friction and instability among the investment teams.
New investment strategies and investment vehicles that we establish in the future will likely present new and different investment, regulatory, operational, distribution and other risks than those presented by our existing strategies. Any real or perceived problems with future strategies or investment vehicles could cause a disproportionate negative impact on our business and reputation.
Employee misconduct, or perceived misconduct, could expose us to significant legal liability and/or reputational harm.
We are vulnerable to reputational harm because we operate in an industry in which integrity and the confidence of our clients are of critical importance. Our employees or other third parties that are affiliated with us could engage in misconduct (such as fraud), or perceived misconduct, that adversely affects our business. For example, if an employee were to engage in illegal or suspicious activities, we could be subject to regulatory sanctions and suffer serious harm to our reputation (as a consequence of the negative perception resulting from such activities), financial position, client relationships and ability to attract new clients. It is not always possible to deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not always be effective. Misconduct or perceived misconduct by our employees, or even unsubstantiated allegations of such conduct, could result in significant legal liability and/or an adverse effect on our reputation and our business.
If our techniques for managing risk are ineffective, we may be exposed to material unanticipated losses.
In order to manage the significant risks inherent in our business, we must maintain effective policies, procedures and systems that enable us to identify, monitor and mitigate our exposure to operational, legal and reputational risks. Our risk management methods may prove to be ineffective due to their design or implementation, or as a result of the lack of adequate, accurate or timely information or otherwise. If our risk management efforts are ineffective, we could suffer losses that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or operating results. Additionally, we could be subject to litigation, particularly from our clients or investors, and sanctions or fines from regulators.
Our techniques for managing operational, legal and reputational risks may not fully mitigate the risk exposure in all economic or market environments, including exposure to risks that we might fail to identify or anticipate. Because our clients invest in our strategies in order to gain exposure to the portfolio securities of the respective strategies, we have not adopted corporate-level risk management policies to manage market, interest rate, or exchange rate risks that would affect the value of our overall assets under management.
Our indebtedness may expose us to material risks.
We have substantial indebtedness outstanding in the amount of $200 million in unsecured notes, which exposes us to risks associated with the use of leverage. In addition, we maintain a $100 million revolving credit agreement, though no amounts are outstanding as of the date of this filing. Our substantial indebtedness may make it more difficult for us to withstand or respond to adverse or changing business, regulatory and economic conditions or to take advantage of new business opportunities or make necessary capital expenditures. To the extent we service our debt from our cash flow, such cash will not be available for our operations or other purposes. Because our debt service obligations are fixed, the portion of our cash flow used to service those obligations could be substantial if our revenues have declined, whether because of market declines or for other reasons. Our Series C, Series D and Series E notes bear interest at a rate equal to 5.82%, 4.29%, and 4.53% per annum, respectively, and each rate is subject to a 100 basis point increase in the event Artisan Partners Holdings receives a below-investment grade rating. Each series requires a balloon payment at maturity. Any substantial decrease in net operating cash flows or any substantial increase in expenses could make it difficult for us to meet our debt service requirements or force us to modify our operations. Our ability to repay the principal amount of our notes or any outstanding loans under our revolving credit agreement, to refinance our debt or to obtain additional financing through debt or the sale of additional equity securities will depend on our performance, as well as financial, business and other general economic factors affecting the credit and equity markets generally or our business in particular, many of which are beyond our control. Any such alternatives may not be available to us on satisfactory terms or at all.
Our note purchase agreements and revolving credit agreement contain, and our future indebtedness may contain, various covenants that may limit our business activities.
Our note purchase agreements and revolving credit agreement contain financial and operating covenants that limit our business activities, including restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness and pay dividends to our stockholders. The agreements also restrict Artisan Partners Holdings from making distributions to its partners (including us), other than tax distributions or distributions to fund our ordinary expenses, if a default (as defined in the respective agreements) has occurred and is continuing or would result from such a distribution. In addition, if our average assets under management for a fiscal quarter falls below $45 billion, Artisan Partners Holdings will generally be required to offer to pre-pay the unsecured notes. The failure to comply with any of these restrictions could result in an event of default, giving our lenders the ability to accelerate repayment of our obligations. As of December 31, 2019, we believe we are in compliance with all of the covenants and other requirements set forth in the agreements.
We provide a range of services to Artisan Funds, Artisan Global Funds, Artisan Private Funds and sub-advised funds which may expose us to liability.
We provide a broad range of administrative services to Artisan Funds, including providing personnel to serve as directors and officers of Artisan Funds and to serve on the valuation and liquidity committee of Artisan Funds. We prepare or supervise the preparation of Artisan Funds’ regulatory filings and financial statements, and manage compliance and regulatory matters. We provide shareholder services, accounting services including the supervision of the activities of Artisan Funds’ accounting services provider in the calculation of the funds’ net asset values, and tax services including calculation of dividend and distribution amounts. We also coordinate the audits of financial statements and supervise tax return preparation. Although less extensive than the range of services we provide to Artisan Funds, we also provide a range of similar services to Artisan Global Funds and Artisan Private Funds, including providing personnel to serve as directors. In addition, from time to time we provide information to other funds we advise (or to a person or entity providing administrative services to such a fund) which may be used by those funds in their efforts to comply with various regulatory requirements.
The services we provide to Artisan Funds, Artisan Global Funds, Artisan Private Funds, and other funds we advise may expose us to liability. For example, if we make a mistake in the provision of such services, a fund could incur costs for which we might be liable. If it were determined that a fund failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements as a result of our action or our employees’ failure to act, we could be responsible for losses suffered or penalties imposed. In addition, we could have penalties imposed on us, be required to pay fines or be subject to private litigation, any of which could decrease our future income or negatively affect our current business or our future growth prospects.
The expansion of our business inside and outside of the United States raises tax and regulatory risks, may adversely affect our profit margins and places additional demands on our resources and employees.
We have expanded and continue to expand our distribution efforts into non-U.S. markets, including the United Kingdom, other European countries, Canada, Australia and certain Middle Eastern, Asian, and African countries. Our client relationships outside the United States have grown from 32 as of December 31, 2012 to 161 as of December 31, 2019. Clients outside the United States may be adversely affected by political, social and economic uncertainty in their respective home countries and regions, which could result in a decrease in the net client cash flows that come from such clients. These clients also may be accustomed to certain practices that differ from and may conflict with practices that are customary in the United States. For example, non-U.S. clients may be less accepting of the U.S. practice of payment for certain research products and services through soft dollars or such practices may not be permissible in some jurisdictions. The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, effective on January 3, 2018, regulates the use of soft dollars to pay for research and other soft dollar services. MiFID II’s soft dollar rules do not directly apply to our business because we currently conduct our investment management activities in the United States. However, in response to MiFID II and the industry-wide changes prompted by it, we have experienced increasing requests from clients to bear research expenses that are currently paid for using soft dollars. In response to such requests or as a result of changes in our operations, we may eventually bear a significant portion or all of the costs of research that are currently paid for using soft dollars, which would increase our operating expenses materially.
Operating our business in non-U.S. markets is generally more expensive than in the United States. Among other expenses, the effective tax rates applicable to our income allocated to some non-U.S. markets may be higher than the effective rates applicable to our income allocated to the United States. In addition, costs related to our distribution and marketing efforts in non-U.S. markets have often been more expensive than comparable costs in the United States. To the extent that our revenues do not increase to the same degree our expenses increase in connection with our continuing expansion outside the United States, our profitability could be adversely affected. Expanding our business into non-U.S. markets may also place significant demands on our existing infrastructure and employees.
The U.K.’s exit from the European Union could affect our future operations in the U.K. and in the other countries of the European Union. Negotiations between the U.K. and the European Union are ongoing and, as a result, the terms of the separation remain unclear. We have established an Irish subsidiary, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, which we expect will distribute our funds and services in the European Union following Brexit. Brexit has added complexity and costs to our global operations and imposed additional risks. Moreover, it has led to regulatory changes and uncertainty and resulted in additional legal and compliance costs. However, we do not currently expect Brexit to have a major impact on our business.
Our U.S.-based employees routinely travel inside and outside the United States as a part of our investment research process, to market our services and to supervise and manage our business and may spend time in one or more states or non-U.S. jurisdictions. Their activities in such states or non-U.S. jurisdictions on our behalf may raise both tax and regulatory issues. If and to the extent we are incorrect in our analysis of the applicability or impact of state or non-U.S. taxes or regulatory requirements, we could incur costs, penalties or be the subject of an enforcement or other action.
Changes in tax laws or exposure to additional tax liabilities could have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We are subject to taxes in both the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. We cannot predict future changes in the tax regulations to which we are subject. Any such changes could have a material impact on our tax liability or result in increased costs associated with our tax compliance efforts.
From time to time, we are subject to tax audits in the jurisdictions in which we operate. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax rules and regulations in a number of jurisdictions. Tax authorities may disagree with certain positions we have taken and assess additional taxes and, in certain cases, interest, fines or penalties. We evaluate whether to record tax liabilities for possible tax audit issues based on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional income taxes will be due. We adjust these liabilities in light of changing facts and circumstances. However, due to the complexity of some of these uncertainties, the ultimate resolution may result in a payment that is materially different from our estimates.
A change of control could result in termination of our investment advisory agreements with SEC-registered mutual funds and could trigger consent requirements in our other investment advisory agreements.
Under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act, each of the investment advisory agreements between SEC-registered mutual funds and our subsidiary, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership, will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act. Upon the occurrence of such an assignment, our subsidiary could continue to act as adviser to any such fund only if that fund’s board and shareholders approved a new investment advisory agreement, except in the case of certain funds that we sub-advise for which only board approval would be necessary. In addition, as required by the U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or the Advisers Act, each of the investment advisory agreements for the separate accounts we manage provides that it may not be assigned, as defined in the Advisers Act, without the consent of the client. An assignment occurs under the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act if, among other things, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership undergoes a change of control as recognized under the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act. If such an assignment were to occur, we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain the necessary approvals from the boards and shareholders of the mutual funds we advise or the necessary consents from our separate account clients.
Risks Related to our Industry
We are subject to extensive, complex and sometimes overlapping rules, regulations and legal interpretations.
We are subject to extensive regulation in the United States, primarily at the federal level, including regulation by the SEC under the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act, by the U.S. Department of Labor under ERISA, and by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The U.S. mutual funds we manage are registered with and regulated by the SEC as investment companies under the 1940 Act. The Advisers Act imposes numerous obligations on investment advisers including record keeping, advertising and operating requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities. The 1940 Act imposes similar obligations, as well as additional detailed operational requirements, on registered investment companies, which must be adhered to by their investment advisers.
We have expanded and continue to expand our distribution effort into non-U.S. markets, including the United Kingdom, other European countries, Canada, Australia and certain Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries, among others. One of our subsidiaries, Artisan Partners UK LLP, is authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which is responsible for the conduct of business and supervision of financial firms in the United Kingdom. The FCA imposes a comprehensive system of regulation that is primarily principles-based (compared to the primarily rules-based U.S. regulatory system). Due to our business activities in Ireland, including as an investment manager of Artisan Global Funds, we are subject to regulation by the Central Bank of Ireland which imposes requirements on Ireland-based UCITS funds and investment firms. Our Swedish branch office is also regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland as well as the Swedish financial supervisory authority. We are also subject to the requirements of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, where we operate pursuant to an order of exemption. Certain Artisan Private Funds are regulated as mutual funds under the Mutual Funds Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, and the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has supervisory and enforcement powers to ensure the funds’ compliance with the Mutual Funds Law.
Our business is also subject to the rules and regulations of countries in which we conduct distribution, marketing and investment management activities. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations (including private placement regimes) in the foreign countries where we invest and/or where our clients or prospective clients reside could result in a wide range of penalties and disciplinary actions, including fines, suspensions of personnel, revocations of authorizations, or other sanctions. The requirements imposed by these regulators are designed to ensure the integrity of the financial markets and to protect customers and other third parties who deal with us, and are not designed to protect our stockholders. Consequently, these regulations often serve to limit our activities.
In the future, we may further expand our business outside of the United States in such a way that we may be required to register with additional foreign regulatory agencies or otherwise comply with additional non-U.S. laws and regulations that do not currently apply to us and with respect to which we do not have compliance experience. Our lack of experience in complying with any such non-U.S. laws and regulations may increase our risk of becoming party to litigation and/or subject to regulatory actions.
As a result of the extensive and complex regulatory environment in which we operate, we face risk of regulatory actions and litigation, which could consume substantial expenditures of time and capital. While we have focused significant attention and resources on the development and implementation of compliance policies, procedures and practices, non-compliance with applicable laws, rules or regulations, either in the U.S. or abroad could result in sanctions against us, which could adversely affect our reputation and business.
The regulatory environment in which we operate is subject to continual change, and regulatory developments may adversely affect our business.
We operate in a legislative and regulatory environment that is subject to continual change, the nature of which we cannot predict. We may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations imposed by the SEC, other U.S. or non-U.S. governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. We also may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations, as well as by courts. It is impossible to determine the extent of the impact of any new U.S. or non-U.S. laws, regulations or initiatives that may be proposed, or whether any of the proposals will become law. Compliance with any new laws or regulations, or changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws or regulations, could be more difficult and expensive and affect the manner in which we conduct business.
The investment management industry is intensely competitive.
The investment management industry is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, investment management fee rates, continuity of investment professionals and client relationships, the quality of client service, corporate positioning and business reputation, continuity of selling arrangements with intermediaries and differentiated products. A number of factors, including the following, serve to increase our competitive risks:
•Unlike some of our competitors, we do not currently offer passive investment strategies or “solutions” products like target-date funds.
•A number of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources, more comprehensive name recognition and more personnel than we do.
•Potential competitors have a relatively low cost of entering the investment management industry.
•Some investors may prefer to invest with an investment manager that is not publicly traded based on the perception that a publicly-traded asset manager may focus on the manager’s own growth to the detriment of investment performance.
•Other industry participants may seek to recruit our investment professionals.
•Many competitors charge lower fees for their investment management services than we do.
For example, the trend in favor of low-fee passive products such as index and certain exchange-traded funds will favor those of our competitors who provide passive investment strategies. In recent years, across the investment management industry, passive products have experienced inflows and traditional actively managed products have experienced outflows, in each case, in the aggregate. That trend has presented, and will continue to present, a headwind to our business. Separately, intermediaries through which we distribute our mutual funds may also sell their own proprietary funds and investment products, which could limit the distribution of our investment strategies. If we are unable to compete effectively, our earnings would be reduced and our business could be materially adversely affected.
The investment management industry faces substantial litigation risks which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us.
We depend to a large extent on our network of relationships and on our reputation in order to attract and retain client assets. If a client is not satisfied with our services, its dissatisfaction may be more damaging to our business than client dissatisfaction would be to other types of businesses. We make investment decisions on behalf of our clients that could result in substantial losses to them. If our clients suffer significant losses, or are otherwise dissatisfied with our services, we could be subject to the risk of legal liabilities or actions alleging negligent misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and/or fraud. These risks are often difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time, even after an action has been commenced.
We may incur significant legal expenses in defending against litigation whether or not we engaged in conduct as a result of which we might be subject to legal liability. Substantial legal liability or significant regulatory action against us could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us.
Risks Related to Our Structure
Control by our stockholders committee of approximately 17% of the combined voting power of our capital stock and the rights of holders of limited partnership units of Artisan Partners Holdings may give rise to conflicts of interest.
As of February 14, 2020, our employees to whom we have granted equity (including our employee-partners) held approximately 17% of the combined voting power of our capital stock and have entered into a stockholders agreement pursuant to which they granted an irrevocable voting proxy with respect to all shares of our common stock they have acquired from us and any shares they may acquire from us in the future to a stockholders committee. Any additional shares of our common stock that we issue to our employees will be subject to the stockholders agreement so long as the agreement has not been terminated. Shares held by an employee cease to be subject to the stockholders agreement upon termination of employment.
The stockholders committee currently consists of Eric R. Colson (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), Charles J. Daley, Jr. (Chief Financial Officer) and Gregory K. Ramirez (Executive Vice President). All shares subject to the stockholders agreement are voted in accordance with the majority decision of those three members. The stockholders committee’s control of approximately 17% of the combined voting power gives the committee considerable influence in determining the outcome of any shareholder vote, including the election of directors and the approval of transactions.
Our employee-partners (through their ownership of Class B common units), AIC (through its ownership of Class D common units) and the holders of Class A common units have the right, each voting as a single and separate class, to approve or disapprove certain transactions and matters, including material corporate transactions, such as a merger, consolidation, dissolution or sale of greater than 25% of the fair market value of Artisan Partners Holdings’ assets. These voting and class approval rights may enable our employee-partners, AIC or the holders of Class A common units to prevent the consummation of transactions that may be in the best interests of holders of our Class A common stock.
In addition, because the majority of our pre-IPO owners (including members of our board of directors) hold all or a portion of their ownership interests in our business through Artisan Partners Holdings, rather than through Artisan Partners Asset Management, these pre-IPO owners may have conflicting interests with holders of our Class A common stock. For example, our pre-IPO owners may have different tax positions from us which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when we should dispose of assets, whether and when we should incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, especially in light of the existence of the tax receivable agreements, and whether and when Artisan Partners Asset Management should terminate the tax receivable agreements and accelerate its obligations thereunder. In addition, the structuring of future transactions may take into consideration these pre-IPO owners’ tax or other considerations even where no similar benefit would accrue to us.
Our ability to pay regular dividends to our stockholders is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and may be limited by our structure and applicable provisions of Delaware law.
We intend to pay dividends to holders of our Class A common stock as described in “Dividend Policy”. Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, change the amount or frequency of dividends or discontinue the payment of dividends entirely. In addition, as a holding company, we are dependent upon the ability of our subsidiaries to generate earnings and cash flows and distribute them to us so that we may pay dividends to our stockholders. We expect to cause Artisan Partners Holdings, which is a Delaware limited partnership, to make distributions to its partners, including us, in an amount sufficient for us to pay dividends. However, its ability to make such distributions will be subject to its and its subsidiaries’ operating results, cash requirements and financial condition, the applicable provisions of Delaware law that may limit the amount of funds available for distribution to its partners, its compliance with covenants and financial ratios related to existing or future indebtedness, including under our notes and our revolving credit agreement, its other agreements with third parties, as well as its obligation to make tax distributions under its partnership agreement (which distributions would reduce the cash available for distributions by Artisan Partners Holdings to us).
In addition, each of the companies in our corporate chain must manage its assets, liabilities and working capital in order to meet all of its cash obligations, including the payment of dividends or distributions. As a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we may not be able to make, or may have to reduce or eliminate, the payment of dividends on our Class A common stock. Any change in the level of our dividends or the suspension of the payment thereof could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Our ability to pay taxes and expenses, including payments under the tax receivable agreements, may be limited by our holding company structure.
As a holding company, our assets principally consist of our ownership of partnership units of Artisan Partners Holdings, deferred tax assets and cash and we have no independent means of generating revenue. Artisan Partners Holdings is a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, Artisan Partners Holdings’ taxable income is allocated to holders of its partnership units, including us. Accordingly, we incur income taxes on our proportionate share of Artisan Partners Holdings’ taxable income and also may incur expenses related to our operations. Under the terms of its amended and restated limited partnership agreement, Artisan Partners Holdings is obligated to make tax distributions to holders of its partnership units, including us. In addition to tax expenses, we are also required to make payments under the tax receivable agreements, which will be significant, and we incur other expenses related to the tax receivable agreements and our operations. We intend to fund the payment of amounts due under the TRAs out of the reduced tax payments that APAM realizes in respect of the tax attributes to which the TRAs relate. We also intend to cause Artisan Partners Holdings to make distributions in an amount sufficient to allow us to pay our taxes and pay any additional operating expenses. However, its ability to make such distributions will be subject to various limitations and restrictions as set forth in the preceding risk factor. If, as a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we do not have sufficient funds to pay tax or other liabilities or to fund our operations, we may have to borrow funds and thus our liquidity and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. To the extent that we are unable to make payments when due under the tax receivable agreements for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest at a rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus 300 basis points until paid.
We will be required to pay the tax receivable agreement beneficiaries for certain tax benefits we claim, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make will be substantial.
We are party to two tax receivable agreements. The first tax receivable agreement generally provides for the payment by APAM to the assignees of the Pre-H&F Corp Merger Shareholder of 85% of the applicable cash savings, if any, of U.S. federal, state and local income taxes that APAM actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of (i) the tax attributes of the preferred units APAM acquired in the merger of a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Pre-H&F Corp Merger Shareholder into APAM in March 2013, (ii) net operating losses available as a result of the merger, and (iii) tax benefits related to imputed interest.
The second tax receivable agreement generally provides for the payment by APAM to current or former limited partners of Artisan Partners Holdings or their assignees of 85% of the applicable cash savings, if any, of U.S. federal, state and local income taxes that APAM actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of (i) certain tax attributes of their partnership units sold to us or exchanged (for shares of Class A common stock, convertible preferred stock or other consideration) and that are created as a result of such sales or exchanges and payments under the TRAs and (ii) tax benefits related to imputed interest.
The payment obligation under the tax receivable agreements is an obligation of APAM, not Artisan Partners Holdings, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make under the tax receivable agreements will be substantial. Assuming no material changes in the relevant tax law and that APAM earns sufficient taxable income to realize all tax benefits that are subject to the tax receivable agreements, we expect that the reduction in tax payments for us associated with (i) the merger described above; (ii) the purchase or exchange of partnership units from March 2013 through December 31, 2019; and (iii) projected future purchases or exchanges of partnership units would aggregate to approximately $646 million over generally a minimum of 15 years, assuming the future purchases or exchanges described in clause (iii) occurred at a price of $32.32 per share of our Class A common stock, the closing price of our Class A common stock on December 31, 2019. Under such scenario we would be required to pay the other parties to the tax receivable agreements 85% of such amount, or approximately $577 million, over generally a minimum of 15 years. The actual amounts may materially differ from these hypothetical amounts, as potential future reductions in tax payments for us and tax receivable agreement payments by us will be calculated using the market value of our Class A common stock at the time of purchase or exchange and the prevailing tax rates applicable to us over the life of the tax receivable agreements and will be dependent on us generating sufficient future taxable income to realize the benefit. As of December 31, 2019, we recorded a $375.3 million liability, representing amounts payable under the tax receivable agreements equal to 85% of the tax benefit we expected to realize from the H&F Corp merger described above, our purchase of partnership units from limited partners of Holdings and the exchange of partnership units from March 2013 through December 31, 2019, assuming no material changes in the related tax law and that APAM earns sufficient taxable income to realize all tax benefits subject to the tax receivable agreements.
The liability will increase upon future purchases or exchanges of limited partnership units with the increase representing amounts payable under the tax receivable agreements equal to 85% of the estimated future tax benefits, if any, resulting from such purchases or exchanges. Payments under the tax receivable agreements are not conditioned on the counterparties’ continued ownership of us. The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under these agreements, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of sales or exchanges by the holders of limited partnership units, the price of the Class A common stock at the time of such sales or exchanges, whether such sales or exchanges are taxable, the amount and timing of the taxable income APAM generates in the future and the tax rate then applicable and the portion of APAM’s payments under the tax receivable agreements constituting imputed interest or depreciable basis or amortizable basis. Payments under the tax receivable agreements are expected to give rise to certain additional tax benefits attributable to either further increases in basis or in the form of deductions for imputed interest, depending on the tax receivable agreement and the circumstances. Any such benefits are covered by the tax receivable agreements and will increase the amounts due thereunder. In addition, the tax receivable agreements provide for interest, at a rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus 100 basis points, accrued from the due date (without extensions) of the corresponding APAM tax return to the actual payment date, provided that the actual payment date is on or before the payment due date, as specified in the tax receivable agreements. In addition, to the extent that we are unable to make payments when due under the tax receivable agreements for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest at a rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus 300 basis points until paid.
Payments under the tax receivable agreements will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine. Although we are not aware of any issue that would cause the IRS or other taxing authority to challenge a tax basis increase or other tax attributes subject to the tax receivable agreements, we will not be reimbursed for any payments previously made under the tax receivable agreements if such basis increases or other benefits are subsequently disallowed (however, any such additional payments may be netted against future payments (if any) that are made under the tax receivable agreements). As a result, in certain circumstances, payments could be made under the tax receivable agreements in excess of the benefits that we actually realize in respect of the attributes to which the tax receivable agreements relate.
In certain cases, payments under the tax receivable agreements may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the tax receivable agreements.
The tax receivable agreements provide that (i) upon certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control, (ii) in the event that we materially breach any of our material obligations under the agreements, whether as a result of failure to make any payment within six months of when due (provided we have sufficient funds to make such payment), failure to honor any other material obligation required thereunder or by operation of law as a result of the rejection of the agreements in a bankruptcy or otherwise, or (iii) if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the agreements, our (or our successor’s) obligations under the agreements (with respect to all units, whether or not units have been exchanged or acquired before or after such transaction) would be based on certain assumptions. In the case of a material breach or if we elect early termination, those assumptions include that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the deductions arising from the increased tax deductions and tax basis and other benefits related to entering into the tax receivable agreements. In the case of a change of control, the assumptions include that in each taxable year ending on or after the closing date of the change of control, our taxable income (prior to the application of the tax deductions and tax basis and other benefits related to entering into the tax receivable agreements) will equal the greater of (i) the actual taxable income (prior to the application of the tax deductions and tax basis and other benefits related to entering into the tax receivable agreements) for the taxable year and (ii) the highest taxable income (calculated without taking into account extraordinary items of income or deduction and prior to the application of the tax deductions and tax basis and other benefits related to entering into the tax receivable agreements) in any of the four fiscal quarters ended prior to the closing date of the change of control, annualized and increased by 10% for each taxable year beginning with the second taxable year following the closing date of the change of control. In the event we elect to terminate the agreements early or we materially breach a material obligation, our obligations under the agreements will accelerate. As a result, (i) we could be required to make payments under the tax receivable agreements that are greater than or less than the specified percentage of the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the agreements and (ii) if we materially breach a material obligation under the agreements or if we elect to terminate the agreements early, we would be required to make an immediate payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits, which payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization of such future benefits. In these situations, our obligations under the tax receivable agreements could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the tax receivable agreements. If we were to elect to terminate the tax receivable agreements associated with (i) the merger described above; (ii) the purchase or exchange of partnership units from March 2013 through December 31, 2019; and (iii) projected future purchases or exchanges of partnership units, as of December 31, 2019, based on an assumed discount rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus 100 basis points and a price of $32.32 per share of our Class A common stock, the closing price of our Class A common stock on December 31, 2019, we estimate that we would be required to pay approximately $472 million in the aggregate under the tax receivable agreements.
If we were deemed an investment company under the 1940 Act as a result of our ownership of Artisan Partners Holdings, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (i) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (ii) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and, absent an applicable exemption, it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company”, as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.
As the sole general partner of Artisan Partners Holdings, we control and operate Artisan Partners Holdings. On that basis, we believe that our interest in Artisan Partners Holdings is not an “investment security” as that term is used in the 1940 Act. However, if we were to cease participation in the management of Artisan Partners Holdings, our interest in Artisan Partners Holdings could be deemed an “investment security” for purposes of the 1940 Act.
We and Artisan Partners Holdings intend to continue to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we were to be deemed an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
The market price and trading volume of our Class A common stock may be volatile, which could result in rapid and substantial losses for our stockholders.
The market price of our Class A common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. In addition, the trading volume of our Class A common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of our Class A common stock declines significantly, investors may be unable to sell shares of Class A common stock at or above their purchase price, if at all. The market price of our Class A common stock may fluctuate or decline significantly in the future.
Future sales of our Class A common stock in the public market could lower our stock price, and any future sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute existing stockholders’ ownership in us.
The market price of our Class A common stock could decline as a result of future sales of a large number of shares of our Class A common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also may make it more difficult for us to raise additional capital by selling equity securities in the future, at a time and price that we deem appropriate.
We are party to a resale and registration rights agreement pursuant to which the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon exchange of limited partnership units are eligible for resale. Such shares of Class A common stock may be transferred only in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resale and registration rights agreement. The common units of Artisan Partners Holdings discussed below are exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis.
There is no limit on the number of shares of our Class A common stock that our Class A limited partners or AIC are permitted to sell. As of December 31, 2019, our Class A limited partners owned approximately 7.0 million Class A common units and AIC owned approximately 3.5 million Class D common units.
For an employee-partner, in each one-year period, the first of which began in the first quarter of 2014, the partner is generally permitted to sell up to (i) a number of vested shares of our Class A common stock representing 15% of the aggregate number of common units and shares of Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units he or she held as of the first day of that period or, (ii) if greater, shares of our Class A common stock having a market value as of the time of sale of approximately$250,000, as well as, in either case, the number of shares such holder could have sold in any previous period or periods but did not sell in such period or periods. In February 2018, our Board approved the sale of additional shares by certain employee-partners. In 2019, these employee-partners were permitted to sell 20% of the aggregate number of common units and shares of Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units each held as of February 1, 2018. We expect to permit them to sell the same number of shares during the first quarter of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, subject to their maintaining a minimum dollar amount of firm equity. As of December 31, 2019, our employee-partners owned 7.8 million Class B common units. Approximately 3.8 million of those units are eligible for exchange and sale in the first quarter of 2020. An additional 3.0 million units are eligible for exchange and sale by retired employee-partners in the first quarter of 2020. As of the date of this filing, we expect approximately 1.6 million units to be exchanged on February 27, 2020. We may waive or modify these restrictions.
We may also purchase limited partnerships units of Holdings at any time and may issue and sell additional shares of our Class A common stock to fund such purchases. We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock may have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales or distributions of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.
In addition, we have filed a registration statement registering 15,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock for issuance pursuant to our 2013 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan and 2013 Non-Employee Director Plan. Including the grant in the first quarter of 2020, we have awarded 9,531,616 restricted stock units, performance share units or restricted shares of Class A common stock to our employees and employees of our subsidiaries. 5,961,118 of these awards vest pro rata over the five years from the date of issuance and may be sold upon vesting. 30,000 of these awards are performance share units, which vest three years from the date of issuance and may be sold upon vesting. 3,540,498 of these awards are career awards or franchise awards, which generally will only vest upon the grantee’s qualifying retirement. We may increase the number of shares registered for this purpose from time to time. Once these shares have been issued and have vested, they will be able to be sold in the public market.
Anti-takeover provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and in the Delaware General Corporation Law, as well as the terms of our equity awards, could discourage a change of control that our stockholders may favor, which could negatively affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and in the Delaware General Corporation Law, as well as the terms of our equity awards, may make it more difficult and expensive for a third party to acquire control of us even if a change of control would be beneficial to the interests of our stockholders. Those provisions include:
•The right of the various classes of our capital stock to vote, as separate classes, on certain amendments to our restated certificate of incorporation and certain fundamental transactions.
•The ability of our board of directors to determine to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, which could be used to thwart a takeover attempt.
•Advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.
•A limitation that, generally, stockholder action may only be taken at an annual or special meeting or by unanimous written consent.
•A requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by our board of directors or our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors.
•The ability of our board of directors to adopt, amend and repeal our amended and restated bylaws by majority vote, while such action by stockholders would require a super majority vote, which makes it more difficult for stockholders to change certain provisions described above.
•Except with respect to awards held by our named executive officers, single trigger vesting upon a change in control for all unvested employee equity awards, including all unvested equity awards held by investment team members. Prior to February 2019, our awards generally included double-trigger vesting upon a change in control.
The market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected to the extent that the above discourage potential takeover attempts that our stockholders may favor.
Our restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to the Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein and the claim not being one which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this provision of our restated certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, employees and agents. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Our indemnification obligations may pose substantial risks to our financial condition.
Pursuant to our restated certificate of incorporation, we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law against all liability and expense incurred by them in their capacities as directors or officers of us. We also are obligated to pay their expenses in connection with the defense of claims. Our bylaws provide for similar indemnification of, and advancement of expenses to, our directors, officers, employees and agents and members of our stockholders committee. We have also entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers and each member of our stockholders committee, pursuant to which we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law in connection with their service in such capacities. Artisan Partners Holdings will indemnify and advance expenses to AIC, as its former general partner, the former members of its pre-IPO Advisory Committee, the members of our stockholders committee, our directors and officers and its officers and employees against any liability and expenses incurred by them and arising as a result of the capacities in which they serve or served Artisan Partners Holdings.
We have obtained liability insurance insuring our directors, officers and members of our stockholders committee against liability for acts or omissions in their capacities as directors, officers or committee members subject to certain exclusions. These indemnification obligations may pose substantial risks to our financial condition, as we may not be able to maintain our insurance or, even if we are able to maintain our insurance, claims in excess of our insurance coverage could be material. In addition, these indemnification obligations and other provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation, and the amended and restated partnership agreement of Artisan Partners Holdings, may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against indemnified persons, and may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against such persons, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited us and our stockholders.
Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that certain of our investors do not have an obligation to offer us business opportunities.
Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, certain of our investors and their respective affiliates (including affiliates who serve on our board of directors) have no obligation to offer us an opportunity to participate in the business opportunities presented to them, even if the opportunity is one that we might reasonably have pursued (and therefore they may be free to compete with us in the same business or similar business). Furthermore, we renounce and waive and agree not to assert any claim for breach of any fiduciary or other duty relating to any such opportunity against those investors and their affiliates by reason of any such activities unless, in the case of any person who is our director or officer, such opportunity is expressly offered to such director or officer in writing solely in his or her capacity as an officer or director of us. This may create actual and potential conflicts of interest between us and certain of our investors and their affiliates (including certain of our directors).
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None
Item 2. Properties
We lease all of our office space, including our largest office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where a majority of our employees are based. We believe our existing and contracted-for facilities are adequate to meet our requirements.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
In the normal course of business, we may be subject to various legal and administrative proceedings. Currently, there are no legal or administrative proceedings that management believes may have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, cash flows or results of operations.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable
Information about our Executive Officers
Information regarding our executive officers is as follows:
Eric R. Colson, age 50, has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Artisan Partners Asset Management since March 2011 and has served as Chairman of the Company's board of directors since August 1, 2015. He has also been a director of Artisan Partners Funds, Inc. since November 2013. Mr. Colson has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Artisan Partners since January 2010. Before serving as Artisan Partners’ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Colson served as Chief Operating Officer of Investment Operations from March 2007 through January 2010. Mr. Colson has been a managing director of Artisan Partners since he joined the firm in January 2005.
Charles J. Daley, Jr., age 57, has been Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Artisan Partners Asset Management since March 2011. He has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Artisan Partners since August 2010 and has been a managing director since July 2010 when he joined the firm.
Jason A. Gottlieb, age 50, has been Executive Vice President of Artisan Partners Asset Management since February 2017. Mr. Gottlieb joined Artisan Partners in October 2016 as a managing director and the Chief Operating Officer of Investments. Prior to joining the firm in October 2016, Mr. Gottlieb was a partner and managing director at Goldman Sachs where, since 2005, he was a leader in Goldman Sachs’ Alternative Investment & Manager Selection Group. He also served as a portfolio manager on the Goldman Sachs Multi-Manager Alternatives Fund from the fund’s inception in April 2013 until he left the firm in August 2016.
James S. Hamman, Jr., age 50, has been Executive Vice President of Artisan Partners Asset Management since February 2016 and has been a managing director of Artisan Partners since April 2014. Mr. Hamman currently has responsibility for leading the firm's corporate development efforts. Mr. Hamman's prior roles with the firm include head of global distribution, head of human capital, head of corporate development, and associate counsel. Mr. Hamman also served as a director of Artisan Partners Global Funds from June 2010 to January 2018. Mr. Hamman joined Artisan Partners in March 2010.
Sarah A. Johnson, age 48, has been Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Artisan Partners Asset Management and General Counsel of Artisan Partners since October 2013. From April 2013 to October 2013 she served as Assistant Secretary of Artisan Partners Asset Management. She has been the General Counsel of Artisan Partners Funds, Inc. since February 2011. Ms. Johnson was named a managing director of Artisan Partners in March 2010.
Christopher J. Krein, age 48, has been Executive Vice President of Artisan Partners Asset Management and Artisan Partners' Head of Global Distribution since January 2020. Prior to becoming Head of Global Distribution, Mr. Krein was responsible for institutional marketing and client service for the Artisan Developing World team. Mr. Krein has been a managing director of Artisan Partners since he joined the firm in September 2015. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Krein was head of institutional distribution at WisdomTree Asset Management.
Gregory K. Ramirez, age 49, was appointed Executive Vice President of Artisan Partners Asset Management in February 2016. From October 2013 to February 2016 he served as Senior Vice President and from April 2013 to October 2013 as Assistant Treasurer. Mr. Ramirez currently has responsibility for overseeing vehicle administration and facilities and serves as chair of the Artisan Risk and Integrity Committee. He has served as a director of Artisan Partners Funds, Inc. since January 2020 and prior to that served as the Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Treasurer of the funds since February 2011. In addition, he has served as a director of Artisan Partners Global Funds since June 2010 and of certain private funds sponsored by Artisan Partners since 2017. Mr. Ramirez was named a managing director of Artisan Partners in April 2003.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our directors at February 14, 2020:
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Matthew R. Barger
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62
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Independent Director
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Eric R. Colson
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50
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President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
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Tench Coxe
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62
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Independent Director
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Stephanie G. DiMarco
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62
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Independent Director
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Jeffrey A. Joerres
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60
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Independent Director
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Andrew A. Ziegler
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62
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Lead Independent Director
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Mr. Barger has served on our board of directors since February of 2013. Mr. Barger is Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and also serves on the Audit Committee. He is currently the managing member of MRB Capital, LLC, and he has been a senior advisor at Hellman & Friedman LLC (“H&F”) since 2007. Prior to 2007, he served in a number of roles at H&F, including managing general partner and chairman of the investment committee. Mr. Barger was a member of the advisory committee of Artisan Partners Holdings from January 1995 to the completion of our initial public offering in March 2013. Prior to joining H&F, Mr. Barger was an associate in the corporate finance department of Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb. He has been a director of Hall Capital Partners LLC since 2007 and has served on the advisory board of Stonyrock Partners LP since 2019. Mr. Barger’s expertise in the investment management industry and his broad experience in public and private directorships, finance, corporate strategy and business development provide valuable insight to our board.
Mr. Colson has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Artisan Partners Asset Management since March 2011 and has served as Chairman of the board of directors since August 1, 2015. He has also been a director of Artisan Partners Funds, Inc. since November 2013. Mr. Colson has served as chief executive officer of Artisan Partners since January 2010. Before serving as Artisan Partners’ chief executive officer, Mr. Colson served as chief operating officer for investment operations from March 2007 through January 2010. Mr. Colson has been a managing director of Artisan Partners since he joined the Company in January 2005. Mr. Colson's experience as our Chief Executive Officer makes him well qualified to serve both as a director and as Chairman of the board. Our board of directors values his substantial experience in the investment management industry and his extensive knowledge of our business.
Mr. Coxe has served on our board of directors since February of 2013 and currently serves on the Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. He has been a managing director of Sutter Hill Ventures since 1989 and joined that firm in 1987 following his tenure with Digital Communications Associates in Atlanta. Prior to that, Mr. Coxe worked with Lehman Brothers in New York City, where he was a corporate finance analyst specializing in mergers and acquisitions as well as debt and equity financing. Mr. Coxe was a member of Artisan Partners Holdings’ advisory committee from January 1995 to the completion of our initial public offering in March 2013. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Nvidia Corporation and PINC Solutions and is a former director of Mattersight Corporation. Mr. Coxe’s wide-ranging leadership experience and his experiences with both public and private directorships enable him to provide additional insight to our board of directors and its committees.
Ms. DiMarco has served on our board of directors since February 2013. Ms. DiMarco is Chair of the Audit Committee and also serves on the Compensation Committee. Ms. DiMarco founded Advent Software, Inc. in June 1983 and served Advent in various capacities over time, including as chair of its board of directors (September 2013 to July 2015), chief executive officer (May 2003 to June 2012) and chief financial officer (July 2008 to September 2009). She currently serves on the advisory board of the College of Engineering at the University of California Berkeley and the board of directors of Summer Search, a non-profit organization. She is a member of several private company boards and is an advisor to NYCA, a venture capital firm. She is a former member of the board of trustees of the University of California Berkeley Foundation, a former advisory board member of the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley and a former trustee of the San Francisco Foundation where she chaired the investment committee. Ms. DiMarco’s extensive experience in technological developments for the investment management industry provides useful insight to our board of directors and her management experience as a founder, officer and director of Advent provide perspective on the management and operations of a public company. In addition, her extensive financial and accounting experience strengthens our board through her understanding of accounting principles, financial reporting rules and regulations, and internal controls.
Mr. Joerres has served on our board of directors since February of 2013. He is currently Chair of the Compensation Committee and serves as a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Joerres was executive chairman and chairman of the board of directors of ManpowerGroup until his retirement in December 2015. From April 1999 until May 2014, he served as chief executive officer of ManpowerGroup. Mr. Joerres currently serves on the boards of directors of ConocoPhillips and Western Union, and is a member of the Committee for Economic Development. He is also past chairman and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, a former director of Johnson Controls International plc, and a former trustee of the U.S. Council for International Business. Our board of directors values Mr. Joerres’s global operating and leadership experience and his innovative approach to optimizing human capital. In addition, his substantial experience on public company boards enables him to provide guidance to our board with respect to the management and operations of a public company.
Mr. Ziegler has served on our board of directors since March 2011 and is currently its Lead Independent Director. Mr. Ziegler served as Chairman of the board of directors from March 2011 to August 2015 and was our Executive Chairman from March 2011 to March 2014. Mr. Ziegler was a managing director and the chief executive officer of Artisan Partners Holdings from its founding in 1994 through January 2010. Our board of directors values Mr. Ziegler's operating and leadership experience as our founder and past executive chairman. His extensive knowledge of our business and the investment management industry provide our board with insight into the Company and valuable continuity of leadership.
Under the terms of our stockholders agreement, our stockholders committee, which has the authority to vote approximately 17% of the combined voting power of our capital stock, is required to vote the shares subject to the agreement for the election of each of Mr. Barger and Mr. Colson. Under the agreement, Artisan is required to use its best efforts to elect Mr. Barger and Mr. Colson, which efforts must include soliciting proxies for, and recommending that the Company’s stockholders vote in favor of, the election of each. For more information on the stockholders agreement and stockholders committee see Item 13 of this report.
Certain information regarding our executive officers is included at the end of Part I of this Form 10-K under the heading "Information about our Executive Officers".
Code of Ethics
Our board of directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct applicable to all directors, officers and employees of the Company to provide a framework for the highest standards of professional conduct and foster a culture of honesty and accountability. The Code of Business Conduct satisfies applicable SEC requirements and NYSE listing standards. The Code of Business Conduct is available under the Corporate Governance link on our website at www.apam.com.
We intend to post on our website at www.apam.com, all disclosures that are required by law or NYSE listing standards concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of our Code of Business Conduct.
The Board of Directors and its Committees
The board of directors conducts its business through meetings of the board and through meetings of its committees. The board has three standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The current members and chairpersons of the committees are:
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Director
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Audit Committee
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Compensation Committee
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
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Matthew R. Barger
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X
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Chair
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Tench Coxe
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X
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X
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Stephanie G. DiMarco
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Chair
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X
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Jeffrey A. Joerres
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X
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Chair
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X
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Andrew A. Ziegler
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The Audit Committee is a separately-designated standing audit committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The Audit Committee is comprised solely of directors who meet the independence requirements under NYSE listing standards and the Securities Exchange Act, and who are “financially literate” under NYSE rules. The board of directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee has “accounting or related financial management expertise” and qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert”.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Summary
The core elements of our named executive officers’ compensation are base salary, a performance based cash bonus, and performance based equity awards with long-term vesting provisions. For 2019, 93% of our Chief Executive Officer's compensation was performance based. For our other named executive officers, performance based compensation ranged from 79% to 93% percent of 2019’s total compensation.
The following table shows the elements of compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and the three other most highly compensated officers (collectively, the named executive officers) with respect to 2019, 2018 and 2017. The amounts in this table vary from the data and reporting conventions required by SEC rules in the Summary Compensation Table below.
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Performance Based Compensation
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Equity Awards
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Name & Principal Position
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Year
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Salary
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Cash Bonus
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Standard Grant
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Career Grant
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Total Direct Compensation
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Performance Based as % of Total
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Eric R. Colson
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2019
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$
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500,000
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$
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4,750,000
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$
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786,750
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$
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786,750
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$
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6,823,500
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93%
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Chief Executive Officer
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2018
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437,500
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5,000,000
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222,828
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222,806
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5,883,134
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93%
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2017
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250,000
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5,000,000
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521,388
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521,387
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6,292,775
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96%
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Charles J. Daley, Jr.
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2019
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300,000
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1,850,000
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76,050
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76,050
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2,302,100
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87%
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Chief Financial Officer
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2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
57,300
|
|
57,300
|
|
|
2,352,100
|
|
|
88%
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
129,855
|
|
129,855
|
|
|
2,459,710
|
|
|
90%
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
2,450,000
|
|
|
786,750
|
|
786,750
|
|
|
4,323,500
|
|
|
93%
|
|
Executive Vice President
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
2,600,000
|
|
|
458,400
|
|
458,400
|
|
|
3,804,300
|
|
|
92%
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
2,500,000
|
|
|
260,694
|
|
260,694
|
|
|
3,271,388
|
|
|
92%
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
76,050
|
|
76,050
|
|
|
1,552,100
|
|
|
81%
|
|
Chief Legal Officer
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,150,000
|
|
|
57,300
|
|
57,300
|
|
|
1,552,100
|
|
|
81%
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,150,000
|
|
|
88,538
|
|
88,537
|
|
|
1,577,075
|
|
|
84%
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,050,000
|
|
|
42,250
|
|
42,250
|
|
|
1,434,500
|
|
|
79%
|
|
Executive Vice President
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
34,380
|
|
34,380
|
|
|
1,456,260
|
|
|
80%
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
88,538
|
|
88,537
|
|
|
1,527,075
|
|
|
84%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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2019 business highlights include:
•Our investment teams continued to generate strong absolute and relative investment returns for clients and investors. Net of fees, fifteen of our seventeen strategies have generated meaningful out-performance relative to their broad-based benchmarks since inception. In 2019, on an asset-weighted basis, our investment strategies generated approximately 578 basis points of gross returns in excess of broad-based benchmarks. 13 of 17 of our investment strategies out-performed their broad-based benchmarks, net of fees. Six Artisan Funds finished 2019 in the top decile of their Morningstar peer groups, and 10 of 15 Artisan Funds finished in the top quartile of their peer groups.
•During the year ended December 31, 2019, our assets under management increased to $121.0 billion, an increase of $24.8 billion, or 26%, compared to $96.2 billion at December 31, 2018, as a result of $28.1 billion of market appreciation partially offset by $3.3 billion of net client cash outflows.
•11 of our 17 strategies had positive net inflows in 2019, with five of our strategies having net inflows in excess of $500 million. Our Third Generation strategies (with inception dates beginning in 2014) had $3.9 billion in net inflows, an organic growth rate of 63%.
•Average assets under management for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $111.0 billion, a decrease of 2.4% from the average of $113.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2018.
•We earned $799 million in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019, a 4% decrease from revenues of $829 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.
•Our operating margin was 35.5%, down slightly from 36.8% in 2018.
•We generated $2.65 of earning per basic and diluted share and $2.67 of adjusted EPS.
•We declared and distributed dividends of $3.39 per share of Class A common stock during 2019, and have declared a total of $3.08 of dividends per share with respect to 2019.
2019 Executive Compensation
•The base salary paid to each named executive officer in 2019 reflected the first full year of the increased base salaries that were approved by the Compensation Committee during 2018. In 2018, after reviewing industry and peer practices, the Compensation Committee determined to increase the base salary to $300,000 for all managing directors and to $500,000 for our Chief Executive Officer. Prior to 2018, the base salary for all of the firm’s managing directors, including the named executive officers, was $250,000. The increases for the named executive officers were intended to increase the competitiveness of the base salaries by bringing them closer to the median level of the peer group salary information presented by the Committee’s compensation consultant, McLagan. The base salary increase represented the first ever base salary increase at Artisan for Mr. Colson, Mr. Daley, and Mr. Gottlieb.
•2019 performance based cash bonuses paid to the named executive officers were lower than 2018 bonuses, reflecting the decrease in average assets under management and revenues year over year. Despite the decrease in revenues compared to 2018, the firm had a successful year in terms of investment and financial results, as described above. The 2019 cash bonuses reflect the strong performance of the firm’s management team as they continued to maintain the firm’s high value added, investments-first culture.
•Equity awards for our named executive officers, which were larger with respect to 2019 than 2018, consisted of the following:
◦Mr. Colson and Mr. Gottlieb were each awarded 30,000 performance share units (PSUs) with respect to 2019. The PSUs have a three-year performance period beginning January 1, 2020. 50% of the PSUs are eligible for vesting if the recipient remains employed through the performance period. 100% of the PSUs are eligible for vesting if the recipient satisfies the service condition and either (i) the firm’s adjusted operating margin during the performance period exceeds the median for a defined peer group or (ii) the firm’s total shareholder return during the performance period exceeds the median of the peer group. 150% of the PSUs are eligible for vesting if the recipient satisfies the service condition and both the operating margin and total shareholder return performance conditions. At the conclusion of the performance period, 50% of the PSUs eligible for vesting will vest, and 50% of the PSUs eligible for vesting will be further subject to career vesting terms that, with certain exceptions, means the PSUs will vest only if and when the recipient retires from the firm in accordance with qualifying retirement conditions. The value of the PSUs granted reflected in the table above for each of Mr. Colson and Mr. Gottlieb is the grant date fair value calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, which is based on satisfying the service condition, achieving the adjusted operating margin condition, and the probable outcome of the total shareholder return performance condition using a Monte Carlo valuation method.
◦Mr. Daley, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Ramirez each received an equity award consisting of a 50/50 mix of standard shares and career shares. The standard shares will vest pro-rata over the five years following the date of grant, subject to continued employment. With certain exceptions, the career shares will only vest if and when the recipient retires from the Company in accordance with qualifying retirement conditions.
Compensation Program Features
Our executive compensation program includes the following features that we believe reflect sound corporate pay governance:
•The vast majority of our executives’ total compensation is performance based.
•We do not have employment or other agreements that provide termination benefits outside the context of a change in control.
•Generally one-half of all equity awarded to our executive officers contains career vesting conditions that, with certain exceptions, means equity will only vest if and when the recipient retires from the Company in accordance with qualifying retirement conditions.
•All of our outstanding unvested equity awards to executive officers include double-trigger change in control provisions.
•We maintain equity ownership guidelines, pursuant to which executive officers are required to hold Company equity equal in value to eight times base salary for the Chief Executive Officer and three times base salary for all other executive officers.
•Our executive officers are subject to a clawback policy that permits the board of directors to recover incentive compensation from an executive officer if his or her fraud or willful misconduct led to a material restatement of financial results.
•We do not provide “golden parachute” tax gross ups.
•None of our named executive officers have bonus guarantees.
•We do not offer retirement income or pension plans other than the same 401(k) plan that is available to all employees.
•We do not maintain any benefit plans or perquisites that cover only one or more of our named executive officers.
•Our insider trading policy prohibits hedging and restricts pledging of Company stock by all of our employees.
•Our Compensation Committee receives input from an independent compensation consultant.
Objectives of the Compensation Program
We believe that to create long-term value for our stockholders our management team needs to focus on the following business objectives:
•Attracting, retaining, and cultivating top investment talent whose interests are aligned with our clients and stockholders.
•Delivering superior investment performance and client service.
•Achieving profitable and sustainable financial results.
•Expanding our investment capabilities through thoughtful growth.
•Continuing to diversify our sources of assets under management.
Our executive compensation program is designed to:
•Support our business strategy.
•Attract, motivate and retain highly talented, results-oriented individuals.
•Reward the achievement of superior and sustained long-term performance.
•Be flexible and responsive to evolving market conditions.
•Align the interests of our named executive officers with our stockholders.
•Provide competitive pay opportunities.
Elements of our Named Executive Officers’ Compensation and Benefits
The elements of our named executive officer compensation program include:
•Base salary
•Performance based cash bonus
•Performance based equity awards
•Retirement benefits
•Other benefits
Base Salary
Base salaries are intended to provide our named executive officers with a degree of financial certainty and stability that does not depend on performance. Our named executive officers’ base salaries represent a relatively small portion of their overall total direct compensation. We believe that the majority of their pay should be performance based.
Prior to 2018, the base salary for all of the firm’s managing directors, including the named executive officers, was $250,000. After reviewing industry and peer practices, the Compensation Committee determined to increase the base salary to $300,000 for all managing directors and to $500,000 for our Chief Executive Officer. The increases for the named executive officers were intended to increase the competitiveness of the base salaries by bringing them closer to the median level of the peer group salary information presented by the Committee’s compensation consultant, McLagan. The base salary increase represented the first ever base salary increase at Artisan for Mr. Colson, Mr. Daley, and Mr. Gottlieb. No changes were made to the named executive officers' base salaries during 2019.
Performance Based Cash Bonus and Equity Awards
Annual cash bonuses and equity awards are determined at or after the end of each year and are based on the Compensation Committee’s assessment of individual and company-wide performance measured over both annual and long-term periods.
In order to incentivize a holistic and long-term approach, focused on maintaining the firm’s identity and integrity as a high value added, talent-centered investment firm with a variable expense operating model and strong balance sheet, we do not use predetermined incentive formulas. In addition, in determining executives’ annual cash bonuses and equity awards, we consider both the shorter-term and the longer-term contributions of each executive and how those contributions will relate to the firm’s long-term health and sustainability.
Consistent with the firm’s historical practices, the board of directors and management believe that the vast majority of firm equity awards should be made to the firm’s investment talent, not to the firm’s executive officers. Since the firm’s IPO in 2013, approximately 90% of each equity grant has been awarded to investment team members. By focusing equity grants on investment team members, the firm increases the incentives for, and the long-term alignment and retention of, its most critical employees. The board and management agree that this is the best way to allocate equity awards at a talent-centered investment management firm. A consequence of this approach is that there is a limited amount of equity to allocate to non-investment team members, including executive officers. That is why a relatively small portion of each executive’s annual performance based pay is in the form of equity compensation. Increasing the amount of equity awarded to named executive officers would necessarily decrease the amount awarded to investment team members.
The equity we do grant to our named executive officers is subject to long-term time vesting and/or performance vesting conditions. In addition, generally one-half of all equity awarded to our executives contains career vesting conditions that, with certain exceptions, means equity will only vest if and when the executive retires from the Company in accordance with qualifying retirement conditions. Equity awarded to our executives takes the form of either restricted stock or performance share units, as described below.
Restricted Stock. Prior to the equity awarded with respect to 2019, all of our named executive officers were granted restricted stock in the form of standard restricted shares and career shares. Our standard restricted shares vest pro-rata over the five years following the date of grant, subject to continued employment. For career shares to vest, both of the following conditions must be met:
•Pro rata time-vesting, under which 20% of the shares satisfy this condition in each of the five years following the year of grant.
•Qualifying retirement, which generally requires that the recipient (i) has been employed by us for at least 10 years at retirement; (ii) has provided 18 months' prior written notice of retirement; and (iii) has remained at the Company through the retirement notice period.
Career shares and standard restricted shares will also vest upon a termination of employment due to death or disability. In addition, after the fifth anniversary of the grant date, if the Company terminates a recipient without cause (as defined in the award agreement), career shares will fully vest, provided that the recipient has at least 10 years of service with the Company at the time of termination. And after a change of control, if the Company terminates a named executive officer without cause or he or she resigns for good reason, in either case, within two years of the change in control, the shares will fully vest.
Performance Share Units (PSUs). Beginning with the equity awarded with respect to 2019, Mr. Colson and Mr. Gottlieb received PSUs in lieu of restricted stock awards. The PSUs have a three-year performance period, after which achievement of the performance conditions will be assessed by the Compensation Committee.
PSUs will be eligible to vest if performance conditions are met, as determined by the Compensation Committee after completion of the performance period, as follows:
•50% of the PSUs will be eligible to vest if the recipient remains employed at Artisan through the performance period.
•100% of the PSUs will be eligible to vest if the recipient satisfies the service condition and either (i) the firm’s adjusted operating margin during the performance period exceeds the median for a defined peer group or (ii) the firm’s total shareholder return during the performance period exceeds the median of the peer group.
•150% of the PSUs will be eligible to vest if the recipient satisfies the service condition and both the operating margin and total shareholder return performance conditions.
Once the Compensation Committee has determined the number of PSUs that are eligible to vest with respect to the performance period, one-half of the total PSUs eligible to vest will vest and the underlying shares will be delivered. The other half of PSUs eligible to vest will be subject to career vesting conditions that, with certain exceptions, means the PSUs will vest and the underlying shares will be delivered only if and when the recipient retires from the Company in accordance with qualifying retirement conditions.
All outstanding PSUs will also vest upon a termination of employment due to death or disability. In addition, after the fifth anniversary of the grant date, if the Company terminates a recipient without cause (as defined in the award agreement), all PSUs previously determined to be eligible to vest but not having vested will vest, provided that the recipient has at least 10 years of service with the Company at the time of termination. And after a change of control, if the Company terminates a named executive officer without cause or he or she resigns for good reason, in either case, within two years of the change in control, all outstanding PSUs will fully vest.
Each outstanding PSU entitles the holder to dividend equivalent rights on one outstanding share of Class A common stock.
We intend to continue to grant annual equity-based awards to our named executive officers under the Omnibus Plan, which provides for a wide variety of equity awards. The size and structure of the equity awards granted with respect to 2019 may not be indicative of future awards. Future equity awards may be granted in a mix of restricted shares (both standard and career) and performance share units, and subject to both time- and performance-based vesting conditions. We generally expect at least half of the equity awards to our named executive officers to include career vesting terms.
Retirement Benefits
We believe that providing a cost-effective retirement benefit for the Company’s employees is an important recruitment and retention tool. Accordingly, the Company maintains, and each of the named executive officers participates in, a contributory defined contribution retirement plan for all U.S.-based employees, and matches 100% of each employee’s contributions (other than catch-up contributions by employees age 50 and older) up to the 2019 limit of $19,000. We also maintain retirement plans or make retirement plan contributions (or equivalent cash payments) for our employees based outside the U.S. The opportunity to participate in a retiree health plan, at the sole expense of the retiree, is available to employee-partners and career share recipients who have at least 10 years of service with us at the time of retirement.
Other Benefits
Our named executive officers participate in the employee health and welfare benefit programs we maintain, including medical, group life and long-term disability insurance, and health care savings accounts, on the same basis as all U.S. employees, subject to satisfying any eligibility requirements and applicable law. We also generally provide employer-paid parking or transit assistance and, for our benefit and convenience, on-site food and beverages; our named executive officers enjoy those benefits on the same terms as all of our employees.
Determination of Compensation
Role of Compensation Committee, Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. Our Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of directors who qualify as independent under applicable SEC and NYSE rules, has ultimate responsibility for all compensation decisions relating to our named executive officers. Other members of the board of directors regularly attend and participate in meetings of the Compensation Committee, and the members of the Compensation Committee and board of directors regularly meet in executive session without management present. The decisions of the Compensation Committee are reported to the entire board of directors.
Our Chief Executive Officer evaluates the performance of, and makes recommendations to our Compensation Committee regarding compensation matters involving, the other named executive officers. The Compensation Committee retains the ultimate authority to approve, reject or modify those recommendations. The Compensation Committee independently evaluates our Chief Executive Officer’s performance and determines our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation.
Use of Compensation Consultant. Our Compensation Committee has retained the services of McLagan, a compensation consultant, to provide advice regarding our named executive officer compensation program and information about compensation trends in the asset management industry. McLagan must receive pre-approval from the chairperson of our Compensation Committee prior to accepting any non-survey-related work from management. Our Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of McLagan pursuant to SEC rules and concluded that no conflict of interest exists that prevents McLagan from independently advising the Compensation Committee.
Peer Group Compensation Review. Our Compensation Committee considers the individual and aggregate pay levels, compensation structure, and financial performance of other asset management companies in connection with its compensation decision-making process. We do not seek to benchmark our executive compensation to that of our peers. Instead, the Compensation Committee reviews the information to stay informed of competitive pay levels, compensation structure, and compensation trends in the asset management industry.
Tax and Accounting Considerations. When it reviews compensation matters, our Compensation Committee considers the anticipated tax and accounting treatment of various payments and benefits to the Company and, when relevant, to its named executive officers, although these considerations are not dispositive.
Results of Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation. The Compensation Committee considers the results of the Company’s advisory vote on compensation when determining the amount and type of compensation paid to the named executive officers and the structure of the executive compensation program generally. At the 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, the advisory vote on executive compensation received shareholder support with approximately 64% of the votes cast in favor of our executives' compensation. The Compensation Committee values the input of our shareholders and is mindful of the level of support received. Over the course of the Company's history, the Company’s executive compensation program has worked well to attract and retain highly talented individuals, reward the achievement of superior long-term performance, and align the interests of those individuals with our shareholders and partners. With respect to 2019, the Compensation Committee introduced performance share units, and the Committee will continue to consider other changes to the executive compensation program.
2019 Executive Compensation Process and Decisions
At its January 2019 meeting, our Compensation Committee and board of directors discussed a set of strategic priorities and business and financial metrics against which to evaluate performance and determine bonuses for 2019. At each subsequent meeting, the Compensation Committee and board of directors reviewed the status of the strategic priorities and assessed the Company’s year-to-date business and financial metrics.
In January and February 2020 the Compensation Committee and board of directors determined annual cash bonuses and equity awards based on its assessment of the named executive officers’ execution of strategic priorities and our 2019 business and financial results. In shaping its decisions with respect to all of the named executive officers, the Compensation Committee considered the following:
•Our investment teams continued to generate strong absolute and relative investment returns for clients and investors. Net of fees, fifteen of our seventeen strategies have generated meaningful out-performance relative to their broad-based benchmarks since inception. In 2019, on an asset-weighted basis, our investment strategies generated approximately 578 basis points of gross returns in excess of broad-based benchmarks. 13 of 17 of our investment strategies out-performed their broad-based benchmarks, net of fees. Six Artisan Funds finished 2019 in the top decile of their Morningstar peer groups, and 10 of 15 Artisan Funds finished in the top quartile of their peer groups.
•During the year ended December 31, 2019, our assets under management increased to $121.0 billion, an increase of $24.8 billion, or 26%, compared to $96.2 billion at December 31, 2018, as a result of $28.1 billion of market appreciation partially offset by $3.3 billion of net client cash outflows.
•11 of our 17 strategies had positive net inflows in 2019, with five of our strategies having net inflows in excess of $500 million. Our Third Generation strategies (with inception dates beginning in 2014) had $3.9 billion in net inflows, an organic growth rate of 63%.
•Average assets under management for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $111.0 billion, a decrease of 2.4% from the average of $113.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2018.
•We earned $799 million in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019, a 4% decrease from revenues of $829 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.
•Our operating margin was 35.5%, down slightly from 36.8% in 2018.
•We generated $2.65 of earning per basic and diluted share and $2.67 of adjusted EPS.
•We declared and distributed dividends of $3.39 per share of Class A common stock during 2019, and have declared a total of $3.08 of dividends per share with respect to 2019.
Based on these achievements and our financial and business performance, the Compensation Committee determined to pay 2019 cash incentive awards as follows: $4,750,000 for Mr. Colson; $1,850,000 for Mr. Daley; $2,450,000 for Mr. Gottlieb; $1,100,000 for Ms. Johnson; and $1,050,000 for Mr. Ramirez. The Compensation Committee also recommended, and our board of directors subsequently approved, equity grants in respect of 2019 to our named executive officers. The aggregate award constituted a total of approximately 919,455 restricted shares and 60,000 PSUs, of which a total of 11,500 restricted shares and all 60,000 PSUs (or 7% of the total grant) were awarded to our named executive officers as follows: 15,000 standard PSUs and 15,000 career PSUs for Mr. Colson; 2,250 standard restricted shares and 2,250 career shares for Mr. Daley; 15,000 standard PSUs and 15,000 career PSUs for Mr. Gottlieb; 2,250 standard restricted shares and 2,250 career shares for Ms. Johnson; 1,250 standard restricted shares and 1,250 career shares for Mr. Ramirez.
Other Compensation Policies and Practices
Equity Ownership Guidelines. Executive officers are expected to own shares of the Company’s common stock or Class B common units of Artisan Partners Holdings equal in value to eight times base salary for the Chief Executive Officer and three times base salary for all other executive officers. Current executive officers have a period of five years from the time the guidelines were adopted in February 2018 to comply with the ownership requirements. In addition, in the future, any individual becoming an executive officer will have a period of five years from the time of his or her designation as an executive officer to comply with the guidelines. As of December 31, 2019, each of our named executive officers held equity in excess of the amount specified in the equity ownership guidelines.
Compensation Clawback Policy. Our executive compensation clawback policy provides that in the event of a material restatement of the Company’s financial results within three years of the original reporting, the board of directors will review the facts and circumstances that led to the restatement and, if the board determines that an executive officer engaged in fraud or willful misconduct leading to material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirements and the restatement, the board may choose to recover incentive compensation paid to an executive officer in an amount that the board determines is the difference between the amount of incentive compensation paid or granted to the executive officer and the amount of incentive compensation that would have been paid or granted to the executive officer based upon the restated financial results. Incentive compensation subject to this policy includes both cash bonuses and equity awards.
Hedging and Pledging Policies. Our code of ethics and insider trading policies prohibit our directors and employees, including our executive officers, from engaging in hedging transactions involving any derivative security relating to Company securities, whether or not the instrument is issued by the Company, except in connection with an Artisan compensation or benefit plan. Our directors and employees are also restricted from pledging Company securities when they are in possession of material, nonpublic information or otherwise are not permitted to trade in Company securities such as during any black-out period.
Risk Management and Named Executive Officer Compensation
We have identified two primary risks relating to compensation: the risk that compensation will not be sufficient in amount or appropriately structured to attract and to retain talent, and the risk that compensation may provide unintended incentives. To combat the risk that our compensation might not be sufficient or be inappropriately structured, we strive to use a compensation structure, and set compensation levels, for all employees in a way that we believe promotes retention. To provide a long-term component to our compensation program, we make equity awards subject to multi-year vesting schedules and, for certain employees, provide for career vesting conditions on one-half of all equity received. We believe that both the structure and levels of compensation have aided us in attracting and retaining key personnel. To address the risk that our compensation programs might provide unintended incentives, we have deliberately kept our compensation programs simple. We have not seen any employee behaviors motivated by our compensation policies and practices that create increased risks for our stockholders.
Based on the foregoing, we do not believe that our compensation policies and practices motivate imprudent risk taking. Consequently, we are satisfied that any potential risks arising from our employee compensation policies and practices are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. Our Compensation Committee will continue to monitor the effects of its compensation decisions to determine whether risks are being appropriately managed.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
Throughout 2019, the Compensation Committee consisted of Seth W. Brennan, Tench Coxe and Jeffrey A. Joerres. On January 27, 2020, Mr. Brennan resigned from the board of directors and Stephanie G. DiMarco was subsequently appointed to the Compensation Committee in his place. Each member of our Compensation Committee is an independent director under the rules of the NYSE and our Corporate Governance Guidelines. None of the members of the Compensation Committee have been an officer or employee of the Company. None of our executive officers serves on the board of directors or compensation committee of a company that has an executive officer that serves on our board.
In connection with our initial public offering, we entered into agreements with all limited partners of Artisan Partners Holdings, including with entities associated with Tench Coxe. Information about the agreements and transactions thereunder, are more fully discussed in Item 13 of this report.
Compensation Committee Report
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management and, based upon such review and discussion, has recommended to the board of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in Artisan Partners Asset Management’s annual report on Form 10-K and proxy statement.
Compensation Committee:
Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairperson
Tench Coxe
Stephanie G. DiMarco
Summary Compensation Table
The following table provides information regarding the compensation earned during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 by each of our named executive officers.
The applicable SEC rules require that for purposes of the Summary Compensation Table, the value of an equity award be reported in the year of grant rather than the year with respect to which the award was made. Accordingly, the stock awards reported for 2017, 2018, and 2019 reflect the awards made in January 2017, February 2018, and January 2019, respectively. Because we consider the value of the equity awards we make in January or February of each year to be a part of each named executive officer’s compensation for the prior year, we have included those values in the row for the prior year in the table at the beginning of this Item 11, as well as in the table immediately following the Summary Compensation Table.
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Name & Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
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Salary
|
|
Bonus (1)
|
|
Stock Awards(2)
|
|
All Other Compensation(3)
|
|
Total
|
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
2019
|
|
$
|
500,000
|
|
|
$
|
4,750,000
|
|
|
$
|
445,634
|
|
|
$
|
149,772
|
|
|
$
|
5,845,406
|
|
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Chief Executive Officer
|
|
2018
|
|
437,500
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
1,042,775
|
|
|
69,475
|
|
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6,549,750
|
|
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2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
283,000
|
|
|
216,778
|
|
|
5,749,778
|
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,850,000
|
|
|
114,600
|
|
|
94,854
|
|
|
2,359,454
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
259,710
|
|
|
63,798
|
|
|
2,561,008
|
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
141,500
|
|
|
119,171
|
|
|
2,460,671
|
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
2,450,000
|
|
|
916,800
|
|
|
46,476
|
|
|
3,713,276
|
|
|
Executive Vice President
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
2,600,000
|
|
|
521,388
|
|
|
44,506
|
|
|
3,453,394
|
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
2,500,000
|
|
|
990,500
|
|
|
43,403
|
|
|
3,783,903
|
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
114,600
|
|
|
87,207
|
|
|
1,601,807
|
|
|
Chief Legal Officer
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,150,000
|
|
|
177,075
|
|
|
68,013
|
|
|
1,682,588
|
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,150,000
|
|
|
141,500
|
|
|
100,036
|
|
|
1,641,536
|
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,050,000
|
|
|
68,760
|
|
|
86,309
|
|
|
1,505,069
|
|
|
Executive Vice President
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
177,075
|
|
|
67,931
|
|
|
1,632,506
|
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
141,500
|
|
|
98,803
|
|
|
1,590,303
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Amounts in this column represent the annual performance based cash bonus compensation earned by our named executive officers in 2019, 2018 and 2017, as applicable. The amounts for 2017 were paid in December 2017. The amounts for 2018 and 2019 were paid in February of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2) As discussed above, we consider the value of the equity awards we made in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to be a part of each named executive officer’s compensation for 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The grant date fair value of those awards is reflected accordingly in the “Stock Awards” and “Total” columns in the supplemental table immediately following the Summary Compensation Table. The values reported represent the grant date fair value as computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 based upon the price of our common stock at the grant date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3) Amounts in this column represent the aggregate dollar amount of all other compensation received by our named executive officers. All other compensation includes, but is not limited to (a) Company matching contributions to contributory defined contribution plan accounts equal to 100% of their pre-tax contributions (excluding catch-up contributions for named executive officers age 50 and older) up to the limitations imposed under applicable tax rules, which contributions totaled $19,000 for each named executive officer in 2019; (b) health and vision insurance premiums and HSA contributions paid by the Company for plans that are generally offered to all employees on a nondiscriminatory basis in the aggregate amount of approximately $25,000 for each named executive officer in 2019; and (c) reimbursement for 2019 self-employment payroll tax expense as follows: $102,733 for Mr. Colson; $47,815 for Mr. Daley; $38,388 for Ms. Johnson, and $37,440 for Mr. Ramirez.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The summary compensation table above includes the value of restricted shares that were granted to each named executive officer in each year presented, as required by SEC disclosure rules. The supplemental table below includes the value of the equity that we granted to each named executive officer in 2018, 2019 and 2020 with respect to 2017, 2018 and 2019 performance, respectively.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
Bonus
|
|
Stock Awards (1)
|
|
All Other Compensation
|
|
Total
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
2019
|
|
$
|
500,000
|
|
|
$
|
4,750,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,573,500
|
|
|
$
|
149,772
|
|
|
$
|
6,973,272
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
437,500
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
445,634
|
|
|
69,475
|
|
|
5,952,609
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
1,042,775
|
|
|
216,778
|
|
|
6,509,553
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,850,000
|
|
|
152,100
|
|
|
94,854
|
|
|
2,396,954
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
114,600
|
|
|
63,798
|
|
|
2,415,898
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
259,710
|
|
|
119,171
|
|
|
2,578,881
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
2,450,000
|
|
|
1,573,500
|
|
|
46,476
|
|
|
4,369,976
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
2,600,000
|
|
|
916,800
|
|
|
44,506
|
|
|
3,848,806
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
2,500,000
|
|
|
521,388
|
|
|
43,403
|
|
|
3,314,791
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
152,100
|
|
|
87,207
|
|
|
1,639,307
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,150,000
|
|
|
114,600
|
|
|
68,013
|
|
|
1,620,113
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,150,000
|
|
|
177,075
|
|
|
100,036
|
|
|
1,677,111
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
2019
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
1,050,000
|
|
|
84,500
|
|
|
86,309
|
|
|
1,520,809
|
|
|
|
2018
|
|
287,500
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
68,760
|
|
|
67,931
|
|
|
1,524,191
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
1,100,000
|
|
|
177,075
|
|
|
98,803
|
|
|
1,625,878
|
|
(1) Represents equity granted with respect to each of fiscal years 2019, 2018, and 2017. Equity awards for fiscal years 2018 and 2017 consisted of restricted shares. Equity awards for fiscal year 2019 for Mr. Daley, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Ramirez consisted of restricted shares. Equity awards for fiscal year 2019 for Mr. Colson and Mr. Gottlieb consisted of performance share units (described at the beginning of Item 11) as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grant Date
|
|
Threshold (#)
|
|
Target (#)
|
|
Grant Date Fair Value of Awards ($) (A)
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
|
|
|
|
2/11/2020
|
|
15,000
|
|
45,000
|
|
$
|
1,573,500
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
|
|
|
|
2/11/2020
|
|
15,000
|
|
45,000
|
|
1,573,500
|
|
(A) Represents the value of performance share units based on the expected outcome as of the date of grant. In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, grant date fair value is based on satisfying the service condition, achieving the adjusted operating margin condition, and the outcome of the total shareholder return performance condition using a Monte Carlo valuation method.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grants of Plan-Based Awards During 2019
The following table provides information regarding plan-based awards granted to each of our named executive officers in the year ended December 31, 2019.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Grant Date
|
|
All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)(1)
|
|
Grant Date Fair Value of Stock Awards ($)(2)
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
1/29/2019
|
|
19,443
|
|
|
$
|
445,634
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
1/29/2019
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
114,600
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
1/29/2019
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
916,800
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
1/29/2019
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
114,600
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
1/29/2019
|
|
3,000
|
|
|
68,760
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Represents the number of restricted shares of our Class A common stock granted in January 2019 with respect to 2018 performance. Dividends are paid on shares of restricted stock at the same time, and in the same amounts, as dividends are paid on other outstanding shares of our Class A common stock. One-half of the award consisted of career shares and the other half consisted of standard restricted shares as set forth below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
|
|
Standard Restricted Shares
|
|
Career Shares
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
|
|
9,722
|
|
|
9,721
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
|
|
1,500
|
|
|
1,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2) Represents the grant date fair value as computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 based upon the price of our common stock at the grant date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2019
The following table provides information about the outstanding unvested equity awards held by each of our named executive officers as of December 31, 2019.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(#)(1)
|
|
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested($)(2)
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
80,543
|
|
|
$
|
2,603,150
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
25,940
|
|
|
838,381
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
91,041
|
|
|
2,942,445
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
24,050
|
|
|
777,296
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
21,550
|
|
|
696,496
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Represents the number of unvested restricted shares of Class A common stock as of December 31, 2019, as set forth below.
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Standard Restricted Shares (A)
|
|
Career Shares (B)
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
29,322
|
|
|
51,221
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
8,640
|
|
|
17,300
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
64,416
|
|
|
26,625
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
7,800
|
|
|
16,250
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
6,800
|
|
|
14,750
|
|
(A) Standard restricted shares vest in five equal installments over the five years following the date of grant, provided that the holder remains employed through the vesting dates. Each named executive officer's standard restricted shares will also vest upon a termination of employment on account of the holder’s death or disability or upon a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control.
|
|
|
|
|
(B) Career shares vest as described above in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Performance Based Cash Bonus and Equity Awards.”
|
|
|
|
|
(2) Restricted shares of Class A common stock were valued based on the closing price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE on December 31, 2019, which was $32.32.
|
|
|
|
|
Equity Awards Vested During the Year Ended December 31, 2019
The following table provides information about the value realized by each of our named executive officers during the year ended December 31, 2019, upon the vesting of equity awards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting(#)
|
|
Value Realized on Vesting($)(1)
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
8,300
|
|
|
$
|
212,203
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
2,960
|
|
|
76,621
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
|
15,572
|
|
|
384,317
|
|
Sarah A. Johnson
|
|
2,750
|
|
|
71,438
|
|
Gregory K. Ramirez
|
|
2,650
|
|
|
68,524
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) The value of the restricted shares of Class A common stock that vested during 2019 is based on the stock price of our Class A common stock on each respective vesting date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CEO Pay Ratio - 28:1
Our CEO pay ratio compares our CEO’s annual total compensation in 2019 to that of the median of the annual total compensation of all other Company employees (the “Median Employee”) for the same period. The calculation of annual total compensation of all other employees was determined in the same manner as the “Total Compensation” shown for our CEO in the Summary Compensation Table above and therefore includes each employee’s base, bonus, equity-based awards, and the value of all Company-paid benefits. We included all employees as of December 31, 2019 in our analysis.
The annual total compensation for 2019 for our CEO was $5,845,406 and for the Median Employee was $210,103. The resulting ratio of our CEO’s pay to the pay of our Median Employee for 2019 is 28 to 1.
Pension Benefits
We do not sponsor or maintain any defined benefit pension or retirement benefits for the benefit of our employees.
Nonqualified Defined Contribution and Other Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans
We do not sponsor or maintain any nonqualified defined contribution or other nonqualified deferred compensation plans for the benefit of our employees.
Employment Agreements
We do not have employment agreements with any of our named executive officers. Upon commencement of employment, each named executive officer received an offer letter outlining the initial terms of employment, including base salary and cash incentive compensation. None of these terms affected compensation paid to our named executive officers in 2019 and will not affect compensation paid in future years.
Each of the named executive officers has agreed, pursuant to his or her Class A restricted stock award agreements, to certain restrictive covenants, including agreements not to compete with Artisan, or solicit Artisan clients and employees, for one year after he or she ceases to be employed by Artisan. The enforceability of the restrictive covenants may be limited depending on the particular facts and circumstances.
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control
Our named executive officers are all employed on an “at will” basis, which enables us to terminate their employment at any time. Our named executive officers do not have agreements that provide severance benefits. We do not offer or have in place any formal retirement, severance or similar compensation programs providing for additional benefits or payments in connection with a termination of employment, change in job responsibility or change in control (other than our contributory defined contribution plan). Under certain circumstances, a named executive officer may be offered severance benefits to be negotiated at the time of termination.
Equity awards granted to our named executive officers are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions of the award and the effect of any termination event or a change in control on unvested awards. The effect of a termination event or change in control on outstanding equity awards varies by the type of award.
Each of our named executive officers has been granted standard restricted shares and career shares. Standard restricted shares vest pro rata over the five years following the date of grant, subject to continued employment. Career shares that have met the 5-year pro rata vesting condition will vest upon a qualifying retirement. A qualifying retirement requires 10 years of service with the Company as of the date of retirement and, for our named executive officers, 18 months' advance notice of intent to retire.
Career shares and standard restricted shares will vest upon a termination of employment due to death or disability and, in the context of a change of control, if the Company terminates a named executive officer without cause or he or she resigns for good reason, in either case, within two years of the change in control, the shares will fully vest. Career shares will also fully vest if after the fifth anniversary of the grant date, the Company terminates a recipient without cause (as defined in the award agreement), provided that the recipient has at least 10 years of service with the Company at the time of termination.
The following table provides the value of the accelerated vesting and retirement vesting of equity that would have been realized for each of the named executive officers if he or she had been terminated on December 31, 2019 under the circumstances indicated (including following a change in control). While none of our named executive officers have provided us with notice of intent to retire, the amounts shown in the “Retirement” column reflect the value of career shares that have satisfied the 5-year vesting and 10 years of service requirements as of December 31, 2019 and would therefore be eligible to vest had the named executive officer provided 18 months' advance notice and retired as of that date. In addition, for named executive officers that hold Class B common units of Artisan Partners Holdings, the number of shares received upon exchange of Class B common units that may be sold in any one-year period may increase upon retirement, provided that the named executive officer gave sufficient notice of retirement and has at least 10 years of service with the Company at the time of retirement.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Death or Disability
|
|
Qualifying Termination in Connection with Change in Control
|
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
Involuntary Termination without Cause
|
Eric R. Colson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Standard Restricted Shares (1)
|
|
$
|
947,687
|
|
|
$
|
947,687
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Career Shares(2)
|
|
1,655,463
|
|
|
1,655,463
|
|
|
|
|
707,808
|
|
|
266,640
|
|
Charles J. Daley, Jr.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Standard Restricted Shares (1)
|
|
279,245
|
|
|
279,245
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
Career Shares(2)
|
|
559,136
|
|
|
559,136
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
Jason A. Gottlieb
|
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Standard Restricted Shares (1)
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2,081,925
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2,081,925
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—
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—
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Career Shares(2)
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860,520
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860,520
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—
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—
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Sarah A. Johnson
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Standard Restricted Shares (1)
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252,096
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252,096
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—
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—
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Career Shares(2)
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525,200
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525,200
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273,104
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129,280
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Gregory K. Ramirez
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Standard Restricted Shares (1)
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219,776
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219,776
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—
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—
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Career Shares(2)
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476,720
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476,720
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256,944
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113,120
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(1) Represents the value of the accelerated vesting of restricted shares of Class A common stock based on the closing price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE on December 31, 2019, which was $32.32 per share. Any standard restricted shares will become fully vested upon the holder’s death or disability or upon a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control (subject to continued employment through such occurrence).
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(2) Represents the value of the accelerated vesting and retirement vesting of career shares based on the closing price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE as of December 31, 2019, which was $32.32 per share. Any career shares will become fully vested upon the holder’s death or disability or upon a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control (subject to continued employment through such occurrence). Career shares will also fully vest if after the fifth anniversary of the grant date, the Company terminates a recipient without cause, provided the recipient has at least 10 years of service with the Company at the time of termination.
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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
The Company’s director compensation program is designed to attract and retain highly qualified non-employee directors. For fiscal year 2019, the director compensation program entitled non-employee directors to a cash component, designed to compensate directors for their service on the board of directors, and an equity component, designed to align the interests of the directors with those of the Company’s stockholders.
For 2019, the standard equity component of the Company’s director compensation program consisted of $100,000 of restricted stock units for each of the non-employee directors awarded under the Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. 2013 Non-Employee Director Compensation Plan. The shares of Class A common stock underlying the restricted stock units will be delivered on the earlier to occur of (i) a change in control of APAM and (ii) the termination of the director’s service as a director.
During 2019, each non-employee director was entitled to receive a cash payment of $50,000, paid in four quarterly installments. The lead director and chairperson of our Audit Committee were entitled to receive an additional cash retainer of $50,000, and the chairpersons of each of the Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee were entitled to receive an additional cash retainer of $40,000. Each of our non-employee directors elected to receive the value of this cash compensation in the form of additional restricted stock units. As a result, an additional number of restricted stock units were granted to each non-employee director in January of 2019, the value of which equaled the amount of cash compensation to which each director was entitled. One-quarter of the units awarded to each director in lieu of cash compensation vested in each quarter of 2019.
In addition, all directors are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with attending board, committee and stockholder meetings, including those for travel, meals and lodging. These reimbursements are not reflected in the table below.
Mr. Colson does not receive any additional compensation for serving on the board of directors.
The following table provides information concerning the 2019 compensation of each non-employee director who served in fiscal year 2019.
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Name
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Stock Awards
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Matthew R. Barger(1)
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$
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190,000
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Seth W. Brennan(2)
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150,000
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Tench Coxe(3)
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150,000
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Stephanie G. DiMarco(4)
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200,000
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Jeffrey A. Joerres(5)
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190,000
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Andrew A. Ziegler(6)
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200,000
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(1) On December 31, 2019, Mr. Barger had 34,662 restricted stock units outstanding.
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(2) On December 31, 2019, Mr. Brennan had 23,633 restricted stock units outstanding. On January 27, 2020, Mr. Brennan resigned from the Company's board of directors. Subsequent to his resignation, his restricted stock units were canceled and the Class A common shares underlying the restricted stock units were delivered.
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(3) On December 31, 2019, Mr. Coxe had 28,361 restricted stock units outstanding.
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(4) On December 31, 2019, Ms. DiMarco had 36,238 restricted stock units outstanding.
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(5) On December 31, 2019, Mr. Joerres had 34,662 restricted stock units outstanding.
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(6) On December 31, 2019, Mr. Ziegler had 33,210 restricted stock units outstanding.
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Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of February 14, 2020, for:
•each person known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of any class of our outstanding shares, as of February 14, 2020;
•each of our named executive officers;
•each of our directors; and
•all of our executive officers and directors as a group.
Because we have disclosed the ownership of shares of our Class B common stock and Class C common stock (which correspond to partnership units that are exchangeable for Class A common stock), the shares of Class A common stock underlying partnership units are not separately reflected in the table below.
Applicable percentage ownership is based on 56,752,700 shares of Class A common stock (including 301,800 restricted stock units that are currently outstanding), 7,803,364 shares of Class B common stock and 13,568,665 shares of Class C common stock outstanding at February 14, 2020. The aggregate percentage of combined voting power represents voting power with respect to all shares of our common stock voting together as a single class and is based on 77,822,929 total votes attributed to 77,822,929 total shares of outstanding common stock, as each share of our common stock entitles its holder to one vote per share.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. These rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to such securities. Except as otherwise indicated, all persons listed below have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws.
Except as otherwise indicated, the address for each stockholder listed below is c/o Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc., 875 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 800, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.
Information about securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans is included in Item 5 of this report.
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Class A(1)
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Class B
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Class C
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Aggregate
% of
Combined
Voting
Power
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No. of
Shares
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% of
Class
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No. of
Shares
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% of
Class
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No. of
Shares
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% of
Class
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Directors and Executive Officers:
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Stockholders Committee(2)
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5,709,865
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10.1
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%
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7,803,364
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100.0
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%
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—
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—
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%
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17.2
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%
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Eric R. Colson(3)
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124,943
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*
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482,463
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6.2
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%
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—
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—
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%
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—
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%
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Charles J. Daley, Jr.(3)(4)
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40,500
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*
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97,779
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1.3
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%
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—
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—
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%
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*
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Jason A. Gottlieb(3)
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101,710
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*
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—
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—
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%
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—
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—
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%
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—
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%
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Sarah A. Johnson(3)
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41,500
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*
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94,464
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1.2
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%
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—
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—
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%
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*
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Gregory K. Ramirez(3)
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38,400
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*
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77,364
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*
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—
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—
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%
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*
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Matthew R. Barger(5)
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40,289
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*
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—
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—
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%
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1,242,002
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9.2
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%
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1.6
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%
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Tench Coxe(5)(6)
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55,214
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*
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—
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—
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%
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—
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—
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%
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*
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Stephanie G. DiMarco(5)(7)
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113,239
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*
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—
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—
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%
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—
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—
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%
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*
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Jeffrey A. Joerres(5)
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43,789
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*
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—
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—
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%
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—
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—
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%
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*
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Andrew A. Ziegler(5)(8)
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39,133
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*
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—
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—
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%
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3,455,973
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25.5
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%
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4.4
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%
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Directors and executive officers as a group
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6,007,329
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10.6
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%
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7,803,364
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100.0
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%
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4,697,975
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34.6
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%
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23.4
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%
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5+% Stockholders:
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MLY Holdings Corp.(3)(9)
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—
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—
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%
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1,641,322
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21.0
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%
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—
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—
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%
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—
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%
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James C. Kieffer (3)
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—
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—
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%
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1,067,575
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13.7
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%
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—
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—
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%
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—
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%
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Daniel J. O’Keefe(3)
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974,111
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1.7
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%
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960,676
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12.3
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%
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—
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—
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%
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*
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N. David Samra(3)
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731,609
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1.3
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%
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925,381
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11.9
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%
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—
|
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—
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%
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—
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%
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James D. Hamel(3)
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245,150
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*
|
436,066
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5.6
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%
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—
|
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—
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%
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—
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%
|
Artisan Investment Corporation(8)
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—
|
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—
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%
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—
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—
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%
|
3,455,973
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25.5
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%
|
4.4
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%
|
Scott C. Satterwhite
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—
|
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—
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%
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
1,383,768
|
|
10.2
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%
|
1.8
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%
|
LaunchEquity Acquisition Partners, LLC (10)
|
—
|
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—
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%
|
—
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|
—
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%
|
1,121,196
|
|
8.3
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%
|
1.4
|
%
|
Patricia Christina Hellman Administrative Trust
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—
|
|
—
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%
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
798,443
|
|
5.9
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%
|
1.0
|
%
|
Arthur Rock 2000 Trust
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
1,153,280
|
|
8.5
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%
|
1.5
|
%
|
Thomas F. Steyer(11)
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
1,082,314
|
|
8.0
|
%
|
1.4
|
%
|
Big Fish Partners LLC
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
—
|
|
—
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%
|
807,305
|
|
5.9
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%
|
1.0
|
%
|
Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC(12)
|
3,929,505
|
|
6.9
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%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
5.0
|
%
|
The Vanguard Group(13)
|
5,114,420
|
|
9.0
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
*
|
BlackRock Inc.(14)
|
3,753,529
|
|
6.6
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
4.6
|
%
|
Renaissance Technologies LLC(15)
|
3,657,251
|
|
6.4
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
—
|
|
—
|
%
|
4.7
|
%
|
*Less than 1%.
(1) Subject to certain exceptions, the persons who hold shares of our Class B common stock and Class C common stock (which correspond to partnership units that generally are exchangeable for Class A common stock) are currently deemed to have beneficial ownership over a number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the number of shares of our Class B common stock and Class C common stock reflected in the table above, respectively. Because we have disclosed the ownership of shares of our Class B common stock and Class C common stock, the shares of Class A common stock underlying partnership units are not separately reflected in the table above.
(2) Each of our employees to whom we have granted equity has entered into a stockholders agreement pursuant to which they granted an irrevocable voting proxy with respect to all of the shares of our common stock they have acquired from us and any shares they may acquire from us in the future to a stockholders committee currently consisting of Mr. Colson, Mr. Daley and Mr. Ramirez. All shares subject to the stockholders agreement are voted in accordance with the majority decision of those three members. Shares originally subject to the agreement cease to be subject to it when sold by the employee or upon the termination of the employee’s employment with us.
The number of shares of Class A and Class B common stock in this row includes all shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock that we have granted to current employees and that have not yet been sold by those employees. As members of the stockholders committee, Mr. Colson, Mr. Daley and Mr. Ramirez share voting power over all of these shares. Other than as shown in the row applicable to each of them individually, none of Mr. Colson, Mr. Daley or Mr. Ramirez has investment power with respect to any of the shares subject to the stockholders agreement, and each disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares.
(3) Pursuant to the stockholders agreement, Mr. Colson, Mr. Daley, Mr. Gottlieb, Ms. Johnson, Mr. Ramirez, MLY Holdings Corp., Mr. Kieffer, Mr. O’Keefe, Mr. Samra and Mr. Hamel each granted an irrevocable voting proxy with respect to all of the shares of our common stock he or she has acquired from us and any shares he or she may acquire from us in the future to the stockholders committee as described in footnote 2 above. Each retains investment power with respect to the shares of our common stock he or she holds, which are the shares reflected in the row applicable to each person. 400 of Mr. Daley’s shares, 1,400 of Mr. Ramirez’s shares, 4,000 of Ms. Johnson’s shares, and 18,555 of Mr. O’Keefe’s shares are not subject to the stockholders agreement.
(4) Includes 200 shares of Class A common stock held by Mr. Daley’s daughter.
(5) Includes the shares of Class A common stock underlying restricted stock units granted to our non-employee directors. The underlying shares will be delivered on the earlier to occur of (i) a change in control of Artisan and (ii) assuming the restricted stock units have vested, the termination of such person’s service as a director. Mr. Coxe holds restricted stock units awarded to him for the benefit of the managing directors of the general partner of Sutter Hill Ventures.
(6) Includes 22,411 shares of Class A common stock held by a trust of which Mr. Coxe is a co-trustee and beneficiary. Mr. Coxe shares voting and investment power over all of such shares of Class A common stock.
(7) Includes 20,308 shares of Class A common stock held by a charitable trust of which Ms. DiMarco is a trustee.
(8) The Class C shares reflected in the row applicable to Mr. Ziegler individually are owned by Artisan Investment Corporation. Mr. Ziegler and Carlene M. Ziegler, who are married to each other, control Artisan Investment Corporation.
(9) MLY Holdings Corp. is a Delaware corporation through which Mark L. Yockey holds his shares of Class B common stock. Mr. Yockey is the sole director of MLY Holdings Corp.
(10) LaunchEquity Acquisition Partners, LLC, is a manager-managed designated series limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. Andrew C. Stephens is the sole manager of the designated series of LaunchEquity Acquisition Partners through which Mr. Stephens holds his shares of Class C common stock.
(11) Shares of Class C common stock owned by Thomas F. Steyer are held in trusts of which Mr. Steyer is settlor and beneficiary.
(12) This information has been derived from the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2020 by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC which states that Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management had sole voting and dispositive power over 3,037,905 shares and shared voting and dispositive power over 891,600 shares of Class A common stock as of December 31, 2019. The address of Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management is 1800 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, California, 90067.
(13) This information has been derived from the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2020 by The Vanguard Group, Inc. which states that Vanguard Group had sole voting power over 80,246 shares, shared voting power over 7,095 shares, sole dispositive power over 5,034,381 shares, and shared dispositive power over 80,039 shares of Class A common stock as of December 31, 2019. The address of the Vanguard Group is 100 Vanguard Blvd, Malvern, Pennsylvania, 19355.
(14) This information has been derived from the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 5, 2020 by BlackRock Inc. which states that BlackRock had sole voting power over 3,597,413 shares and dispositive power over 3,753,529 shares of Class A common stock as of December 31, 2019. The address of Blackrock Inc. is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055.
(15) This information has been derived from the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2020 by Renaissance Technologies Holdings Corporation which states that Renaissance had sole voting power over 3,618,886 shares, sole dispositive power over 3,640,724 shares, and shared dispositive power over 16,527 shares of Class A common stock as of December 31, 2019. The address of Renaissance Technologies Holdings Corporation is 800 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Transactions in Connection with our IPO
In March 2013, in connection with the IPO of Artisan Partners Asset Management, we entered into the agreements described below with the limited partners of Artisan Partners Holdings, including the following persons and entities:
•Those of our currently-serving executive officers who own Class B common units of Artisan Partners Holdings.
•Artisan Investment Corporation (“AIC”), an entity controlled by Andrew A. Ziegler, our Lead Independent Director, and Carlene M. Ziegler. AIC owns all of the Class D common units of Artisan Partners Holdings.
•Private equity funds (the “H&F holders”) controlled by Hellman & Friedman LLC (“H&F”). Mr. Barger, one of our directors, is a senior advisor of H&F. The H&F holders no longer own any units of Artisan Partners Holdings or, to our knowledge, any shares of our common stock.
•Mr. Barger, who owns Class A common units of Artisan Partners Holdings.
•Sutter Hill Ventures, of which one of our directors, Mr. Coxe, is a managing director of the general partner, and two trusts of which Mr. Coxe is a co-trustee.
•Several other persons or entities who own Class A common units of Artisan Partners Holdings and greater than 5% of our outstanding Class C common stock.
•Several of our employees, or entities controlled by an employee, who own (or owned) Class B common units of Artisan Partners Holdings and greater than 5% of our outstanding Class B common stock.
The rights of each of the persons and entities listed above under the agreements discussed below are, in general, the same as the rights of each other holder of the same class of partnership units. So, for instance, the rights of our currently-serving executive officers that are holders of Class B common units, under the exchange, registration rights, partnership and tax receivable agreements described below are, in general, the same as the rights of each other holder of Class B common units. The descriptions of the transactions and agreements below, including the rights and ownership interests of the persons and entities listed above, are as of February 14, 2020, unless otherwise indicated.
Exchange Agreement
Under the exchange agreement, subject to certain restrictions (including those intended to ensure that Artisan Partners Holdings is not treated as a “publicly traded partnership” for U.S. federal income tax purposes), holders of partnership units have the right to exchange common units (together with an equal number of shares of our Class B common stock or Class C common stock, as applicable) for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. A partnership unit cannot be exchanged for a share of our Class A common stock without a share of our Class B common stock or Class C common stock, as applicable, being delivered together at the time of exchange for cancellation.
Holders of partnership units have the right to exchange units in a number of circumstances that are generally based on, but in several respects are not identical to, the “safe harbors” contained in the U.S. Treasury Regulations dealing with publicly traded partnerships. In accordance with the terms of the exchange agreement, partnership units are exchangeable: (i) in connection with the first underwritten offering in any calendar year pursuant to the resale and registration rights agreement; (ii) on a specified date each fiscal quarter; (iii) in connection with the holder’s death, disability or mental incompetence; (iv) as part of one or more exchanges by the holder and any related persons during any 30-calendar day period representing in the aggregate more than 2% of all outstanding partnership units (generally disregarding interests held by us); (v) if the exchange is of all of the partnership units held by AIC in a single transaction; (vi) in connection with a tender offer, share exchange offer, issuer bid, take-over bid, recapitalization or similar transaction with respect to our Class A common stock that is effected with the consent of our board of directors or in connection with certain mergers, consolidations or other business combinations; or (vii) if we permit the exchanges after determining that Artisan Partners Holdings would not be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code as a result. In general, we may provide for exchanges in addition to the exchanges that holders of partnership units are entitled to under the exchange agreement.
As the holders of limited partnership units exchange their units for Class A common stock, we receive a number of general partnership units, or GP units, of Artisan Partners Holdings equal to the number of shares of our Class A common stock that they receive, and an equal number of limited partnership units are canceled.
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, holders of Class A, Class B and Class E common units exchanged an aggregate of 1,499,655 units for Class A common stock, and an equal number of shares of our Class B or Class C common stock, as applicable, were canceled. We expect that approximately 1.6 million common units will be exchanged on February 27, 2020.
Resale and Registration Rights Agreement
Under the resale and registration rights agreement, we have provided the holders of partnership units with certain registration rights. We have also established certain restrictions on the timing and manner of resales of Class A common stock received upon exchange of partnership units. In general, our board of directors may waive or modify the restrictions on resale described below.
We were required to file, and use our reasonable best efforts to cause the SEC to declare effective, two registration statements: (i) an exchange shelf registration statement registering all shares of our Class A common stock and convertible preferred stock to be issued upon exchange of partnership units, and (ii) a shelf registration statement registering secondary sales of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of units or conversion of convertible preferred stock by AIC and the H&F holders, as applicable.
As of December 31, 2019, AIC owned 3,455,973 Class D common units exchangeable for an equal number of shares of our Class A common stock. There is no limit on the number of shares of our Class A common stock AIC may sell. AIC has the right to use the resale shelf registration statement to sell shares of Class A common stock, including the right to an unrestricted number of brokered transactions and, subject to certain limitations and qualifications, marketed and unmarketed underwritten shelf takedowns.
As of December 31, 2019, our employee-partners owned an aggregate of 7,803,364 Class B common units. Under the resale and registration rights agreement, in each 12-month period, the first of which began in the first quarter of 2014, each employee-partner is permitted to sell up to (i) a number of vested shares of our Class A common stock representing 15% of the aggregate number of common units and shares of Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units (in each case, whether vested or unvested) he or she held as of the first day of that period or, (ii) if greater, vested shares of our Class A common stock having a market value as of the time of sale of $250,000, as well as, in either case, the number of shares such holder could have sold in any previous period or periods but did not sell in such period or periods. In February 2018, our board of directors approved the sale of additional shares by certain employee-partners, including Mr. Colson and certain senior portfolio managers that own Class B common units of Artisan Partners Holdings and more than 5% of our outstanding Class B common stock. In 2018 and 2019, those employee-partners were permitted to sell 20% of the aggregate number of common units and shares of Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units each held as of February 1, 2018. We expect to permit them to sell the same number of shares during the first quarters of 2020, 2021 and 2022, subject to their maintaining a minimum dollar amount of firm equity. Units sold by employee-partners in connection with underwritten offerings or otherwise redeemed by us are included when calculating the maximum number of shares each employee-partner is permitted to sell in any one-year period. Our board of directors may waive or modify the resale limitations described in this paragraph.
In total, approximately 1.7 million shares will become eligible for sale by employee-partners in the first quarter of 2020. Combined with shares that previously became eligible but have not been sold, approximately 3.8 million Class B common units are eligible for sale in the first quarter of 2020. Because employee-partners and other employees are eligible to sell amounts of vested equity as described above and elsewhere in this 10-K, employees’ equity ownership, in the aggregate, could significantly decline over a short period of time and without additional notice.
Upon termination of employment with Artisan, an employee-partner’s Class B common units are exchanged for Class E common units; the employee-partner’s shares of Class B common stock are canceled; and we issue the former employee-partner a number of shares of Class C common stock equal to the former employee-partner’s number of Class E common units. Class E common units are exchangeable for Class A common stock subject to the same restrictions and limitations on exchange applicable to the other common units of Holdings.
If an employee-partner’s employment was terminated as a result of retirement, death or disability, the employee-partner or his or her estate may (i) as of and after the time of termination of employment, sell (A) a number of shares of our Class A common stock up to one-half of the employee-partner’s aggregate number of vested common units and shares of Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units held as of the date of termination of employment or, (B) if greater, vested shares of our Class A common stock having a market value as of the time of sale of up to $250,000, and (ii) as of and after the first anniversary of the termination, the person’s remaining shares of our Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units. Retirement, for these purposes, generally requires that the employee-partner have provided ten years of service or more at the date of retirement and offered one year’s written notice (or eighteen months’ written notice in the case of employee-partners who are decision-making portfolio managers or executive officers) of the intention to retire, subject to our right to accept a shorter period of notice. Prior to February 2019, the eighteen months’ written notice requirement was three years, subject to the Company’s discretion to waive the period to no less than one year.
If an employee-partner resigns or is terminated involuntarily, the employee-partner may in each 12-month period following the third, fourth, fifth and sixth anniversary of the termination, sell a number of shares of our Class A common stock up to one-fourth of the employee-partner’s aggregate number of vested common units and shares of Class A common stock received upon exchange of common units held as of the date of termination of his or her employment (as well as the number of shares such employee-partner could have sold in any previous period or periods but did not sell in such period or periods).
As of December 31, 2019, former employee-partners owned an aggregate of 3,063,006 Class E common units, approximately 3.0 million of which may be sold during the first quarter of 2020.
As of December 31, 2019, our initial outside investors who are holders of Class A common units owned an aggregate of 7,049,686 Class A common units exchangeable for an equal number of shares of our Class A common stock. There is no limit on the number of shares of our Class A common stock the holders of Class A common units may sell.
We have paid and will continue to pay all expenses incident to our performance of any registration or marketing of securities pursuant to the resale and registration rights agreement, including reasonable fees and out-of-pocket costs and expenses of selling stockholders. We have also agreed to indemnify any selling stockholder, solely in their capacity as selling stockholders, against any losses or damages resulting from any untrue statement, or omission of material fact in any registration statement, prospectus or free writing prospectus pursuant to which they may sell shares of our Class A common stock, except to the extent the liability arose from their misstatement or omission of a material fact, in which case they have similarly agreed to indemnify us.
Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Artisan Partners Holdings
As a holding company, we conduct all of our business activities through our direct subsidiary, Artisan Partners Holdings, an intermediate holding company, which wholly owns Artisan Partners Limited Partnership, our principal operating subsidiary. The rights and obligations of Artisan Partners Holdings’ partners are set forth in its amended and restated limited partnership agreement.
We are the general partner of Artisan Partners Holdings and control its business and affairs and are responsible for the management of its business, subject to the voting rights of the limited partners as described below. No limited partners of Artisan Partners Holdings, in their capacity as such, have any authority or right to control the management of Artisan Partners Holdings or to bind it in connection with any matter.
Artisan Partners Holdings has outstanding GP units and common units. Net profits and net losses and distributions of profits of Artisan Partners Holdings are allocated and made to partners pro rata in accordance with the number of partnership units they hold. Artisan Partners Holdings is obligated to distribute to us and its other partners cash payments for the purposes of funding tax obligations of ours and theirs as partners of Artisan Partners Holdings. In order to make a share of our Class A common stock represent the same percentage economic interest, disregarding corporate-level taxes and payments with respect to the tax receivable agreements, in Artisan Partners Holdings as a common unit of Artisan Partners Holdings, we always hold a number of GP units equal to the number of shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding.
As the general partner of Artisan Partners Holdings, we hold all GP units and control the business of Artisan Partners Holdings. Our approval, acting in our capacity as the general partner, along with the approval of holders of a majority of each class of limited partnership units (except the Class E common units), voting as a separate class, will be required to engage in a material corporate transaction; with certain exceptions, redeem or reclassify partnership units or interests in any subsidiary, issue additional partnership units or interests in any subsidiary, or create additional classes of partnership units or interests in any subsidiary; or make any in-kind distributions. If any of the foregoing affects only certain classes of partnership units, only the approval of us and the affected classes would be required. The approval rights of each class of partnership units will terminate when the holders of the respective class of units directly or indirectly cease to own units constituting at least 5% of the outstanding units of Artisan Partners Holdings.
The amended and restated limited partnership agreement may be amended with the consent of the general partner and the holders of a majority of the Class A common units, Class B common units and Class D common units, each voting as a separate class, provided that the general partner may, without the consent of any limited partner, make amendments that do not materially and adversely affect any limited partners. To the extent any amendment materially and adversely affects only certain classes of limited partners, only the holders of a majority of the units of the affected classes have the right to approve such amendment.
Artisan Partners Holdings will indemnify AIC, as its former general partner, us, as its current general partner, the former members of its pre-IPO Advisory Committee, the members of our stockholders committee and our directors and officers against any losses, damages, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually incurred in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal or administrative (including any action by or on behalf of Artisan Partners Holdings) arising as a result of the capacities in which they serve or served Artisan Partners Holdings to the maximum extent that any of them could be indemnified if Artisan Partners Holdings were a Delaware corporation and they were directors of such corporation. In addition, Artisan Partners Holdings will pay the costs or expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) incurred by the indemnified parties in advance of a final disposition of such matters so long as the indemnified party undertakes to repay the expenses if the party is adjudicated not to be entitled to indemnification.
Artisan Partners Holdings will also indemnify its officers and employees and officers and employees of its subsidiaries against any losses, damages, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually incurred in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal or administrative arising as a result of their being an employee of Artisan Partners Holdings (or their serving as an officer or fiduciary of any of Artisan Partners Holdings’ subsidiaries or benefit plans or any entity of which Artisan is sponsor or adviser), provided that no employee will be indemnified or reimbursed for any claim, obligation or liability adjudicated to have arisen out of or been based upon such employee’s intentional misconduct, gross negligence, fraud or knowing violation of law.
Stockholders Agreement
Our employees (including all of our employee-partners) to whom we have granted equity have entered into a stockholders agreement pursuant to which they granted an irrevocable voting proxy with respect to all shares of our common stock they have acquired from us (which shares represent approximately 17% of the combined voting power of our capital stock as of February 14, 2020) and any shares they may acquire from us in the future to a stockholders committee currently consisting of Eric R. Colson (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), Charles J. Daley, Jr. (Chief Financial Officer) and Gregory K. Ramirez (Executive Vice President). Any shares of our common stock that we issue to our employees in the future will be subject to the stockholders agreement so long as the agreement has not been terminated. Shares subject to the stockholders agreement will be voted in accordance with the majority decision of the three members of the stockholders committee.
The members of the stockholders committee must be Artisan employees and holders of shares subject to the agreement. If a member of the stockholders committee ceases to act as a member of the committee, our Chief Executive Officer (if he or she is a holder of shares subject to the stockholders agreement and is not already a member of the committee) will become a member of the committee. Otherwise, the two remaining members of the stockholders committee will jointly select a third member of the committee. Each member of the stockholders committee is entitled to indemnification from Artisan in his or her capacity as a member of the committee.
The stockholders agreement provides that in connection with our election of directors, the members of the stockholders committee will vote the shares subject to the agreement in support of the following:
•Matthew R. Barger, or, unless Mr. Barger is removed from the board of directors for cause, a successor selected by Mr. Barger who holds Class A common units, so long as the holders of the Class A common units beneficially own at least 5% of our outstanding capital stock. As of December 31, 2019, the holders of the Class A common units beneficially owned approximately 9% of our outstanding capital stock.
•A director nominee, initially Mr. Colson, designated by the stockholders committee who is an employee-partner.
Under the terms of the stockholders agreement, we are required to use our best efforts to elect the nominees described above, which efforts must include soliciting proxies for, and recommending that our stockholders vote in favor of, the election of each. Other than as provided above, under the terms of the stockholders agreement, the stockholders committee may in its discretion vote, or abstain from voting, all or any of the shares subject to the agreement on any matter on which holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to vote. The committee is specifically authorized to vote for its members as directors under the terms of the stockholders agreement.
If and when the stockholders committee is no longer obligated to vote in favor of a director nominee who is a Class A common unit holder, parties to the stockholders agreement holding at least two-thirds of the shares subject to the agreement may terminate the agreement.
Tax Receivable Agreements
We are party to two tax receivable agreements. The first tax receivable agreement is between APAM and the assignees of the Pre-H&F Corp Merger Shareholder that was the sole shareholder of our convertible preferred stock. As part of our IPO reorganization, a corporation (“H&F Corp”) controlled by Hellman & Friedman LLC merged with and into us pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger. As consideration for the merger, the shareholder of H&F Corp received shares of our convertible preferred stock (all of which were converted to shares of Class A common stock in June 2014), contingent value rights (which were subsequently terminated in November 2013), and the right to receive an amount of cash. The tax receivable agreement between APAM and the assignees of the Pre-H&F Corp Merger Shareholder generally provides for the payment by APAM of 85% of the applicable cash savings, if any, of U.S. federal, state and local income taxes that APAM actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of (i) the tax attributes of the preferred units APAM acquired in the merger, (ii) net operating losses available as a result of the merger, and (iii) tax benefits related to imputed interest.
The second tax receivable agreement, with each current or former holder of limited partnership units or their assignees, generally provides for the payment by APAM to each of them or their assignees of 85% of the applicable cash savings, if any, of U.S. federal, state and local income taxes that APAM actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances) as a result of (i) certain tax attributes of partnership units sold to us or exchanged (for shares of Class A common stock, convertible preferred stock or other consideration) and that are created as a result of such sales or exchanges and payments under the TRAs, and (ii) tax benefits related to imputed interest.
For purposes of these tax receivable agreements, cash savings in tax are calculated by comparing our actual income tax liability to the amount we would have been required to pay had we not been able to utilize any of the tax benefits subject to the tax receivable agreements, unless certain assumptions apply. The tax receivable agreements will continue until all tax benefits have been utilized or expired, unless we exercise our right to terminate the agreements or we materially breach any of our material obligations under the agreements, in which cases our obligations under the agreements will accelerate. The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under these agreements, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of purchases or exchanges of partnership units, the price of our Class A common stock at the time of such purchases or exchanges, the extent to which such transactions are taxable, the amount and timing of the taxable income we generate in the future and the tax rate then applicable and the portion of our payments under the tax receivable agreements constituting imputed interest or depreciable or amortizable basis. In addition, in the case of a change of control, our obligations will be based on different assumptions that may affect the amount of the payments required under the agreements.
As of December 31, 2019, we recorded a $375.3 million liability, representing amounts payable under the tax receivable agreements equal to 85% of the tax benefit we expect to realize from the merger described above and our purchase of Class A common units in connection with the IPO; our purchase of common and preferred units since the IPO; and the quarterly exchanges made by certain limited partners pursuant to the exchange agreement. The amount assumes no material changes in the related tax law and that APAM earns sufficient taxable income to realize all tax benefits subject to the tax receivable agreements. Additional purchases or exchanges of units of Artisan Partners Holdings will cause the liability to increase.
During 2019, we made payments under the tax receivable agreements totaling approximately $25 million in the aggregate. Of that amount, $6.1 million was paid to certain of our directors or entities associated with certain directors that hold or held Class C common stock; $5.8 million was paid to our employee-partners, of which $4.8 million was paid to certain of our currently-serving executive officers and several employee-partners, or entities controlled by employee-partners, who own greater than 5% of our outstanding Class B common stock; and $1.5 million to other persons or entities who own Class A or Class E common units of Artisan Partners Holdings and greater than 5% of our outstanding Class C common stock.
Assuming no material changes in the relevant tax law and that APAM earns sufficient taxable income to realize all tax benefits that are subject to the tax receivable agreements, we expect that the reduction in tax payments for us associated with (i) the H&F Corp merger described above; (ii) the purchase or exchange of partnership units from March 2013 through December 31, 2019; and (iii) projected future purchases or exchanges of partnership units would aggregate to approximately $646 million over generally a minimum of 15 years, assuming the future purchases or exchanges described in clause (iii) occurred at a price of $32.32 per share of our Class A common stock, which was the closing price of our Class A common stock on December 31, 2019.
Under such scenario we would be required to pay the other parties to the tax receivable agreements 85% of such amount, or approximately $577 million, over generally a minimum of 15 years. The actual amounts may materially differ from these hypothetical amounts, as potential future reductions in tax payments for us and tax receivable agreement payments by us will be calculated using the market value of our Class A common stock at the time of purchase or exchange and the prevailing tax rates applicable to us over the life of the tax receivable agreements and will be dependent on us generating sufficient future taxable income to realize the benefit.
Indemnification Agreements
We have entered into an indemnification agreement with each of our executive officers, directors and the members of our stockholders committee that provides, in general, that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law in connection with their service in such capacities. Due to the nature of the indemnification agreements, they are not the type of agreements that are typically entered into with or available to unaffiliated third parties.
Seed Investments in Artisan Private Funds
Several of our directors, executive officers and employees, including employees who own greater than 5% of our outstanding Class B common stock, have made seed investments in certain Artisan Private Funds. These investments provided the initial seed capital needed to support the launch of new investment strategies and products. Management and incentive fees are not charged and incentive allocations are not made on seed capital investments. The amount of management fees that would have been earned by us during 2019 had a fee been charged on seed capital investments made by related parties totaled approximately $319,135. The amount of incentive allocations that would have been allocated to us in 2019 had incentive allocations been made on these investments totaled approximately $90,383.
Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons
We have adopted a written policy regarding the approval of any transaction or series of transactions in which we are a participant, the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and a “related party” (a director, director nominee, executive officer, or a person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities, or any immediate family member of any of the foregoing) has a direct or indirect material interest (a “related party transaction”). Under the policy, all potential related party transactions must be brought to the attention of the Chief Legal Officer who will evaluate the facts and circumstances of the transaction and determine whether it constitutes a related party transaction. If the Chief Legal Officer determines that a transaction is a related party transaction, the material terms of the transaction will be presented for consideration and approval or ratification at the Audit Committee's next regularly scheduled meeting. If the Chief Legal Officer determines that it is impractical or undesirable to wait until the next Audit Committee meeting, the matter will be presented to the Chair of the Audit Committee for review and approval or ratification on behalf of the Audit Committee. Any related party transaction approved or ratified by the Chair will be reported to the Audit Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Chief Legal Officer may also determine to submit the related party transaction to the entire board of directors for review and approval or ratification.
A related party transaction will be approved or ratified if, after considering all relevant factors, it is determined in good faith that the transaction is not inconsistent with the best interests of the Company or its shareholders. When reviewing a related party transaction that commenced without approval, all available options, including ratification, amendment and termination of the transaction, will be considered. Under the policy, any director who has an interest in a related party transaction will recuse himself or herself from any formal action with respect to the transaction as deemed appropriate by the Audit Committee or board of directors.
Director Independence
Our board of directors is composed of a majority of directors who satisfy the criteria for independence under the NYSE listing standards and do not have any material relationship with the Company. Our board has determined that each of Matthew R. Barger, Seth W. Brennan (who resigned from the board on January 27, 2020), Tench Coxe, Stephanie G. DiMarco, Jeffrey A. Joerres and Andrew A. Ziegler is independent in accordance with NYSE listing standards and our corporate governance guidelines, and does not have any relationship that would interfere with exercising independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities as a director. See Item 10 for a list of the committees on which each director serves.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Audit and Non-Audit Fees
Aggregate fees for professional services rendered for us by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 are set forth below. The aggregate fees included in the “Audit Fees” and the “Audit-Related Fees” categories are fees for services performed for those fiscal years. The aggregate fees included in the “Tax Fees” and “All Other Fees” categories are fees for services performed in those fiscal years.
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Fiscal Year 2019
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Fiscal Year 2018
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Audit Fees
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$
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1,015,400
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$
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937,600
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Audit-Related Fees (1)
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301,000
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367,700
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Tax Fees (2)
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843,400
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710,500
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All Other Fees
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4,600
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4,600
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Total
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$
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2,164,400
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$
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2,020,400
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(1) For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, audit-related fees includes $227,500 and $210,000, respectively, for audit services provided to our sponsored investment products, including consolidated investment products.
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(2) Tax fees for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, includes $147,000 and $144,000, respectively, of fees related to tax return compliance and preparation. For the year ended December 31, 2019, tax fees also includes $89,000 for tax services provided to our sponsored investment products, including consolidated investment products.
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Audit Fees for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were for professional services rendered for the audits of our annual financial statements, reviews of quarterly financial statements and services that are customarily provided in connection with statutory or regulatory filings.
Audit-Related Fees for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were for consultations related to the accounting or disclosure treatment of transactions, audit services provided to our sponsored investment products, and attest services related to our compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS). Audit-Related Fees for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 includes fees for the review of a registration statement filed with the SEC.
Tax Fees for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were for domestic and foreign tax return compliance, including review of partner capital accounts, and consultations related to technical interpretations, applicable laws and regulations and tax accounting.
Other Fees for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were license fees for professional publications.
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Audit Committee is required to pre-approve, or adopt appropriate procedures to pre-approve, all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors. The Committee will typically pre-approve specific types of audit, audit-related, tax and other services on an annual basis. The Committee pre-approves all other services on an individual basis throughout the year as the need arises. The Committee has delegated to its chairperson the authority to pre-approve independent auditor engagements between meetings of the Committee. Any such pre-approvals will be reported to the entire Committee at its next regular meeting.
All services for fiscal 2019 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee. In all cases, the Audit Committee concluded that the provision of such services by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was compatible with the maintenance of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s independence.