Has Shareholder Activism Caught the Virus?

Proxy battles are down, while investors say “no thanks” to activist board nominees.

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Shareholder activism appears to be another victim of the Covid-19 pandemic.

These corporate cage rattlers made far fewer demands for board seats in 2020 than in the recent past, according to a November report from Activist Insight, which tracks such efforts. The report also noted that the support of Institutional Shareholders Services (ISS) and big institutional investors waned for the proxy battles that did get off the ground.

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