2024 Proxy Statement
2023 Annual Report
UPBOUND GROUP, INC.
5501 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024
Dear Fellow Stockholder:
It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "2024 Annual Meeting") of Upbound Group, Inc. The 2024 Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 8:00 a.m., Central Time, at the Upbound Group, Inc. Field Support Center, which is located, along with our principal executive offices, at 5501 Headquarters Drive, Plano, Texas 75024.
In connection with the 2024 Annual Meeting, the attached Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement describe the business items we plan to address at the meeting. We also plan to have a question and answer session during which our stockholders will have the opportunity to ask questions of management regarding our business.
In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission's "Notice and Access" model, we are furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders via the Internet. On or about April 23, 2024, we began mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials detailing how to access the proxy materials electronically and how to submit your proxy via the Internet. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials also provides instructions on how to request and obtain paper copies of the proxy materials and proxy card or voting instruction form, as applicable. We believe this process provides our stockholders with a convenient way to access the proxy materials and submit their proxies online, while allowing us to reduce our environmental impact as well as the costs of printing and distribution.
Your vote is very important so we encourage you to review the information contained in the proxy materials and submit your proxy, regardless of the number of shares you own. It is important that beneficial owners of our common stock instruct their brokers on how they want to vote their shares. Please note that you will need the control number provided on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials in order to submit your proxy online.
We look forward to seeing you on June 4, 2024. | ||
Sincerely, | ||
/s/ Jeffrey Brown | /s/ Mitchell Fadel | |
Jeffrey Brown | Mitchell Fadel | |
Chairman of the Board | Chief Executive Officer and Director |
Notice of 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Tuesday, June 4, 2024 8:00 a.m., Central Time
The 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of Upbound Group, Inc. will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 8:00 a.m., Central Time, at the Upbound Group, Inc. Field Support Center, which is located, along with our principal executive offices, at 5501 Headquarters Drive, Plano, Texas 75024, for the following purposes:
- To re-elect the six directors nominated by our board of directors;
- To ratify the Audit & Risk Committee's selection of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024;
- To conduct an advisory vote approving the compensation of the named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2023, as set forth in the proxy statement;
- To approve an amendment to the Upbound Group, Inc. Certificate of Incorporation (the "Certificate of Incorporation") to limit the liability of certain officers as permitted by Delaware law (the "Exculpation Amendment");
- To approve other miscellaneous amendments to the Certificate of Incorporation to provide that Board committees may be established by the Board by a majority of the quorum, to remove the indemnification provisions, to remove all references to the Series A Preferred Stock and to correct a typo (the "Miscellaneous Amendments"); and
- To transact other business that properly comes before the meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.
The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement, which is attached to, and made a part of, this notice. Our board of directors has fixed the close of business on April 9, 2024 as the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the 2024 Annual Meeting and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof.
We are using the "Notice and Access" method of furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders via the Internet. Instructions on how to access and review the proxy materials on the Internet can be found on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice") mailed to stockholders of record on or about April 23, 2024. The Notice also contains instructions on how to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials.
Your vote is important, and whether or not you plan to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting, please vote as promptly as possible. We encourage you to submit your proxy via the Internet, as it is the most convenient and cost-effective method of voting. You may also submit your proxy by telephone or by mail (if you receive paper copies of the proxy materials or request a paper proxy card). Instructions regarding all three methods of voting are included in the Notice, the proxy card and the proxy statement.
Thank you in advance for voting and for your support of Upbound Group, Inc.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Bryan PecherskyBryan Pechersky Executive Vice President - General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Upbound Group, Inc.
5501 Headquarters Drive, Plano, Texas 75024 April 23, 2024
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
FOR THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 4, 2024
This Notice of Annual Meeting, the proxy statement and our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the "2023 Form 10-K") (which we are distributing in lieu of a separate annual report to stockholders) are available on our website at investor.upbound.com, in the "Financials and Filings - Annual Reports and Proxies" subsection. Additionally, you may access the Notice of Annual Meeting, the proxy statement and the 2023 Form 10-K at www.proxyvote.com.
Table of Contents
Page | ||
SUMMARY | 1 | |
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING PROCEDURES | 5 | |
Who may vote? | 5 | |
What constitutes a quorum? | 5 | |
How do I vote? | 5 | |
How will the proxies be voted? | 6 | |
How do I revoke my proxy if desired? | 6 | |
How many votes must each proposal receive to be adopted? | 6 | |
What are broker non-votes? | 7 | |
Who is soliciting my proxy? | 8 | |
PROPOSAL ONE: | ELECTION OF DIRECTORS | 9 |
Nominees for Director at the 2024 Annual Meeting | 9 | |
Board Diversity and Skills Matrix | 13 | |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 14 | |
General | 14 | |
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics | 14 | |
Structure of the Board | 14 | |
Board Oversight | 17 | |
Director Compensation | 18 | |
Director Nominations | 19 | |
Director Attendance | 21 | |
Procedures for Reporting Accounting Concerns | 21 | |
Communications with the Board | 21 | |
Related Person Transactions | 22 | |
Investor Outreach | 22 | |
PROPOSAL TWO: | RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC | |
ACCOUNTING FIRM | 23 | |
Principal Accountant Fees and Services | 23 | |
AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE REPORT | 24 | |
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS | 25 | |
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS | 27 | |
Executive Summary | 27 | |
Compensation Process | 31 | |
Forms of Compensation | 32 | |
Termination of Employment and Change-in-Control Arrangements | 37 | |
Policies and Risk Mitigation | 41 | |
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation | 42 | |
Section 162(m) | 43 | |
Compensation Committee Report | 43 | |
COMPENSATION TABLES | 44 | |
Summary Compensation Table | 44 | |
Grants of Plan-Based Awards | 46 | |
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End | 47 |
Page | ||
Option Exercises and Stock Vested | 49 | |
Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation | 49 | |
No Pension Benefits | 50 | |
Potential Payments and Benefits Upon Termination Without a Change in Control | 50 | |
Potential Payments and Benefits Upon Termination With a Change in Control | 51 | |
Equity Compensation Plan Information | 53 | |
CEO Pay Ratio | 53 | |
Historical Pay Versus Performance Disclosure | 53 | |
PROPOSAL THREE: | ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION | 58 |
PROPOSAL FOUR: | AMENDMENT TO THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO LIMIT THE | |
LIABILITY OF CERTAIN OFFICERS AS PERMITTED BY LAW | 59 | |
PROPOSAL FIVE: | MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS TO THE CERTIFICATE OF | |
INCORPORATION | 61 | |
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT | 62 | |
OTHER INFORMATION | 64 | |
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports | 64 | |
Annual Report on Form 10-K | 64 | |
"Householding" of Proxy Materials | 64 | |
Submission of Stockholder Proposals | 64 | |
Other Business | 65 | |
ANNEX A: | CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION AMENDMENT | A-1 |
ANNEX B: | RECONCILIATION OF GAAP MEASURES TO NON-GAAP MEASURES | B-1 |
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Disclaimer
Upbound Group Inc. published this content on 23 April 2024 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 23 April 2024 13:54:02 UTC.