Middlefield Banc Corp raises CEO’s salary by 10.5%

Middlefield Banc Corp (NASDAQ:MBCN), a state commercial bank headquartered in Ohio with a market capitalization of $207 million, disclosed in a recent SEC filing that its Compensation Committee has approved an increase in the base salary of its President and Chief Executive Officer, Ronald L. Zimmerly, Jr. As of today, the bank announced a 10.5% salary raise for Zimmerly, taking his annual base pay to $525,000, up from $475,000 in 2024. The salary increase comes as InvestingPro data shows four analysts have revised their earnings expectations upward for the upcoming period.

The decision came during a meeting held on Thursday, where the Compensation Committee also established award levels and performance goals for the bank’s Annual Incentive Plan, which includes executive officers like Zimmerly and Chief Financial Officer Michael C. Ranttila. This short-term cash incentive plan is designed to provide additional compensation to employees who meet certain objectives. The bank’s stock currently trades at a P/E ratio of 13.3, with the share price experiencing an 8.7% decline year-to-date.

For 2025, the performance measures set for executives under the plan are focused on pre-tax pre-provision net income, a target burden ratio, and a classified asset ratio. Additionally, a qualitative performance measure was established, based on the achievement of strategic goals, which will be subjectively judged by the Compensation Committee.

The bank’s Annual Incentive Plan aims to distribute cash rewards to executives and other employees in the first quarter of 2026, contingent upon the achievement of the outlined 2025 plan performance goals.

The detailed terms of the Annual Incentive Plan were previously filed with the SEC on June 13, 2024, and are incorporated by reference in the latest 8-K filing. This move aligns with Middlefield Banc Corp’s strategy to incentivize its leadership team in alignment with the company’s performance objectives. According to InvestingPro, the bank has maintained dividend payments for 23 consecutive years, demonstrating a strong track record of shareholder returns, with a current dividend yield of 3.3%.

The information provided in this article is based on a press release statement filed with the SEC.

In other recent news, Middlefield Banc has announced a 5% increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.21 per share for the first quarter of 2025. This marks a $0.01 rise from the previous quarter, resulting in an annual dividend of $0.84 per share, with a 43.7% payout ratio based on 2025 earnings estimates. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods have maintained a Market Perform rating for Middlefield Banc, with a price target of $32.00, highlighting the bank’s strong capital levels and a Tangible Common Equity (TCE) ratio of 9.31% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The firm projects continued growth in the TCE ratio to 9.56% by the end of 2025 and 9.65% by 2026, indicating robust financial health.

Additionally, Middlefield Banc Corp has awarded conditional stock to its executive officers, including President and CEO Ronald L. Zimmerly Jr. and CFO Michael C. Ranttila, as part of their compensation package. The awards consist of performance stock units (PSUs) and restricted stock units (RSUs) under the company’s 2017 Omnibus Equity Plan. The PSUs are linked to the company’s return on average assets relative to peers and will vest based on performance over a three-year period ending December 31, 2027. The RSUs are time-vested over three years to encourage retention, with provisions for accelerated vesting in certain circumstances.

These recent developments underscore Middlefield Banc’s confidence in its financial stability and its commitment to aligning executive interests with those of shareholders.

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