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Why It Is Necessary to Withhold Your Vote

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In a new report we argue that it is necessary for Red Rock Resorts’ shareholders to withhold votes from the company’s three independent directors – James E. Nave, D.V.M., Robert E. Lewis, and Robert A. Cashell, Jr. – on their proxies for the company’s July 6, 2017 annual stockholders meeting.

Read our report encouraging shareholders to withhold votes on Red Rock’s independent directors.

We fully support ISS’ recommendation to withhold votes on all of Red Rock’s directors.

These long-serving directors have failed to advocate for the sunsetting of the company’s myriad of poor corporate governance features since its IPO last year, and they have not acted to prevent the enrichment of company insiders and related parties. We believe it is essential to send an unambiguous message to management that investors expect a higher standard of corporate governance at a publicly-traded company, especially now that outside shareholders own a majority of the economic interest in the company.

In taking the company public, Red Rock’s board of directors implemented several antitakeover measures, including a dual-class ownership structure with 10:1 super voting stock for insiders.

Red Rock’s three independent directors are the sole members of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which is responsible for monitoring the company’s governance matters. Furthermore, Red Rock’s independent directors have a history of approving transactions that are not in the best interest of the company or its outside shareholders.

For these reasons, we encourage Red Rock’s Class A shareholders to withhold their votes from the elections from Directors Nave, Lewis, and Cashell at the company’s upcoming annual meeting of stockholders.

Poor Corporate Governance of Red Rock Resorts Draws Attention of Institutional Investors

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Update: On March 23, “[m]embers of the Council of Institutional Investors voted to adopt a new policy that all investors in initial public offerings have equal voting rights among their shares.” See also here. The official press release on the new policy is here.

The Council for Institutional Investors (CII) called Red Rock Resorts a “perfect example” for why the CII Policies Committee and board of directors approved its latest policy statement on newly public companies. CII’s policy statement calls on newly public companies to include sunset mechanisms for corporate governance provisions that insulate management from public shareholders. According to CII, Red Rock is a “perfect example” because its board approved five antitakeover provisions without including sunset mechanisms or requiring a future vote of shareholders. These provisions include:

  1. A dual-class share structure
  2. Supermajority approval provisions
  3. Limitations on actions by written consent and special meetings of stockholders
  4. Fertitta family exemption from a Delaware antitakeover statute
  5. The board’s right to issue preferred stock

The March 3, 2016 CII Governance Alert can be found here (subscription required).

In the ISS benchmark policy update for 2016, the proxy firm recommends voting against or withholding votes from directors, committee members, or the entire board, if they take actions in connection with an IPO that are adverse to shareholder rights, such as limiting shareholders’ ability to amend the company’s bylaws and charter. Glass Lewis has similar recommendations for pre-IPO boards that adopt anti-takeover provisions, poison pills, and other unilateral actions. And Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance and the SEC are hosting an event this March to discuss governance issues related to pre-IPO companies.

We have criticized the corporate governance of Red Rock Resorts, Inc. since its IPO was announced last October (and when it was still called Station Casinos, Inc.). Prospective investors should look to CII, ISS, and Glass Lewis policy recommendations on pre-IPO corporate governance and ask: “Do I want to be a second-class shareholder of Red Rock Resorts?”

See more of our analysis of the Red Rock Resorts/Station Casinos IPO: