News Corp (Class A) management check
NWSA / NWS · Communication Services · Publishing · CEO Robert J Thomson
Filings as of
2 good · 1 to watch · 2 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- n/a
Have owners done well?
Not enough dataNo shareholder-return figures in the latest proxy.
- n/a
Does pay follow performance?
Not enough dataToo few years of pay and return figures to compare.
- Watch
What does the CEO cost owners?
2.7% of net income$19.7m of reported pay in fiscal 2026, against $743.0m of net income.
- Flag
Do they own the stock?
CEO stake ≈ 0.7 years of payThe CEO holds 444,341 shares, directly or through trusts (unvested awards not counted): about 0.7 years of pay. 5 insiders sold $3.2m in the last six months and none bought.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -0.8% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 1.0% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
4 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Mr. Thomson. 4 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Flag
Are the books clean?
Red flags on file1 auditor change (8-K 4.01) since 2023.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Communication Services.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | — | — | 27 |
| Pay for performance | — | — | 76 |
| CEO cost | 15 | 72 | |
| Skin in the game | 6 | 75 | |
| Dilution | 60 | 65 | |
| Stable leadership | 100 | 93 | |
| Clean books | 30 | 100 |
Closest peers
Nearest in rank in Communication Services, by management score. News Corp (Class A) is 17th of 18 in its sector.
- 352TKOTKO Group Holdings58
- 394VZVerizon54
- 417DISWalt Disney Company (The)51
- 452OMCOmnicom Group46
- 464NWSANews Corp (Class A)42
- 483ECHOEchoStar31
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed September 23, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mr. Thomson | $19.7m | $20.7m | $5.0m | — | $49 | $743.0m |
| 2025 | — | $20.6m | $24.4m | $5.3m | — | $70 | $1.3bn |
| 2024 | — | $20.3m | $32.2m | $4.7m | — | $68 | $354.0m |
| 2023 | — | $19.3m | $25.6m | $5.6m | — | $71 | $187.0m |
| 2022 | — | $19.7m | $4.6m | $6.2m | — | $71 | $760.0m |
The board says pay is tied most to adjusted Total Segment EBITDA. Its other key measures: Adjusted Total Segment EBITDA, Cumulative adjusted earnings per share (EPS), Cumulative adjusted free cash flow (FCF), Relative TSR percentile.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Robert J Thomson (Chief Executive Officer) held 444,341 shares directly after their latest Form 4 on Aug 15, 2026, roughly $13.0m at that filing's price.
5 insiders sold $3.2m in the last six months and none bought.
- SoldDavid B PitofskyGeneral Counsel$1.5mAug 17, 2026
- SoldRuth AllenChief Human Resources Officer$624kAug 17, 2026
- SoldMarygrace DeGrazioChief Accounting Officer$526kAug 17, 2026
- SoldLavanya ChandrashekarChief Financial Officer$510kAug 17, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Jun 12, 2026Auditor change8-K 4.01
- Nov 19, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jun 23, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Mar 25, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Nov 7, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Nov 19, 2025, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $1.6bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 52% of net income, and $447.0m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $9.4bn | $8.4bn | $8.0bn | $8.3bn | $8.5bn |
| Net income | $330.0m | $760.0m | $187.0m | $354.0m | $1.3bn |
| Stock-based pay | $128.0m | $57.0m | $87.0m | $91.0m | $84.0m |
| Buybacks | $0 | $179.0m | $243.0m | $117.0m | $150.0m |
| Dividends | $163.0m | $175.0m | $174.0m | $172.0m | $185.0m |
| Diluted shares | 593m | 593m | 579m | 574m | 570m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.