Here's Why ProQR Therapeutics N.V.'s (NASDAQ:PRQR) CEO May Deserve A Raise

Simply Wall St · 05/27 12:22

Key Insights

  • ProQR Therapeutics' Annual General Meeting to take place on 3rd of June
  • CEO Daniel de Boer's total compensation includes salary of €545.0k
  • Total compensation is 36% below industry average
  • ProQR Therapeutics' total shareholder return over the past three years was 153% while its EPS grew by 46% over the past three years

The solid performance at ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) has been impressive and shareholders will probably be pleased to know that CEO Daniel de Boer has delivered. At the upcoming AGM on 3rd of June, they will get a chance to hear the board review the company results, discuss future strategy and cast their vote on any resolutions such as executive remuneration. Let's take a look at why we think the CEO has done a good job and we'll present the case for a bump in pay.

Check out our latest analysis for ProQR Therapeutics

How Does Total Compensation For Daniel de Boer Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

According to our data, ProQR Therapeutics N.V. has a market capitalization of US$176m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth €1.8m over the year to December 2024. Notably, that's a decrease of 25% over the year before. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at €545k.

On examining similar-sized companies in the American Biotechs industry with market capitalizations between US$100m and US$400m, we discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was €2.9m. In other words, ProQR Therapeutics pays its CEO lower than the industry median. What's more, Daniel de Boer holds US$1.2m worth of shares in the company in their own name.

Component 2024 2023 Proportion (2024)
Salary €545k €524k 30%
Other €1.3m €1.9m 70%
Total Compensation €1.8m €2.4m 100%

Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 22% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 78% of the pie. According to our research, ProQR Therapeutics has allocated a higher percentage of pay to salary in comparison to the wider industry. If total compensation is slanted towards non-salary benefits, it indicates that CEO pay is linked to company performance.

ceo-compensation
NasdaqCM:PRQR CEO Compensation May 27th 2025

A Look at ProQR Therapeutics N.V.'s Growth Numbers

ProQR Therapeutics N.V. has seen its earnings per share (EPS) increase by 46% a year over the past three years. It achieved revenue growth of 86% over the last year.

This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently and is good news for the shareholders. Most shareholders would be pleased to see strong revenue growth combined with EPS growth. This combo suggests a fast growing business. Historical performance can sometimes be a good indicator on what's coming up next but if you want to peer into the company's future you might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.

Has ProQR Therapeutics N.V. Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with ProQR Therapeutics N.V. for providing a total return of 153% over three years. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size.

To Conclude...

Some shareholders will probably be more lenient on CEO compensation in the upcoming AGM given the pleasing performance of the company recently. However, despite the strong growth in earnings and share price growth, the focus for shareholders would be how the company plans to steer the company towards sustainable profitability in the near future.

CEO compensation is a crucial aspect to keep your eyes on but investors also need to keep their eyes open for other issues related to business performance. That's why we did some digging and identified 3 warning signs for ProQR Therapeutics that investors should think about before committing capital to this stock.

Switching gears from ProQR Therapeutics, if you're hunting for a pristine balance sheet and premium returns, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.