Companies HighPeak Energy, Inc.
HighPeak Energy (HPK): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $4,131,987FY2023
- $2,298,992FY2024
- $2,823,992FY2025
CEO total pay was $2,823,992 in fiscal 2025, up from $2,298,992 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $1,200,000 · bonus $1,250,000 · stock awards $0 · option awards $0
Executives and directors
Frequently asked questions
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Hollis | $1,200,000 | $1,250,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $373,992 | $2,823,992 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| W. Ryan Hightower | 500,000 | 400,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 229,624 | 1,129,624 |
| Executive Vice President | ||||||||
| Daniel Silver | 500,000 | 400,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 228,424 | 1,128,424 |
| Executive Vice President | ||||||||
| Rodney Woodard | 545,000 | 215,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 146,960 | 906,960 |
| Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Steven Tholen | 515,000 | 300,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68,400 | 883,400 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Hollis | $2,823,992 | $2,298,992 | $4,131,987 | ↑ +525,000 |
| W. Ryan Hightower | 1,129,624 | — | — | — |
| Daniel Silver | 1,128,424 | — | — | — |
| Rodney Woodard | 906,960 | 886,760 | 1,305,900 | ↑ +20,200 |
| Steven Tholen | 883,400 | — | — | — |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis
The Compensation Committee aims to balance short- and long-term and fixed and variable components of compensation to attract, motivate, and retain highly talented executives while keeping them focused on promoting strategic objectives and maximizing asset value. The objective is to incentivize executives to create long-term value for stockholders by making a portion of total direct compensation variable and dependent on company performance.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | false |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Hollis | RSA | 2026-01-09 | — | — | 550,000 | — | — |
| Daniel Silver | RSA | 2026-01-09 | — | — | 50,000 | — | — |
| Steven Tholen | RSA | 2026-01-09 | — | — | 50,000 | — | — |
| Jack Hightower | RSA | 2026-01-09 | — | — | 50,000 | — | — |
| Rodney Woodard | RSA | 2026-01-09 | — | — | 50,000 | — | — |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
Grant-level vehicle detail not disclosed.
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Tholen | Option | 70,000 | 10.5 | — |
| Hightower | Option | 70,000 | 10.5 | — |
| Daniel Silver | Option | 70,000 | 10.5 | — |
| Rodney Woodard | Option | 95,000 | 10.5 | — |
| Michael Hollis | Option | 400,000 | 10.5 | — |
| Hightower | Option | 1,000,000 | 10.3 | — |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry C. OldhamIndependent · Audit (Chair) | $25,000 | $132,505 | — | — | $0 | $157,505 |
| Jason A. EdgeworthIndependent · Board Chair · Compensation · Nominating & Governance (Chair) | 0 | 150,008 | — | — | 0 | 150,008 |
| Keith A. CovingtonIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · ESG · Nominating & Governance | 0 | 150,008 | — | — | 0 | 150,008 |
| Jay M. ChernoskyIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Nominating & Governance | 0 | 150,008 | — | — | 0 | 150,008 |
| Sharon F. FulghamIndependent · Compensation · ESG (Chair) · Nominating & Governance | 25,000 | 125,001 | — | — | 0 | 150,001 |
| Jack HightowerEmployee director · Departed during FY | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Michael L. HollisEmployee director · ESG | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Daniel SilverEmployee director · ESG · Newly elected | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $0 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $150,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 7,500 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $750,000 |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $50,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $707,530 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $757,530 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names HighPeak Energy as a peer
Companies that benchmark against HPK
6 companies name HPK as a compensation peer
- Berry Corp (bry)BRYFY2024
- Diversified Energy CoDECFY2025
- GULFPORT ENERGY CORPGPORFY2025
- NORTHERN OIL & GAS, INC.NOGFY2025
- Riley Exploration Permian, Inc.REPXFY2025
- RING ENERGY, INC.REIFY2025
Each company listed discloses HPK in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named HPK in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Peer reciprocity
The companies HighPeak Energy, Inc. names as compensation peers that name it back in their own disclosed peer groups.
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comstock Resources | 2025 | M. Jay Allison | $1,039,500 | $16,549,171 | $0 | $2,013,512 | $21,934,257 |
| 2 | Matador Resources Company | 2025 | Joseph Foran | 1,800,000 | 4,222,400 | 0 | 3,726,000 | 9,775,611 |
| 3 | Civitas Resources, Inc. | 2024 | M. Christopher Doyle | 1,431,150 | 6,933,919 | 0 | 0 | 8,385,769 |
| 4 | Vital Energy, Inc. | 2024 | Jason Pigott | 828,269 | 6,404,790 | 0 | 868,647 | 8,141,620 |
| 5 | Gulfport Energy Corporation | 2025 | John Reinhart | 919,726 | 5,277,437 | 0 | 1,098,900 | 7,323,707 |
| 6 | Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation | 2025 | Christopher Stavros | 870,192 | 4,314,309 | 0 | 1,480,500 | 6,693,001 |
| 7 | BKV Corporation | 2025 | Christopher Kalnin | 795,386 | 3,411,014 | 0 | 1,676,401 | 5,903,801 |
| 8 | Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. | 2025 | Bobby Riley | 675,000 | 3,914,725 | 0 | 742,000 | 5,782,259 |
| 9 | Granite Ridge Resources, Inc. | 2025 | Tyler Farquharson | 477,500 | 4,039,739 | 55,846 | 0 | 4,956,370 |
| 10 | SM Energy Company | 2025 | Elizabeth McDonald | 576,369 | 2,299,995 | 0 | 536,024 | 4,475,172 |
| 11 | Ring Energy, Inc. | 2025 | Paul McKinney | 626,667 | 1,473,306 | 0 | 753,984 | 2,884,957 |
| 12 | HighPeak Energy, Inc. | 2025 | Michael Hollis | 1,200,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,823,992 |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Incentive design against the same peers
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HighPeak Energy, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 100 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC |
| BKV Corporation | not disclosed | PRSUs 67 · TRSUs 33 | No | Willis Towers Watson plc (WTW) |
| Civitas Resources, Inc. | not disclosed | PSU 70 · RSU 30 | Yes — Absolute TSR | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Comstock Resources | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Granite Ridge Resources, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Dana Krieg |
| Gulfport Energy Corporation | not disclosed | PRSU 60 · RSU 40 | not disclosed | WTW |
| Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation | not disclosed | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | not disclosed | FW Cook |
| Matador Resources Company | not disclosed | Cash LTI 50 · PSU 50 | No | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 70 · PRSU 30 | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Ring Energy, Inc. | not disclosed | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| SM Energy Company | 93% | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | Yes — Absolute TSR | Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. |
| Vital Energy, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | not disclosed | Willis Towers Watson |
Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-02 | 82,986,947 | 4,884,646 | 40,091 | 94.4% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.
Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-02 | 94.4%a |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have the effect of a vote against the say-on-pay proposal.”.
Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (36 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Michael Hollis. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 2,823,992. View filing ↗
- Section 01, W. Ryan Hightower. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,129,624. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Daniel Silver. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,128,424. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Rodney Woodard. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 906,960. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Steven Tholen. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 883,400. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Michael Hollis RSA. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Daniel Silver RSA. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Steven Tholen RSA. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Jack Hightower RSA. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Rodney Woodard RSA. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Larry C. Oldham. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 157,505. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Jason A. Edgeworth. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 150,008. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Keith A. Covington. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 150,008. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Jay M. Chernosky. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 150,008. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Sharon F. Fulgham. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 150,001. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Jack Hightower. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael L. Hollis. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Daniel Silver. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-02. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 94.4% (votes for as printed: 82,986,947). View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 50,000 + equity 707,530 + all other 0 = 757,530, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Comstock Resources, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Comstock Resources's own proxy. As printed: 21,934,257. View filing ↗
- Matador Resources Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Matador Resources Company's own proxy. As printed: 9,775,611. View filing ↗
- Civitas Resources, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-21. CEO total compensation as printed in Civitas Resources, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,385,769. View filing ↗
- Vital Energy, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Vital Energy, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,141,620. View filing ↗
- Gulfport Energy Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-08. CEO total compensation as printed in Gulfport Energy Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 7,323,707. View filing ↗
- Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-24. CEO total compensation as printed in Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 6,693,001. View filing ↗
- BKV Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-28. CEO total compensation as printed in BKV Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 5,903,801. View filing ↗
- Riley Exploration Permian, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Riley Exploration Permian, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,782,259. View filing ↗
- Granite Ridge Resources, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-08. CEO total compensation as printed in Granite Ridge Resources, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,956,370. View filing ↗
- SM Energy Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-08. CEO total compensation as printed in SM Energy Company's own proxy. As printed: 4,475,172. View filing ↗
- Ring Energy, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Ring Energy, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,884,957. View filing ↗
- HighPeak Energy, Inc. (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in HighPeak Energy, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,823,992. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. names HighPeak Energy, Inc. in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Gulfport Energy Corporation reciprocity. DEF 14A. Gulfport Energy Corporation names HighPeak Energy, Inc. in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Ring Energy, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Ring Energy, Inc. names HighPeak Energy, Inc. in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗