Companies ACACIA RESEARCH CORP
ACACIA RESEARCH (ACTG): executive pay, fiscal 2025
Free brief. Every figure links to the company’s own filing.
Email me ACACIA RESEARCH CORP’s executive pay brief as a PDF
It arrives in about 2 minutes, with every figure cited to its filing.
After the PDF, up to three short notes on the deeper reports for this company. Reply “unsubscribe” to any of them, any time.
CEO pay, last three years
- $1,603,468FY2023
- $1,266,422FY2024
- $1,424,064FY2025
CEO total pay was $1,424,064 in fiscal 2025, up from $1,266,422 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $567,308 · bonus $825,000 · stock awards $0 · option awards $0
Order ACTG
Add the email the receipt and the PDF go to, then press the report you want. Each button opens its own card payment on Stripe.
Executives and directors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin McNulty | $567,308 | $825,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $31,756 | $1,424,064 |
| Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Robert Rasamny | 446,538 | 440,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31,756 | 918,294 |
| Chief Administrative Officer | ||||||||
| Jason Soncini | 446,538 | 260,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,936 | 737,474 |
| General Counsel | ||||||||
| Kirsten Hoover | 361,500 | 225,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27,896 | 614,396 |
| Former Interim Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Michael Zambito | 231,923 | 120,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18,750 | 370,673 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin McNulty | $1,424,064 | $1,266,422 | $1,603,468 | ↑ +157,642 |
| Robert Rasamny | 918,294 | 890,268 | — | ↑ +28,026 |
| Jason Soncini | 737,474 | 707,732 | 1,445,609 | ↑ +29,742 |
| Kirsten Hoover | 614,396 | 657,808 | 1,051,049 | ↓ −43,412 |
| Michael Zambito | 370,673 | — | — | — |
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 Company seeks to align executive officers' interests and motivations with those of stockholders by rewarding both short-term and long-term objectives. The compensation program is designed to provide a competitive level of total compensation to attract, retain, and incentivize highly qualified executive officers necessary to lead the company and achieve its business goals.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | — |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin McNulty | PSU | 2023-06-07 | — | — | 495,424 | — | — |
| Jason Soncini | RSU | 2023-06-07 | — | — | 85,501 | — | — |
| Kirsten Hoover | RSU | 2023-06-07 | — | — | 54,191 | — | — |
| Martin McNulty | RSU | 2023-06-07 | — | — | 87,428 | — | — |
| Robert Rasamny | RSU | 2023-06-07 | — | — | 55,395 | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Soncini | RSU | 15,252 | — | $57,042 |
| Robert Rasamny | RSU | 18,465 | — | 69,059 |
| Martin McNulty | RSU | 20,000 | — | 74,800 |
| Jason Soncini | Option | 25,277 | 4.27 | — |
| Jason Soncini | RSU | 28,501 | — | 106,594 |
| Robert Rasamny | PSU | 55,395 | — | 207,177 |
| Martin McNulty | RSU | 58,286 | — | 217,990 |
| Martin McNulty | Option | 83,333 | 3.73 | — |
| Jason Soncini | PSU | 85,501 | — | 319,774 |
| Martin McNulty | PSU | 495,424 | — | 1,852,886 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maureen O'ConnellIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit (Chair) · Compensation · Nominating, Governance and Sustainability | $130,000 | $120,002 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $250,002 |
| Gavin MolinelliNot independent · Board Chair | 120,000 | 120,002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 240,002 |
| Isaac T. KohlbergIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating, Governance and Sustainability | 100,000 | 120,002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 220,002 |
| Geoff RibarIndependent · Audit · Nominating, Governance and Sustainability (Chair) · Not standing for re-election | 95,000 | 120,002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 215,002 |
| Ajay SundarNot independent · Not standing for re-election | 80,000 | 120,002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200,002 |
| Michelle FelmanIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Nominating, Governance and Sustainability | 80,000 | 120,002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200,002 |
| Martin D. McNulty JrEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $80,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $120,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 25,000 / 20,000 / 15,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $3 |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $605,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $720,012 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,325,012 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names ACACIA RESEARCH as a peer
Companies that benchmark against ACTG
No companies currently name ACTG as a compensation peer in their most recent disclosure.
This is the complete answer, not a partial one — the list is never padded.
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 | ACACIA RESEARCH CORP | 2025 | Martin McNulty | $567,308 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,424,064 |
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.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-23 | 79,726,978 | 1,064,903 | 475,944 | 98.1% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-15 | 76,303,416 | 794,618 | 1,002,082 | 97.7% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-05-21 | 79,763,086 | 930,578 | 2,030,400 | 96.42% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-05-16 | 45,156,929 | 1,293,860 | 835,231 | 95.5% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-05-12 | 32,348,030 | 506,617 | 1,094,241 | 95.28% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-05-12 | 38,829,606 | 791,854 | 1,168,238 | 95.19% | 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 | 2026-06-23 | 98.1%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-15 | 97.7%b |
| 2024 | 2024-05-21 | 96.42%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “For each of the other proposals, abstentions will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" such proposal.”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “For each of the other proposals, abstentions will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" such proposal.”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “For each of the other proposals, abstentions will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" such 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 (23 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, Martin McNulty. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,424,064. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Robert Rasamny. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 918,294. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Jason Soncini. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 737,474. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Kirsten Hoover. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 614,396. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Michael Zambito. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 370,673. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Martin McNulty PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Jason Soncini RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Kirsten Hoover RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Martin McNulty RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Robert Rasamny RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Maureen O'Connell. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 250,002. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Gavin Molinelli. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 240,002. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Isaac T. Kohlberg. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 220,002. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Geoff Ribar. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 215,002. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Ajay Sundar. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 200,002. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michelle Felman. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 200,002. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Martin D. McNulty Jr. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-25. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.1% (votes for as printed: 79,726,978). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-05-21. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 97.7% (votes for as printed: 76,303,416). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-05-22. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 96.42% (votes for as printed: 79,763,086). 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 605,000 + equity 720,012 + all other 0 = 1,325,012, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- ACACIA RESEARCH CORP (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in ACACIA RESEARCH CORP's own proxy. As printed: 1,424,064. View filing ↗