CEO Paul McKinney was paid $2,884,957 in fiscal year 2025, down 15.2% from fiscal year 2024, the 33rd percentile of its disclosed peer group (SEC filing 0001384195-26-000068 ↗): executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.
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Each company listed discloses REI 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 REI in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul McKinney | $626,667 | $0 | $1,473,306 | $0 | $753,984 | $0 | $31,000 | $2,884,957 |
| Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board | ||||||||
| Travis Thomas | 308,221 | 0 | 1,341,994 | 0 | 222,688 | 0 | 823,429 | 2,696,332 |
| Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Alexander Dyes | 436,667 | 0 | 446,822 | 0 | 403,920 | 0 | 23,500 | 1,310,909 |
| Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer | ||||||||
| James Parr | 395,000 | 0 | 446,822 | 0 | 359,040 | 0 | 18,982 | 1,219,844 |
| Executive Vice President, Chief Exploration Officer | ||||||||
| Phillip Feiner | 369,167 | 0 | 205,297 | 0 | 314,160 | 0 | 22,222 | 910,846 |
| Senior Vice President, General Counsel | ||||||||
| Rocky Kwon | 255,925 | 0 | 94,078 | 0 | 155,585 | 0 | 15,428 | 521,016 |
| Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Former Interim 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.
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul McKinney | $2,884,957 | $3,403,046 | $3,762,729 | −518,089 |
| Travis Thomas | 2,696,332 | 1,355,216 | 1,189,765 | +1,341,116 |
| Alexander Dyes | 1,310,909 | 1,355,231 | 1,189,765 | −44,322 |
| James Parr | 1,219,844 | — | — | — |
| Phillip Feiner | 910,846 | 449,546 | — | +461,300 |
| Rocky Kwon | 521,016 | — | — | — |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul McKinney | RSU | 1,365,412 | — | $1,187,908 |
| Phillip Feiner | RSU | 138,138 | — | 209,970 |
| James Parr | RSU | 235,821 | — | 205,164 |
| James Parr | RSU | 225,576 | — | 196,251 |
| Phillip Feiner | RSU | 198,374 | — | 301,528 |
| Paul McKinney | RSU | 1,009,536 | — | 878,296 |
| Phillip Feiner | RSU | 103,643 | — | 90,169 |
| Alexander Dyes | RSU | 414,765 | — | 360,846 |
| Alexander Dyes | RSU | 294,602 | — | 256,304 |
| Phillip Feiner | RSU | 133,994 | — | 116,575 |
| Rocky Kwon | RSU | 118,293 | — | 102,915 |
The Company's pay-for-performance philosophy focuses on delivering a significant portion of executive compensation in the form of long-term equity incentive awards to align executives' interests with stockholders. The program is designed to incentivize and reward NEOs for achieving long-term objectives, with the majority of compensation being 'at-risk' and linked to enhancing stockholder value.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-21 | 61,088,330 | 17,921,972 | 3,490,732 | 77.32% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-22 | 87,246,793 | 22,750,270 | 1,154,155 | 79.32% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-05-23 | 78,393,932 | 18,613,984 | 313,918 | 80.81% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-05-25 | 81,343,019 | 27,765,971 | 374,438 | 74.55% | Passed |
| 2020 | 2020-12-15 | 28,863,021 | 11,026,017 | 492,428 | 72.36% | Passed |
| 2019 | 2019-12-17 | 26,536,343 | 8,002,670 | 2,440,821 | 76.83% | 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.
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company's computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-21 | 77.32%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-22 | 79.32%b |
| 2024 | 2024-05-23 | 80.81%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal .”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal .”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this 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.
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 18 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $2,884,957 |
| Median employee compensation | $162,362 |
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony B. PetrelliIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit · Compensation · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance | $100,000 | $119,817 | — | — | — | $219,817 |
| Thomas L. MitchellIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance | 95,000 | 119,817 | — | — | — | 214,817 |
| John A. CrumIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance | 90,000 | 119,817 | — | — | — | 209,817 |
| Richard E. HarrisIndependent · Audit · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance | 75,000 | 119,817 | — | — | — | 194,817 |
| David S. HabachyIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance | 75,000 | 119,817 | — | — | — | 194,817 |
| Regina RoesenerIndependent · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY | 34,863 | 119,817 | — | — | — | 154,680 |
| Carla T. TharpIndependent · Audit · Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance · Newly elected | 62,739 | 69,725 | — | — | — | 132,464 |
| Paul D. McKinneyEmployee director · Board Chair · Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $75,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 20,000 / 15,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $5 |
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $532,602 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $788,627 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,321,229 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Of the companies Ring Energy names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.
Reciprocity shown where the peer's own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer's filing. A dash means the peer's current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including Ring Energy.
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 | SilverBow Resources, Inc. | 2025 | M. Jay Allison | $1,039,500 | $16,549,171 | $0 | $2,013,512 | $21,934,257 |
| 2 | Talos Energy, Inc. | 2025 | Paul Goodfellow | 819,555 | 6,513,948 | 0 | 1,870,781 | 9,351,093 |
| 3 | Gulfport Energy Corporation | 2025 | John Reinhart | 919,726 | 5,277,437 | 0 | 1,098,900 | 7,323,707 |
| 4 | W&T Offshore, Inc. | 2025 | Tracy Krohn | 800,000 | 4,317,289 | 0 | 967,200 | 6,183,187 |
| 5 | Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. | 2025 | Bobby Riley | 675,000 | 3,914,725 | 0 | 742,000 | 5,782,259 |
| 6 | Diversified Energy Company | 2025 | Robert Hutson | 806,923 | 2,795,234 | 0 | 1,359,056 | 4,996,277 |
| 7 | Ring Energy | 2025 | Paul McKinney | 626,667 | 1,473,306 | 0 | 753,984 | 2,884,957 |
| 8 | HighPeak Energy, Inc. | 2025 | Michael Hollis | 1,200,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,823,992 |
| 9 | Amplify Energy Corp. | 2025 | Daniel Furbee | 430,457 | 1,038,349 | 0 | 359,473 | 1,898,298 |
| 10 | Granite Ridge Resources, Inc. | 2024 | Luke Brandenberg | 500,000 | 481,438 | 107,813 | 0 | 1,461,306 |
| — | Vital Energy, Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
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.
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring Energy | not disclosed | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Amplify Energy Corp. | not disclosed | PSU 50 · RSU 50 | not disclosed | Meridian |
| Diversified Energy Company | not disclosed | RSU 70 · PSU 30 | not disclosed | Mercer Limited |
| Granite Ridge Resources, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Dana Krieg |
| Gulfport Energy Corporation | not disclosed | PRSU 60 · RSU 40 | not disclosed | WTW |
| HighPeak Energy, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 100 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC |
| Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 70 · PRSU 30 | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| SilverBow Resources, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Talos Energy, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | not disclosed | Meridian |
| Vital Energy, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| W&T Offshore, Inc. | 121.88% | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | Yes — TSR | Meridian |
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.
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.
Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, Paul McKinney | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 2,884,957. Filing ↗machine: span 545523–545532 |
| 2 | Section 01, Travis Thomas | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 2,696,332. Filing ↗machine: span 557256–557265 |
| 3 | Section 01, Alexander Dyes | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,310,909. Filing ↗machine: span 575473–575482 |
| 4 | Section 01, James Parr | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,219,844. Filing ↗machine: span 586961–586970 |
| 5 | Section 01, Phillip Feiner | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 910,846. Filing ↗machine: span 591766–591773 |
| 6 | Section 01, Rocky Kwon | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 521,016. Filing ↗machine: span 569002–569009 |
| 7 | Section 07, pay ratio | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 18 : 1. Filing ↗ |
| 8 | Section 08, Anthony B. Petrelli | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 219,817. Filing ↗machine: span 961677–961803 |
| 9 | Section 08, Thomas L. Mitchell | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 214,817. Filing ↗machine: span 959534–959660 |
| 10 | Section 08, John A. Crum | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 209,817. Filing ↗machine: span 953132–953258 |
| 11 | Section 08, Richard E. Harris | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 194,817. Filing ↗machine: span 957393–957519 |
| 12 | Section 08, David S. Habachy | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 194,817. Filing ↗machine: span 955253–955379 |
| 13 | Section 08, Regina Roesener | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 154,680. Filing ↗machine: span 963819–963945 |
| 14 | Section 08, Carla T. Tharp | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 132,464. Filing ↗machine: span 966243–966369 |
| 15 | Section 08, Paul D. McKinney | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 16 | Section 06, 2026 vote | Form 8-K | 2026-05-22 | 0001628280-26-037797 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 77.32% (votes for as printed: 61,088,330). Filing ↗ |
| 17 | Section 06, 2025 vote | Form 8-K | 2025-05-22 | 0001628280-25-027315 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 79.32% (votes for as printed: 87,246,793). Filing ↗ |
| 18 | Section 06, 2024 vote | Form 8-K | 2024-05-28 | 0001628280-24-025419 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 80.81% (votes for as printed: 78,393,932). Filing ↗ |
| 19 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | — | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 20 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | Computed | — | — | Cash 532,602 + equity 788,627 + all other 0 = 1,321,229, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,321,229 |
| 21 | SilverBow Resources, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-22 | 0001193125-26-170561 | CEO total compensation as printed in SilverBow Resources, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 21,934,257. Filing ↗machine: span 869756–869766 |
| 22 | Talos Energy, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-22 | 0001193125-26-170385 | CEO total compensation as printed in Talos Energy, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 9,351,093. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c34 · span 1025234–1025243 |
| 23 | Gulfport Energy Corporation, Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-08 | 0001213900-26-041489 | CEO total compensation as printed in Gulfport Energy Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 7,323,707. Filing ↗machine: r13 · c6 · span 1324664–1324674 |
| 24 | W&T Offshore, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-23 | 0001104659-26-047016 | CEO total compensation as printed in W&T Offshore, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,183,187. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c42 · span 1563753–1563762 |
| 25 | Riley Exploration Permian, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001140361-26-014090 | CEO total compensation as printed in Riley Exploration Permian, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,782,259. Filing ↗machine: span 508818–508827 |
| 26 | Diversified Energy Company, Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-03-24 | 0001140361-26-010918 | CEO total compensation as printed in Diversified Energy Company's own proxy. As printed: 4,996,277. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c7 · span 588495–588504 |
| 27 | Ring Energy (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-10 | 0001384195-26-000068 | CEO total compensation as printed in Ring Energy's own proxy. As printed: 2,884,957. Filing ↗machine: span 545523–545532 |
| 28 | HighPeak Energy, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-30 | 0001437749-26-014193 | CEO total compensation as printed in HighPeak Energy, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,823,992. Filing ↗machine: span 290005–290014 |
| 29 | Amplify Energy Corp., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-23 | 0001104659-26-047701 | CEO total compensation as printed in Amplify Energy Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,898,298. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c41 · span 283281–283290 |
| 30 | Granite Ridge Resources, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2025-04-08 | 0001928446-25-000017 | CEO total compensation as printed in Granite Ridge Resources, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,461,306. Filing ↗machine: span 290882–290892 |
| 31 | Section 10a, SilverBow Resources, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001193125-26-170561 | SilverBow Resources, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Ring Energy. Filing ↗ |
| 32 | Section 10a, HighPeak Energy, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001437749-26-014193 | HighPeak Energy, Inc. names Ring Energy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 33 | Section 10a, Diversified Energy Company reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001140361-26-010918 | Diversified Energy Company names Ring Energy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 34 | Section 10a, Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001140361-26-014090 | Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. names Ring Energy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 35 | Section 10a, Gulfport Energy Corporation reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001213900-26-041489 | Gulfport Energy Corporation names Ring Energy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 36 | Section 10a, Amplify Energy Corp. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001104659-26-047701 | Amplify Energy Corp. names Ring Energy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 37 | Section 10a, Talos Energy, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001193125-26-170385 | Talos Energy, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Ring Energy. Filing ↗ |
| 38 | Section 10a, W&T Offshore, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001104659-26-047016 | W&T Offshore, Inc. names Ring Energy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
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