DealZone

Top Watson Wyatt executives got generous bonuses for fiscal year 2008, with CEO John Haley getting $1.3 million, which was 148.6 percent of the target bonus. 

Haley also recommended annual bonuses ranging from 112.3 percent to 154.2 percent of the target bonus for the other named executives, according to an SEC filing.

Haley’s bonus depended on 11 principal factors, including how well the company met its financial goals for the year. 

For fiscal year 2008, the plan was that revenues would increase by 9.3 percent to $1.6 billion and that earnings would increase by 8.9 percent to $2.90 per share. The actual results: revenues of $1.760 billion and earnings of $3.50 per share.

It will be interesting to see what the company’s executives are paid this year. 

Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin executives are excited about their deal to create Towers Watson, but investors are not cheering as much. 

Watson Wyatt’s shares plunged nearly 10 percent in Monday morning trading, as investors woke up to the all-stock deal valued at about $3.5 billion, announced Sunday.

A Citi analyst downgraded the Watson Wyatt, which is publicly held, to “hold” from “buy”, calling the companies’ three-year integration plan a “major risk.”