Monitor for any successor appointment to the Chief Strategy Officer role and for any broader management changes that could signal strategic shifts.
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Executive Summary
Scotts Miracle-Gro filed an 8-K formalizing the departure of Christopher Hagedorn, former EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, effective September 30, 2026. The separation agreement provides standard severance benefits under the company's Executive Severance Plan, including 24 months of salary continuation, a bonus amount equal to 2x his target bonus, and COBRA subsidies. This is a routine executive departure with no financial surprises or red flags.
Key Facts
- Christopher Hagedorn, former EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, departed on September 30, 2026
- Severance includes 24 months salary continuation, 2x target bonus (paid in two installments at years 1 and 2), and COBRA offset payments
- Unvested stock options granted in Nov 2024, Jan 2025, and Jan 2026 were forfeited; unvested performance units from Jan 2025 and Jan 2026 also forfeited
- 57,033 non-qualified stock options from Nov 2023 vested on termination and expire 180 days later
- 16,239 performance units from Feb 2024 will vest on Feb 16, 2027 subject to performance criteria
- Separation agreement includes standard non-disparagement, confidentiality, non-compete, and cooperation clauses
Financial Impact
Severance pay equal to 24 months of base salary plus 2x target bonus opportunity; exact dollar amounts not disclosed in filing
Risk Factors
- Potential loss of institutional knowledge from a departing executive
- No successor named for the Chief Strategy Officer role
Investment Themes
Documents Analyzed
This report is based on 5 SEC documents filed with EDGAR.
| Document | Accession Number |
|---|---|
| 8-K Filing (Primary) | 0000825542-26-000058 |
| Document: smg-20261016.htm | 0000825542-26-000058 |
| Document: 0000825542-26-000058-index-headers.html | 0000825542-26-000058 |
| Document: 0000825542-26-000058-index.html | 0000825542-26-000058 |
| Document: 0000825542-26-000058.txt | 0000825542-26-000058 |
Filters
| Type | Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 29, 2026 1d ago | Press Release | $60.03 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (+3.07%) |
Oct 16, 2026 14d ago | 8-K | $54.39 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (+13.75%) |
Oct 7, 2026 23d ago | SC 13G/A | $49.40 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (+25.24%) |
Sep 15, 2026 6w ago | 8-K | $56.09 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (+10.30%) |
Sep 11, 2026 7w ago | 8-K | $55.91 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (+10.66%) |
Aug 27, 2026 9w ago | 8-K | $60.59 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (+2.11%) |
Aug 11, 2026 11w ago | Insider Cluster | $62.03 | awaiting T+60 | awaiting T+60 | $61.87 (−0.26%) |
Aug 5, 2026 12w ago | Insider Cluster | $61.39 $61.87 | ▲ +0.78% | ▲ +2.21% | $61.87 (+0.78%) |
Jul 29, 2026 13w ago | 8-K | $70.33 $59.15 | ▼ −15.90% | ▼ −20.63% | $61.87 (−12.03%) |
Jun 4, 2026 21w ago | Court Ruling | $56.83 $60.43 | ▲ +6.33% | ▲ +4.45% | $61.87 (+8.87%) |
US Market Status
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