Dentsply CEO Gets Compensation Worth $4.7M In 2008

MARLEY SEAMAN

NEW YORK (AP) — The head of dental products maker Dentsply International Inc. received compensation valued at $4.7 million in 2008, a 7-percent increase from 2007, according to an Associated Press analysis of figures from a regulatory filing.

Bret Wise, the chairman and chief executive of Dentsply, received $4.4 million in compensation in 2007. His salary rose 16 percent in 2008, to $815,000 from $700,000, and the value of his stock and options and other compensation also increased.

On the dates they were granted, Wise's stock and options were worth $2.8 million, up from $2.6 million the previous year. Dentsply shares — which closed Tuesday at $25.87 — are currently trading slightly below the options' exercise price of $25.91. Wise received $210,000 in other compensation, as the York, Pa., company nearly doubled its contribution to his retirement plan.

His performance-based cash bonus fell 11 percent, to about $902,000 from slightly more than $1 million. Wise became the company's chairman and CEO in January 2007.

In 2008, Dentsply's profit rose 9 percent, to $283.9 million, or $1.87 per share, from $259.7 million, or $1.68 per share. Its revenue grew 9 percent, to $2.19 billion from $2.01 billion. Its stock peaked at $47.06, but closed the year at $28.24, losing more than a third of its value.