The Front Office

Scouting report · MTH

Steven J. Hilton

  • Executive Chairman, MTH since 2021-01src

Co-founded Meritage's predecessor in 1985; CEO to 2020, Executive Chairman since

—thin record

Not ranked yet

Scouting sheet

as of 24 Sep 2026
Delivers guidance—no promises on the record yet
Answers the question—no call reviewed yet
Capital allocation—company not reviewed yet
Pay design73ebitda, strategic, roic, relative tsr, time only · 96.8% for · 0.52% of net income
Skin in the game—no holding or price on file
Age
64src
In the role
6 yr
Promises scored
0
Hit rate
—
Dodges / 100 answers
—
Airtime on calls
—
Every promise, oldest firstno scored promises yet

What to weigh

Watch 2

  • Related-party: Meritage charters aircraft from companies that use his private plane, paying $448k in 2025, $350k in 2024 and $532k in 2023; the Audit Committee approved it as arm's-lengthsrc
  • Two executives on the board (Executive Chairman and CEO) five years after the handover; independence rests on a lead independent directorsrc

In their favour 2

  • His pay is capped: cash bonus and performance shares cannot pay above target, and 2025 total pay was $2.3m against the CEO's $8.1msrc
  • Holds 1.3% of the company; hedging and pledging are banned and none of his shares are pledgedsrc

Career

  1. 2021 – now
    Meritage Homessrc
    Executive Chairman
  2. 2006 – 2020
    Meritage Homessrc
    Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
    May 2006 to 2020-12-31
  3. 1997 – 2006
    Meritage Homessrc
    Co-Chairman & Co-Chief Executive Officer
    July 1997 to May 2006
  4. 1985 – 1997
    Monterey Homes (Arizona)src
    Co-founder
    Monterey merged with Homeplex Mortgage Investments in December 1996 and became Meritage Homes; director since 1996 (DEF14A-2026)

Achievements

  • Co-founded Monterey Homes in 1985 and led the company for 35 years as (co-)Chairman and CEO until 2020-12-31src
  • Handed the CEO role to insider Phillippe Lord on 2021-01-01 in an announced succession and stayed as Executive Chairmansrc
  • Largest non-institutional stockholder: 841,603 shares, 1.3% of the companysrc
  • Re-elected in May 2026 with 54.2m votes for and 0.6m againstsrc

Education

  • University of Arizona, Bachelor's Accountingsrc

Background

  • Family Neither the 2026 proxy nor the FY2025 10-K makes an Item 401(d) family-relationship statement; his shares sit in family trusts he controlssrc
  • Founder Co-founder; the board keeps him as Executive Chairman for his continuing involvement in strategic operations and as the largest non-institutional holdersrc
  • Boards Director of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE: WAL) from 2004 to 2022src
  • Giving Board member of the TGen Foundation and the Banner Health Foundation (its chair 2021-2023), trustee of the University of Arizona Foundation, and 30 years on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale Foundationsrc
  • Giving Controls a charitable foundation holding 80,000 MTH shares, of which he disclaims beneficial ownershipsrc

The promise ledger

No promise on the record yet: the research routine has not scored this company's guidance.

Sources

8
  1. Filing Meritage Homes DEF 14A, 2026 annual meeting (0000833079-26-000098) · 2026-04-07
  2. Filing Meritage Homes 10-K for FY2025, Information about our Executive Officers (0000833079-26-000010) · 2026-02-13
  3. Filing Meritage Homes 8-K Item 5.02, Hilton retires as CEO effective 2021-01-01 and becomes Executive Chairman (0000833079-20-000132) · 2020-09-17
  4. Filing Meritage Homes 8-K Item 5.02, Executive Chairman employment agreement (0000833079-21-000007) · 2021-01-26
  5. Filing Meritage Homes 8-K Item 5.07, 2026 annual meeting results (0000833079-26-000113) · 2026-05-21
  6. Filing SEC XBRL companyconcept us-gaap/NetIncomeLoss, CIK 833079 (FY2025 10-K, 0000833079-26-000010) · 2026-02-13
  7. Filing Form 4, Steven J. Hilton (reporting CIK 1030513), 10b5-1 sales to cover tax on vesting, 2026-02-23 (0000833079-26-000074) · 2026-02-25
  8. Filing Form 4, Steven J. Hilton, gift between family trusts of 2026-05-12 (0000833079-26-000109) · 2026-05-13