Investors will have their favourite assessment acronyms for reviewing company prospects: ROIC, DY, ROE. One of my favourites is company engagement with shareholders (CEWS), which can be measured at an AGM, of which I have attended thousands over the past three decades. Some companies still retain an aloof formality, and executives often betray a sense of impatience in trying to bring the meeting to a quick conclusion.

I find it unacceptable — and more than a little disturbing — when a company’s executives cannot make the effort to engage robustly with shareholders in an open forum once a year. Astral Foods, I might point out, seems to grasp the value of proper shareholder engagement...

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