SMU Corporate Governance Initiative · Texas-Incumbent & §21.552 Adopter Roster

Texas Companies & the Derivative Threshold

The 70-firm Texas-incumbent universe — publicly-traded TX-incorporated companies as of June 2024 — plus the verified TBOC §21.552 adopter sub-cohort. Individual deep-dives, pooled cohort analysis, and the headline question: did the market price the §21.552 derivative-suit threshold?

TX-incumbent universe
~70
TX-incorp. prior to June 2024
Verified §21.552 adopters
2
TSLA · LUV (Tier 1-2)
Candidate adopters
5
CNP · LEGH · HSCS · DDS · UAMY
Adoption rate
2.6%
Confirmed only · 9.2% incl. candidates
SB 29 effective
2025-05-14
Signed by Governor

What this page covers — firm-level roster only

This page is the firm-level roster for the §21.552 adopter analysis. For the legislative history of SB 29, the statutory text of TBOC §21.552 / §21.419 / §21.373, federal-preemption questions, and judicial enforcement (Gusinsky v. Reynolds), see the dedicated SB 29 & §21.552 page →.

This page tracks two distinct firm populations:

Each verified adopter has a bespoke event-study battery: synthetic control + market model + sector-augmented + matched-pair + raw differential + Patell-z + bootstrap inference + BHAR at 1/3/6/12 months + calendar-time alpha + Newey-West HAC pairwise tests. Pooled cohort analysis (CAAR + Romano-Wolf step-down) is below.

Verified §21.552 adopters — individual deep-dives

Tier 1 = 8-K primary-source verified · Tier 2 = third-party litigation/news confirmation · Tier 3 = peer-list reference (NEEDS_VERIFICATION)
TSLA · Tesla, Inc.
TIER 1 · CONFIRMED
DE → TX (effective 2024-06-14) · bylaws bundled with reincorporation · Mega-cap ($1.50T) · Auto Manufacturers (Consumer Discretionary)

Tesla's election into §21.552 was bundled with its DGCL §266 conversion to Texas effective June 14, 2024 — the bylaws adopted by the Board on the conversion date already incorporated the 3% derivative threshold. The §21.552 election was structurally simultaneous with the migration; the bylaw text and the 8-K Item 5.07 vote tally are both public. Note: the headline event-study window for §21.552-only effects is contaminated by the much larger reincorporation effect; the cleanest read of the §21.552 channel comes from LUV, which is a TX-incumbent so the migration confound is absent.

LUV · Southwest Airlines Co.
TIER 2 · CONFIRMED (litigation)
TX-incumbent (always TX) · Bylaw amendment 2025-05-16 (board) · 8-K filed 2025-05-19 (after close) · Headline T0 = 2025-05-20 · Mid-cap ($18B) · Passenger Airlines (Industrials)

Southwest's election is the cleanest single-firm test of the §21.552 channel: TX-incumbent (no reincorporation confound), verified primary-source 8-K (acc 0000092380-25-000119) plus federal-court enforcement (Gusinsky v. Reynolds, N.D. Tex. Mar. 17, 2026, Kinkeade J., dismissing a 100-share derivative complaint under §21.552). Headline finding: day-0 abnormal return = +0.09% (Patell-z p = 0.964) — statistically indistinguishable from zero across all five specifications. Long-run BHAR vs SPY at 6 months = −12.4% (p = 0.74); BHAR-to-now (237 days) = −4.5% (p = 0.91). Versus the 8-airline peer cohort, LUV outperformed by an average of +13.5%.

CNP · CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
TIER 3 · NEEDS VERIFICATION
TX-incumbent (since 2002) · Large-cap · Multi-Utilities

Cited in TTEC peer-benchmark list as having adopted SB 29 provisions (multiple sections incl. §21.552 / officer exculpation). Requires direct EDGAR 8-K Item 5.03 search post-2025-05-14 to verify the bylaw-amendment date. Source confidence: 0.7 per tboc_adopter_tracker_v1.xlsx.

LEGH · Legacy Housing Corporation
TIER 3 · NEEDS VERIFICATION
DE → TX (reincorp 2024) · Small-cap · Homebuilding (Consumer Discretionary)

TTEC peer-benchmark cites LEGH as a §21.552 adopter post-reincorporation. Requires 8-K verification of bylaw amendment timing. Confidence: 0.7.

HSCS · HeartSciences, Inc.
TIER 3 · NEEDS VERIFICATION
DE → TX (reincorp 2024) · Microcap · Health Care Equipment

TTEC peer-benchmark cites HSCS as adopter. Microcap status raises event-study power concerns: pre-event volatility may exceed any plausible §21.552 effect size. Confidence: 0.65.

DDS · Dillard's, Inc.
TIER 3 · CANDIDATE
DE → TX (2025) · Mid-cap · Department Stores (Consumer Discretionary)

Listed in Panel_C_derivative_adopters_v2.5.csv as a candidate adopter. Verify 8-K Item 5.03 filing date post-reincorporation.

UAMY · United States Antimony Corporation
TIER 3 · CANDIDATE
DE → TX (2025) · Microcap · Materials (Mining)

Listed in Panel_C_derivative_adopters_v2.5.csv as candidate. Microcap; verify exact 8-K date and event-study power before pooling.

Pooled cohort analysis — the §21.552 effect

Cross-sectional pooled abnormal returns across the verified-adopter cohort. Equal-weighted CAAR with sign-test, bootstrap p-values, and Romano-Wolf step-down adjustment.

Per-firm headline day-0 AR

TickerTierT0 (headline)Day-0 ARPatell-z pBHAR_3moBHAR_6mo
TSLA12024-06-14+1.97%0.42+18.6%+25.3%
LUV22025-05-20+0.09%0.96−11.4%−12.4%
CNP3PENDINGPENDING
LEGH3PENDINGPENDING
HSCS3PENDINGPENDING
DDS3PENDINGPENDING
UAMY3PENDINGPENDING

Pooled CAAR — cumulative average abnormal return

Pool definitionnCAAR Day-0t-stattwo-sided pSign-test pBootstrap p
Tier 1-2 confirmed (TSLA + LUV)2+1.03%0.950.341.00 (2/2 positive)~0.40
Tier 1-2 ex-TSLA (LUV only, no migration confound)1+0.09%0.050.96~0.96
Tier 1-3 (incl. NEEDS_VERIFICATION)5PENDING
All including Panel C v2.5 candidates7PENDING
Pre-registered headline statistic

The pre-registered headline pool is Tier 1-2 ex-TSLA — i.e., LUV-only. This is methodologically the cleanest read because (a) TSLA's §21.552 election was bundled with the much larger DE→TX reincorporation event, contaminating the day-0 window with reincorporation effects; (b) LUV is TX-incumbent, so there is no reincorporation confound. Result: day-0 AR = +0.09%, Patell-z p = 0.96 — statistically indistinguishable from zero. The full Tier 1-2 pool (including TSLA) gives +1.03% with p = 0.34, also a null finding once the standard error reflects the within-pool variability.

Provisional bottom line: the data are consistent with the null hypothesis that §21.552 election does not produce a detectable announcement-window equity-price reaction. Long-run BHAR is also null. This is the single strongest empirical finding from this Texas case-study work and should be highlighted in the v3.85 publication track. Adoption-rate evidence reinforces the null: only 2-7 of 70 TX-incumbent issuers have elected — if the market materially rewarded election, more firms would have done it.

The Big Four US airlines — LUV's natural-experiment counterfactual

LUV is the only TX-incumbent of the four major US legacy airlines. AAL, DAL, UAL are NOT TX-incorporated and therefore did NOT elect into §21.552. This produces the cleanest possible natural experiment: identical industry, comparable scale, identical macro shocks — only LUV had the §21.552 treatment. Period: T0 = 2025-05-20 (LUV bylaw amendment) through last available trading day (2026-04-29; 237 trading days, 344 calendar days).

Big Four buy-and-hold returns (post-T0)

AirlineState of inc.§21.552 electionBH return (237 days)Δ vs LUVPairwise t (NW HAC)p-value
LUV · Southwest AirlinesTX (incumbent)YES · 2025-05-16+16.51%
AAL · American AirlinesDENO−4.64%+21.15%+0.5050.614
DAL · Delta Air LinesDENO+30.67%−14.15%−0.2940.769
UAL · United AirlinesDENO+12.72%+3.79%+0.0430.966
Big Four ex-LUV mean0/3+12.92%+3.60%
Big Four reading — the cleanest available counterfactual test

Over the 237 trading days following LUV's §21.552 bylaw amendment, LUV's buy-and-hold return was +16.51%. The simple average of the three other major US airlines — none of which adopted §21.552 — was +12.92%. LUV outperformed the Big Four ex-LUV mean by +3.60 percentage points. Pairwise differences range from −14.2% (vs DAL) to +21.2% (vs AAL).

No pairwise comparison reaches statistical significance at conventional thresholds (smallest p = 0.61 vs AAL, largest p = 0.97 vs UAL). The cross-sectional dispersion within the Big Four (range = 35 percentage points across just three peers) reflects firm-specific shocks that dominate any plausible §21.552 effect: Delta's outperformance reflects strong premium-cabin demand and corporate-travel recovery; American's underperformance reflects balance-sheet stress and labor disputes; United sits in the middle.

Bottom line: the Big Four natural experiment cannot reject the null. LUV's +3.60% outperformance vs the non-adopting peer mean is well within the noise band created by airline-level idiosyncratic factors. With n = 3 in the control group, the test has limited power; a meaningfully larger control set (the full 8-peer airline cohort in the LUV bespoke study) gives a similar finding (mean Δ = +13.5%, no individual pairwise significant).

Pairwise BHAR at multiple horizons (LUV vs each Big-Three peer)

Running the LUV bespoke pipeline at standardized post-event horizons gives the following Big Four pairwise comparisons:

HorizonLUV − AALLUV − DALLUV − UALBig Three mean
BHAR_1mo (21 days)forthcoming v3.85
BHAR_3mo (63 days)
BHAR_6mo (126 days)
BHAR_12mo (252 days)
BHAR-to-now (237 days)+21.15%−14.15%+3.79%+3.60%

Methodology. Each pairwise Δ-BHAR is computed on identical post-event windows starting at LUV's headline T0 (2025-05-20). Newey-West HAC standard errors with 5-lag autocorrelation correction on the daily AR difference series. Inference is the t-statistic on the mean of the daily LUV−peer return differential. Source: 02_BESPOKE/LUV_TBOC_21552_Analysis/luv_event_study_results.json (vs_peers section). Multi-horizon Big-Three BHAR table will populate once statutory_events_runner.py + 04_extended_controls.py have run (peer config in DEFAULT_CONFIG already includes DAL as headline peer; AAL/UAL added in this rev).

The 70-firm Texas-incumbent universe (Panel A)

All publicly traded TX-incorporated companies as of June 2024 — the eligible population for §21.552 election. Source: panelA_TX_incumbent_universe_v2.3_FULL.csv. Excludes firms that became TX-incorporated AFTER June 2024 via DE→TX reincorporation (those are tracked separately in the migrator cohort).
#TickerSize binIndustry§21.552 status
1LUVLarge-capPassenger AirlinesADOPTED 2025-05-16 (verified)
2ATOLarge-capGas UtilitiesNOT ADOPTED
3CNPLarge-capMulti-UtilitiesNEEDS_VERIFICATION
4SCILarge-capSpecialized Consumer ServicesNOT ADOPTED
5CPTLarge-capMultifamily REITNOT ADOPTED
6CFRMid-capRegional BanksNOT ADOPTED
7PBMid-capRegional BanksNOT ADOPTED
8MTDRMid-capOil & Gas E&PNOT ADOPTED
9CAIMid-capConstructionNOT ADOPTED
10RUSH.AMid-capTruckingNOT ADOPTED
11EQPTMid-capEquipment RentalNOT ADOPTED
12FFINMid-capRegional BanksNOT ADOPTED
13IBOCMid-capRegional BanksNOT ADOPTED
14FRMISmall-capDiversified FinancialsNOT ADOPTED
15AZZSmall-capIndustrial MachineryNOT ADOPTED
16USLMSmall-capMaterialsNOT ADOPTED
17XXISmall-capOil & GasNOT ADOPTED
18DXPESmall-capIndustrial DistributionNOT ADOPTED
19BHESmall-capElectronic ManufacturingNOT ADOPTED
20STELSmall-capRegional BanksNOT ADOPTED
21TFINSmall-capSpecialty BanksNOT ADOPTED
22UAMYSmall-capMining (Antimony)NEEDS_VERIFICATION
23CSWCSmall-capBDCsNOT ADOPTED
24SBRSmall-capRoyalty TrustNOT ADOPTED
25EXCESmall-capIndustrial ServicesNOT ADOPTED
26PBTSmall-capRoyalty TrustNOT ADOPTED
27SBSISmall-capRegional BanksNOT ADOPTED
28SPFISmall-capSpecialty FinanceNOT ADOPTED
29TCBXSmall-capSpecialty BanksNOT ADOPTED
30AMSFSmall-capInsuranceNOT ADOPTED
31EBFSmall-capOffice SuppliesNOT ADOPTED
32LEGHSmall-capManufactured HousingNEEDS_VERIFICATION
33-50ZNOG, WTI, ORBS, FWDI, BRCB, EXOD, SJT, RICK, PED, SMTI, GLND, FRD, AMFN, GEOS, CRMT, PEW, DWSN, AEISmall/MicrocapNOT ADOPTED (none verified)
51-65HYOR, CRT, POSC, INIS, SPND, GROW, AMEN, RITE, RCG, RVP, AIMD, DAJL, GWTI, MTEX, HGTX.UMicrocapNOT ADOPTED
66-70SIGL, MARP.S, MTR, SRRE, ZICX, MGRX, HSCS, ...MicrocapHSCS = NEEDS_VERIFICATION; rest NOT ADOPTED

Full per-firm enumeration (76 rows in source CSV; ~70 active issuers) available in 05_REVIEWER_AUDIT_PACKAGE/data/panelA_TX_incumbent_universe_v2.3_FULL.csv. Adoption-rate denominator excludes delisted/acquired firms; numerator is 2 confirmed (TSLA, LUV) or 7 if including all candidates.

TBOC §21.373 (SB 1057 shareholder-proposal threshold) tracking

Texas SB 1057 (effective 2025-09-01) added TBOC §21.373 — a separate election requiring greater of $1M voting shares or 3% voting power (with 6-month hold and 67% solicit threshold). Distinct from §21.552 and tracked separately. Status as of v3.84-rev5z snapshot:

Confirmed §21.373 adopters: 0 as of measurement date. The §21.373 regime faces federal-preemption uncertainty under SEC Rule 14a-8 and the Supremacy Clause (a Texas statute imposing stricter thresholds than the federal shareholder-proposal rule). SEC Chair has signaled potential compatibility (Sullivan & Cromwell memo, Oct 2025), but no court ruling has issued. Texas-incumbent firms appear to be in a wait-and-see posture pending legal clarity. This is itself a finding — if the §21.373 regime were unambiguously valuable to firms, more would have elected by now.

Methodology & primary sources

Pre-registration commitment: the headline cohort statistic is the Tier 1-2 pool ex-TSLA (LUV-only single-firm clean test). Tier 3 NEEDS_VERIFICATION results are reported as sensitivity. Panel C v2.5 candidate results (DDS, UAMY) are reported as exploratory. Romano-Wolf step-down adjustment for the (cohort-pool × horizon × spec) p-value matrix is the inferential gold standard for the v3.85 publication track.

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