No decision on HCA special meetings changes

HCA Holdings shareholders last week voted against a California activist's proposal to allow investors controlling at least 10 percent of the company's stock to convene a special meeting. A company counterproposal with a higher threshold also fell short, albeit by a small margin.

The plan by John Chevedden, who has pushed for governance changes at a number of other big-name companies, received backing from investors holding only 27 percent of the company's total stock. Chevedden had pushed for the change to give investors a louder voice in filling board openings between annual meetings.