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CEOPayWatch

CEO Salary & Executive Compensation

Target TGT

CEO: Brian Cornell · Retail · 440,000 employees

C
Pay-for-Performance
54/100

Brian Cornell, CEO of Target (TGT), earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2026. Target receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of C (54/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 250:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 91.3%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -4.3%.

How Target CEO Pay Compares

Brian Cornell's $8.0M total compensation is 33% below the Retail industry median of $12.0M. The 250:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 27% lower than the industry average of 344:1.

Total compensation for Brian Cornell at Target (TGT) was $8.0M. Mid-cap public-company CEO packages tend to track this pattern — equity-heavy, multi-year vesting, performance-tied.

The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio is 250x, meaning Brian Cornell's $8.0M total comp is roughly that many times the median $32,000 earned by Target workers. The ratio is in the mid-range of S&P 500 disclosures and reflects the standard public-company compensation structure. Performance has been muted across the three-year window: -4.3% TSR, -0.5% revenue change. Stagnant performance combined with substantial CEO pay is the classic setup for proxy-advisor opposition on say-on-pay votes.

Say-on-pay support was strong at 91%. The Dodd-Frank-mandated advisory vote on executive compensation passes at most U.S. public companies with comfortable margins; meaningful dissent typically requires either pay-performance misalignment or specific governance concerns. Target operates in Retail with 440,000 employees and $107.6B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $60.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.

Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Target (TGT).

$8.0M
CEO Total Comp
250:1
CEO-Worker Ratio
91.3%
Say-on-Pay Vote
-4.3%
3yr TSR
$32K
Median Worker Pay

Compensation Breakdown

Brian Cornell's $8.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2026 includes $800K in base salary, $4.0M in stock awards, $960K in option awards, and $1.2M in bonus and non-equity incentives.

Salary$800K
Stock Awards$4.0M
Options$960K
Non-Equity Incentive$1.2M
Pension$160K
Other$880K

Compensation History

YearSalaryBonusStock AwardsOptionsNon-EquityOtherTotal
2026$800K-$4.0M$960K$1.2M$880K$8.0M
2025$800K-$4.0M$960K$1.2M$880K$8.0M
2024$800K-$4.0M$960K$1.2M$880K$8.0M
2023$800K-$4.0M$960K$1.2M$880K$8.0M

All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.

Named Executive Officers

Peer CEO Compensation

Brian Cornell, CEO of Target (TGT), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brian Cornell, CEO of Target (TGT), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.

Target has a Pay-for-Performance Score of C (54/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -4.3%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 91.3% approval.

The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Target is 250:1. The median worker at Target earns $32K per year, while CEO Brian Cornell earns $8.0M in total compensation.

Target employs approximately 440,000 people. The company operates in the Retail industry within the Consumer Discretionary sector, generating $107.6B in annual revenue.

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