Worst CEOs of the Year: Brian Cornell of Target

Core Insights - Target Corp. CEO Brian Cornell is criticized for his poor leadership, leading to significant declines in the company's stock performance and earnings during his tenure [2][4][5] Company Performance - Target's stock has decreased by 49% over the past five years, while the market has increased by 88%. In the past year, Target's stock fell by 30% against a 15% market rise [5] - In the most recent quarter, Target reported a 1.5% decline in net sales to $25.3 billion and an 18.2% decrease in earnings to $1.52 per share. For the first three quarters of the year, revenue fell by 1.7% to $74.3 billion, and earnings dropped by 9.6% to $5.85 per share [6] Leadership Transition - The Target board has decided to transition leadership from Brian Cornell to COO Michael Fiddelke, effective February 1, 2026. This decision has been met with skepticism regarding its potential to improve the company's market position [2][7] - Analysts are largely pessimistic about Target's future, with 28 out of 38 rating it as Sell or Hold, and an average price target of $96.52, only slightly above the current price of $90.62 [7]