U.S. 2026 Compensation Post-Season Review: Strong Investor Support Despite Resurgence of One-Time Grants
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Below is an excerpt from ISS-Corporate’s recently released paper “2026 U.S. Compensation Post Season Review: Strong Investor Support Despite Resurgence of One-Time Grants”.
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The full paper is available for download from ISS-Corporate’s resources page.
Key Takeaways
CEO pay continued to climb to record levels in fiscal 2025, with median S&P 500 CEO compensation reaching $17.5 million, while median pay among Russell 3000 companies (excluding the S&P 500) remained relatively stable;
Equity compensation remained the primary driver of CEO pay growth, as companies increased long-term incentive award values and expanded both the prevalence and magnitude of one-time equity grants;
The prevalence of CEO security perquisites in the S&P 500 continued to increase sharply, and the Russell 3000 has followed suit;
Say-on-Pay (SOP) support climbed to five-year highs across both the S&P 500 and Russell 3000, while SOP failures reached multi-year lows;
Potential changes in SEC rulings may fundamentally alter compensation disclosure and voting in years to come.
The 2026 proxy season was characterized by record CEO pay levels and a resurgence of one-time equity awards, but remarkably shareholder support for executive compensation remained strong. Equity compensation continued to drive pay growth through both higher values and increased use of special equity grants. At the same time, companies increasingly relied on security-related perquisites, reflecting a broader focus on executive safety and risk management.
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