Velarion · Company Intelligence
Compensation Brief
Fiscal year 2025 · Filings through 2026-06-12

Citi Trends (CTRN)

CEO Kenneth Seipel was paid $1,912,312 in fiscal year 2025, ↓ down 68.4% from fiscal year 2024, the 33rd percentile of its disclosed peer group (SEC filing 0001104659-26-053458 ↗): executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.

$1,912,312 ↓
Kenneth Seipel total, FY2025
33rd
CEO pay percentile vs peers
78:1
CEO-to-median pay ratio
99.12%
Say-on-pay support, latest vote

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Sample answer — “What is the CEO’s total compensation?”
- Kenneth Seipel (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), FY2025 total compensation $1,912,312 (base salary $788,736) [exec_comp, SEC accession 0001104659-26-053458, filed 2026-05-01]

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CTRN's next annual pay disclosure, estimated May 7, 2027.est. Filing ↗

01

Summary Compensation Table — fiscal year 2025

Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Kenneth Seipel$788,736$0$0$0$1,120,000$0$3,576$1,912,312
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Powell492,595—631,064—350,000—13,4231,487,082
Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer
Heather Plutino488,3370631,0640350,000011,7421,481,143
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Katrina George313,875—361,103—175,000—3,303853,281
Vice President, Human Resources
Kyle Koenig295,5790361,1030175,00005,927837,609
Vice President, Stores & Real Estate

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Kenneth Seipel$1,912,312$6,056,047—↓ −4,143,735
Lisa Powell1,487,082783,905817,492↑ +703,177
Heather Plutino1,481,143761,138792,965↑ +720,005
Katrina George853,281423,660—↑ +429,621
Kyle Koenig837,609354,208—↑ +483,401

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

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Companies that benchmark against CTRN
4 companies name CTRN as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses CTRN in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named CTRN in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.

01b

Executives — the named officers

One page per officer: the same table above, read for one person at a time — his own figure and every fiscal year the register holds.

ExecutiveRoleFY2025 total
Kenneth SeipelCEO$1,912,312
Kyle KoenigExecutive$837,609
Heather PlutinoCFO$1,481,143
01c

Board of directors

One page per director: the seat, the committees and the fee table, read for one person at a time.

DirectorRoleFY2025 total
Cara RobinsonIndependent Director$138,998
Chaoyang (Charles) LiuIndependent Director$100,948
David A. HeathLead Independent Director$100,948
Margaret L. JenkinsIndependent Director$142,298
Michael S. KvitkoIndependent Director$100,948
Pamela EdwardsIndependent Director—
Wesley CalvertIndependent Director—
02

Equity transactions since the proxy statement was filed

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

04

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Kenneth SeipelRSU3,639—$94,250
Heather PlutinoRSU19,905—1,008,387
Kyle KoenigRSU4,752—240,736
Kenneth SeipelPSU321,502—8,326,902
Kenneth SeipelRSU80,000—2,072,000
Kenneth SeipelRSU3,639—94,250
Kenneth SeipelRSU3,639—94,250
Kenneth SeipelRSU3,639—94,250
Kenneth SeipelRSU3,639—94,250
05

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

Our compensation program is designed to align the interests of management and stockholders and to link Company performance with executive pay, such that the Company’s achievement of challenging financial goals results in payment of annual incentives to our executive officers.

CEO STI target (% of salary)—
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultant—
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedging—
Anti-pledging—
06

Say-on-pay — recent advisory votes

Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-06-106,652,35259,0725,69599.12%Passed
20252025-06-095,346,663562,82984290.48%Passed
20242024-06-216,526,017183,62451297.26%Passed
20232023-06-096,177,258241,8891,16496.23%Passed
20222022-06-016,348,879116,1647,67598.2%Passed
20212021-06-047,321,59480,32111,24498.91%Passed

Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.

Say-on-pay — history, company's computation

Meeting yearMeeting dateApproval — company's computation
20262026-06-1099.12%a
20252025-06-0990.48%b
20242024-06-2197.26%c

a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 1 (election of directors), Proposal 2 ("say-on-pay") or Proposal 3 (ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP).”.

b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 1 (election of directors), Proposal 2 ("say-on-pay"), Proposal 3 (approval of an amendment to the 2021 Incentive Plan) or Proposal 4 (ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP).”.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 1 (election of directors), Proposal 2 ("say-on-pay"), Proposal 3 (approval of an amendment to the 2021 Incentive Plan) or Proposal 4 (ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP).”.

Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.

07

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)78 : 1
CEO total compensation—
Median employee compensation$24,523
08

Director compensation — fiscal year 2025

DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Margaret L. JenkinsIndependent · Nominating/Governance · Audit · Finance$77,050$65,248$0—$0$142,298
Cara RobinsonIndependent · Compensation · Nominating/Governance · Audit73,75065,2480—0138,998
Chaoyang (Charles) LiuIndependent · Audit · Finance · Compensation35,70065,2480—0100,948
Michael S. KvitkoIndependent · Finance · Nominating/Governance · Compensation35,70065,2480—0100,948
David A. HeathIndependent · Compensation · Nominating/Governance35,70065,2480—0100,948
Pamela EdwardsIndependent · Audit000—00
Wesley CalvertIndependent · Finance000—00
Kenneth D. SeipelEmployee director · Board Chair · Finance · Corporate Social Responsibility (Chair)—————0
09

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$84,000
Annual equity retainer$76,750
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)12,000 / 8,000 / 8,000
Stock ownership guideline$252,000
09b

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$257,900
Equity awards (grant-date value)$326,240
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$584,140

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

10

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025

The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.

BON Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.CATO The Cato CorporationBKE The Buckle Inc.SCVL Shoe Carnival, Inc.ZUMZ Zumiez, Inc.TLYS Tilly's, Inc.HIBB Hibbett, Inc.DEST Destination XL Group, Inc.FIVE Five Below, Inc.
10a

Peer reciprocity

Of the companies Citi Trends names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BON)✓ The Cato Corporation (CATO)25 The Buckle Inc. (BKE) Shoe Carnival, Inc. (SCVL)— Zumiez, Inc. (ZUMZ)26 Tilly's, Inc. (TLYS) Hibbett, Inc. (HIBB) Destination XL Group, Inc. (DEST)— Five Below, Inc. (FIVE)27

Reciprocity shown where the peer's own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer's filing. A dash means the peer's current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including Citi Trends.

10b

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1The Buckle Inc.2025Dennis Nelson$1,300,000$5,713,200$0$0$11,706,282
2Five Below, Inc.2025Winnie Park1,100,0006,792,21502,750,00010,814,084
3Citi Trends2025Kenneth Seipel788,736001,120,0001,912,312
4Zumiez, Inc.2025Richard Brooks735,000001,008,0891,749,159
5The Cato Corporation2025John Cato1,484,8320001,486,624
—Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Shoe Carnival, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Tilly's, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Hibbett, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Destination XL Group, Inc.——————not in coverage universe

Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

10c

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
Citi Trendsnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedMercer
Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Destination XL Group, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Five Below, Inc.not disclosedPSU 60 · RSU 40NoMeridian
Hibbett, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Shoe Carnival, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
The Buckle Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
The Cato Corporationnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedAon Hewitt
Tilly's, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Zumiez, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedMeridian Compensation Partners

Read from each company's Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company's filing does not state the item.

10d

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at Citi Trends in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Kenneth Seipel (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at Citi Trends in fiscal 2025, with total compensation of $1,912,312.
How does Citi Trends's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, Kenneth Seipel's total compensation ranked at the 33rd percentile of Citi Trends's disclosed peer group.
What is Citi Trends's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, Citi Trends's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 78:1.
How did shareholders vote on Citi Trends's executive compensation?
As disclosed, 99.12% of shareholders supported Citi Trends's executive compensation in the latest say-on-pay vote.
How much does Citi Trends spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Citi Trends reported total board compensation of $584,140 for fiscal 2025.

Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.

11

Source register

Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

#SupportsDocumentFiledAccessionLocation in document
1Section 01, Kenneth SeipelDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,912,312. View filing ↗
2Section 01, Lisa PowellDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,487,082. View filing ↗
3Section 01, Heather PlutinoDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,481,143. View filing ↗
4Section 01, Katrina GeorgeDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 853,281. View filing ↗
5Section 01, Kyle KoenigDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 837,609. View filing ↗
6Section 07, pay ratioDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 78 : 1. View filing ↗
7Section 08, Margaret L. JenkinsDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 142,298. View filing ↗
8Section 08, Cara RobinsonDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 138,998. View filing ↗
9Section 08, Chaoyang (Charles) LiuDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 100,948. View filing ↗
10Section 08, Michael S. KvitkoDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 100,948. View filing ↗
11Section 08, David A. HeathDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 100,948. View filing ↗
12Section 08, Pamela EdwardsDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
13Section 08, Wesley CalvertDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
14Section 08, Kenneth D. SeipelDEF 14A2025-04-250001558370-25-005488Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
15Section 06, 2026 voteForm 8-K2026-06-120001104659-26-073472Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.12% (votes for as printed: 6,652,352). View filing ↗
16Section 06, 2025 voteForm 8-K2025-06-090001104659-25-057851Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 90.48% (votes for as printed: 5,346,663). View filing ↗
17Section 06, 2024 voteForm 8-K2024-06-210001104659-24-073967Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 97.26% (votes for as printed: 6,526,017). View filing ↗
18Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed)Computed——Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
19Section 09b board cost (computed)Computed——Cash 257,900 + equity 326,240 + all other 0 = 584,140, summed across the director compensation table rows.
20The Buckle Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-220000885245-26-000016CEO total compensation as printed in The Buckle Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 11,706,282. View filing ↗
21Five Below, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-05-010001193125-26-199315CEO total compensation as printed in Five Below, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 10,814,084. View filing ↗
22Citi Trends (subject), Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-05-010001104659-26-053458CEO total compensation as printed in Citi Trends's own proxy. As printed: 1,912,312. View filing ↗
23Zumiez, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-240001193125-26-177072CEO total compensation as printed in Zumiez, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,749,159. View filing ↗
24The Cato Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-100001206774-26-000206CEO total compensation as printed in The Cato Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 1,486,624. View filing ↗
25Section 10a, The Cato Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001206774-26-000206The Cato Corporation names Citi Trends in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
26Section 10a, Zumiez, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-177072Zumiez, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Citi Trends. View filing ↗
27Section 10a, Five Below, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-199315Five Below, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Citi Trends. View filing ↗