BARINGTON COMPANIES MANAGEMENT, LLC 4

What Happened James A. Mitarotonda, a reported 10% owner of Eastern Co (EML), made two open-market purchases of company stock. On 2026-03-06 he bought 5,067 shares at $18.29 each ($92,659), and on 2026-03-09 he bought 2,342 shares at $18.74 each ($43,895). Total purchased: 7,409 shares for approximately $136,554. These were purchases (P), which many retail investors view as a more informative signal than routine sales.

Key Details

• Transaction dates and prices:
  • 2026-03-06: 5,067 shares @ $18.29 = $92,659 (open-market purchase)
  • 2026-03-09: 2,342 shares @ $18.74 = $43,895 (open-market purchase)
• Total purchased: 7,409 shares for ~$136,554.
• Shares owned after the transactions: Not specified in the provided filing data.
• Footnotes:
  • F1: Mitarotonda is the sole stockholder and director of LNA Capital Corp., which is tied through several entities to Barington investors/management (discloses related ownership/control structure).
  • F2: The reporting persons disclaim beneficial ownership except to the extent of pecuniary interest.
• Transaction code: P = Purchase (open-market).
• Filing date: Form 4 filed 2026-03-10 covering trades on Mar 6 and Mar 9. No explicit late-filing flag was provided in the supplied data.

Context

• As a reported 10% owner, this filing reflects substantial-owner reporting rather than routine employee/executive trades; that distinction can matter when interpreting intent.
• These were outright purchases (not option exercises, gifts, or awards), so they represent the insider acquiring stock rather than selling or receiving shares for compensation.