MITAROTONDA JAMES A 4

What Happened
James A. Mitarotonda, a director and reported 10% owner related to LNA Capital/Barington entities, acquired 1,717 shares of Eastern Co (EML) on March 16, 2026. The acquisition price was $20.93 per share, for a total value of approximately $35,937. The reported transaction code was P (purchase), which represents an acquisition rather than a sale.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-03-16; Filing date: 2026-03-17 (timely filing).
• Price: $20.93 per share; Shares acquired: 1,717; Total ≈ $35,937.
• The shares were issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program pursuant to Rule 16b-3(d); the share count was determined using the March 13, 2026 share price (Footnote F1).
• Ownership after transaction: not stated in the filing.
• Ownership/relationships: reporting person is sole stockholder/director of LNA Capital Corp.; LNA is GP of Barington entities (Footnote F2).
• Beneficial ownership disclaimer: the reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership except to the extent of pecuniary interest (Footnote F3).

Context
This acquisition stems from a director fee issuance (compensation converted to shares), not an open-market speculative buy. Director fee issuances are common and reflect compensation rather than an independent market purchase; purchases generally draw more attention than sales but do not necessarily indicate new insider conviction. As a reported 10% owner via related entities, the filing notes the ownership structure and disclaimers rather than signaling executive trading behavior.