Pierson Michael T 4

What Happened

• Michael T. Pierson, Chief Governance Officer of Ameris Bancorp (ABCB), had 615 shares of common stock withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations tied to the vesting of restricted stock.
• The withholding occurred on 2026-02-24 at an effective price of $79.35 per share, equal to roughly $48,800. The withholding covered taxes on 1,380 vested shares originally awarded on 2023-02-23, leaving 765 vested shares delivered to him net of withholding.
• This is a tax-withholding (code F) event — a routine administrative disposition rather than an open-market sale or a purchase.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-02-24; Form 4 filed: 2026-02-26 (timely filing).
• Withheld: 615 shares at $79.35/share; value ≈ $48,800.
• Vesting: 1,380 shares vested; net delivered to Pierson: 765 shares after withholding.
• Additional holdings noted in the filing include ~422.733642 shares from an Employee Stock Purchase and dividend reinvestment plan and ~13.9078 shares held in his 401(k) (total ≈ 436.64 shares included in reported holdings).
• Transaction code: F (tax withholding) — not a market sale (not indicative of a change in investment view).

Context

• This was a cashless/withholding tax event triggered by the vesting of restricted stock awarded in 2023. Such withholdings are standard practice to cover tax liabilities and do not necessarily reflect buying or selling intent.
• For retail investors, purchases or open-market sales typically carry more informational weight than routine withholding events; treat this filing as administrative.