Watson Matthew E. 4

What Happened

• Matthew E. Watson, Chief Accounting Officer of Empire Petroleum Corp., was granted equity awards on June 16, 2026. The Form 4 shows an award of 9,000 shares and a derivative award covering 9,000 shares (both reported as "A" — award/grant) at a reported price/value of $0. This is a compensation grant, not a purchase or sale.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-06-16; filing date (Form 4): 2026-06-18 (appears timely under the typical two-business-day rule).
• Reported items: 9,000 shares acquired (award) and 9,000 shares reported as a derivative award (option) — total interest reported = 18,000 share equivalents.
• Reported price/value: $0 for both entries.
• Vesting note (footnote F1): the option vests in three equal annual installments beginning June 16, 2027.
• Shares owned after the transaction: not specified in the filing.

Context

• This filing documents a compensation grant (award and an option-like derivative) that vests over time; no cash was paid and no immediate sale or exercise was reported. Such grants are common for employee compensation and do not by themselves indicate buying or selling sentiment. The derivative portion will only yield shares as it vests and is exercised according to the plan.