Hopper Jonathan Mark 4

What Happened

• Jonathan Mark Hopper, Chief Medical Officer of Vericel (VCEL), exercised/converted derivative awards and sold shares on June 2, 2026. The filing shows he acquired 4,375 shares by exercising a derivative at $16.66 per share (cost $72,888) and sold 4,375 shares in an open-market sale at $35.00 per share for gross proceeds of $153,125. The filing also reports a conversion/exercise of 4,375 shares with a reported $0 exercise price (reported as a derivative acquisition).

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-06-02 (reported on Form 4 filed 2026-06-04).
• Exercise/Acquisitions: 4,375 shares @ $16.66 (total reported cost $72,888) and 4,375 shares @ $0 (derivative conversion).
• Sale: 4,375 shares @ $35.00 for $153,125 (open market sale).
• Shares owned after transaction: Not specified in the provided excerpt of the filing.
• Notable footnotes:
  • F2: The sale was effected automatically under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan adopted May 30, 2025.
  • F1 and F3: Footnotes reference shares acquired under the company ESPP and the vesting/exercise schedule for options (options representing rights to 26,000 shares vested in quarterly installments starting May 6, 2019).
• Filing timeliness: Form 4 was filed two days after the transaction date (appears timely).

Context

• Because the exercise/acquisition and sale involved the same number of shares on the same date, this effectively functioned as a cashless exercise (exercise/convert then immediate sale), which is common for executives realizing value from vested awards.
• The sale was pre-planned under a 10b5-1 program, meaning the disposition followed an automated trading plan rather than an on-the-spot decision.