Young Donald R 4

What Happened

• Donald R. Young, President, CEO and Director of Aspen Aerogels (ASPN), received equity awards on March 4, 2026: 156,716 Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) and 212,249 derivative awards (options/other equity derivative). Both grants show acquisition price $0.00.
• On March 5, 2026, 8,618 shares were disposed (withheld) to satisfy tax withholding obligations at $3.27 per share, totaling $28,181. The grants themselves are awards (not purchases or open-market sales).

Key Details

• Transaction dates/prices:
  • 2026-03-04: Grant of 156,716 RSUs (A) @ $0.00.
  • 2026-03-04: Grant of 212,249 derivative awards (A, derivative) @ $0.00.
  • 2026-03-05: 8,618 shares withheld/disposed (F) to cover taxes @ $3.27, proceeds $28,181.
• Shares/holdings after transaction (per filing footnote): 430,387 shares of Common Stock and 211,722 RSUs.
• Footnotes of note:
  • F1: RSUs vest one-third on each of March 4, 2027, 2028 and 2029.
  • F2: Shares were withheld by the company to satisfy minimum statutory tax withholding on RSU vesting.
  • F4: Options (derivative awards) vest one-third on each of March 4, 2027, 2028 and 2029.
• Filing timeliness: Report filed March 6, 2026, covering transactions of March 4–5, 2026 (filed timely per Form 4 rules).

Context

• The 156,716-item award are RSUs (convert to common shares upon vesting); the 212,249 derivative award appears to be option-type awards with multi-year vesting. Neither award involved an open-market purchase or sale of newly acquired shares at grant.
• The 8,618-share disposition was a tax-withholding action (routine cashless withholding) to satisfy tax obligations and does not necessarily reflect a market sell decision by the insider.
• These awards increase the CEO’s future potential stake as they vest; vesting schedules mean the economic interest is realized over 2027–2029.