Chattopadhyay Sanat 4

What Happened
Sanat Chattopadhyay, a director of Ashland Inc. (ASH), was granted 258 Common Stock Units on 2026-03-31 under Ashland’s Deferred Compensation Plan for Non‑Employee Directors. The units are valued at $55.61 each for a total grant value of $14,347. This was an award (grant) of deferred compensation, not an open‑market purchase or sale.

Key Details

• Transaction date and price: 2026-03-31 at $55.61 per unit (total ~$14,347).
• Transaction type: Award/Grant of Common Stock Units (derivative instrument).
• Plan and exemption: Units were granted under Ashland’s Deferred Compensation Plan for Non‑Employee Directors and are reported as exempt under SEC Rule 16b‑3.
• Unit/share equivalence: 1 Common Stock Unit = 1 share of Ashland common stock.
• Payout timing: Units are payable in common stock upon the director’s separation from service (subject to any deferral election).
• Balance detail: Filing notes the balance includes units acquired in lieu of cash dividends; the filing did not state the total number of units/shares owned after this grant.
• Filing timing: Form 4 filed 2026-04-01 (the next business day), so the report appears timely.

Context
This is a deferred compensation award for a non‑employee director. Such grants are routine director compensation and are not the same signal as an open‑market purchase (which can indicate a director’s near‑term bullishness). Because the units vest/payable on separation and are held as units rather than immediately issued shares, they represent future entitlement to stock rather than an immediate increase in tradable shares.