OLSCHAN BRIAN S 4

What Happened
Brian S. Olschan, President, COO and a director of ACME United Corp (ACU), exercised options on May 21, 2026 to acquire 20,000 shares at an exercise price of $24.92 per share (total intrinsic value recorded $498,400). To satisfy tax withholding, 15,204 shares were withheld/disposed, leaving a net of 4,796 shares issued to Olschan. The withholding was valued at $43.21 per share (~$656,965).

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-05-21 (Form 4 filed 2026-05-22).
• Option exercise: 20,000 shares at $24.92 — $498,400 (code M = exercise/conversion of derivative).
• Tax withholding: 15,204 shares withheld at $43.21 — ~$656,965 (code F = payment of exercise price or tax liability).
• Net shares retained by insider: 4,796 shares (20,000 − 15,204). Approximate value of net shares at $43.21 = ~$207,235.
• Footnote: F1 states the option exercise was effected via net share settlement (cashless/net issuance to cover taxes).
• Filing appears timely (transaction 5/21; Form 4 filed 5/22). The Form does not disclose total ACU shares owned by the insider after the transaction in the supplied details.

Context
This was an option exercise with net share settlement — the company withheld shares to cover tax obligations rather than the insider paying cash. Code M indicates an option exercise (acquisition of shares), while code F indicates shares were surrendered/withheld for tax liability. Such net settlements are routine and reflect tax mechanics rather than an open-market sale decision.