HOWE DOUGLAS M. 4

What Happened Douglas M. Howe, CEO and a director of Designer Brands, received equity awards on March 11, 2026, consisting of two restricted stock unit (RSU) grants: 68,837 RSUs and 261,385 RSUs, for a total of 330,222 RSUs. The Form 4 reports these as derivative awards with an acquisition price of $0.00 (awards/compensation), so no cash was paid. These are grants (transaction code A), not open-market purchases or sales.

Key Details

• Transaction dates: 2026-03-11 (both awards); Form 4 filed 2026-03-13 (filed two days after the transaction).
• Grant amounts and prices: 68,837 RSUs @ $0.00 and 261,385 RSUs @ $0.00 (total 330,222 RSUs; reported value $0 on Form 4 because these are contingent awards).
• Shares owned after transaction: Not disclosed in the provided filing excerpt.
• Footnote: Each RSU represents a contingent right to receive one share of the issuer's Class A common stock (vesting or settlement conditions may apply).
• Timeliness: Filed on 2026-03-13 for a 2026-03-11 transaction — appears to be within the typical 2-business-day Form 4 reporting window.

Context RSUs are compensation awards that give the holder a contingent right to receive shares (or their cash value) if and when vesting conditions are met; they are derivative grants rather than open-market purchases, and no immediate market exposure or cash outlay occurred at grant. Vesting schedule or settlement terms were not provided in the excerpt, so future issuance of shares will depend on those conditions. Such awards are common for executive compensation and do not, by themselves, signal a near-term buy or sell action.