MARTIN JOHN 4

What Happened
Martin John, Chief Credit Officer and Executive Vice President of First Merchants Corp (FRME), had 5,398 shares disposed on 2026-02-08 to satisfy a tax liability (transaction code F). The shares were valued at $42.34 each, for a total of approximately $228,551. This was a tax-withholding/coverage transaction tied to equity awards, not an open-market sale for investment purposes.

Key Details

• Transaction date and price: 2026-02-08, 5,398 shares at $42.34 per share.
• Total value surrendered: ~$228,551.
• Shares owned after transaction: not specified in the filing.
• Footnote: filing notes Restricted Stock Awards totaling 22,928.443 shares (see F1).
• Filing date: 2026-02-10 — filed two days after the transaction (appears timely under Form 4 rules).

Context
Transaction code F indicates shares were used to pay an exercise price or cover tax withholding tied to equity awards. These types of share surrenders are routine and reflect payroll/tax procedures rather than a deliberate stock sale for trading reasons. For retail investors, such withholding transactions generally shouldn't be read as a directional signal about the insider's view on the company's stock.