Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) SVP Fred Chang Surrenders Shares for Taxes

What Happened
Fred Chang, Senior Vice President and North America General Manager of Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI), surrendered a total of 6,338 shares to the company on Jan. 22, 2026 to satisfy tax-withholding obligations tied to vested restricted stock units (RSUs). The shares were surrendered at $38.38 per share for a total value of $243,252 (1,874 shares = $71,924; 2,940 shares = $112,837; 674 shares = $25,868; 850 shares = $32,623). This was a non-open-market, routine tax-withholding disposition rather than a discretionary sale.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-01-22; Filing date: 2026-01-26 (filed within the typical two-business-day window).
• Price per share: $38.38. Total shares surrendered: 6,338. Total value: $243,252.
• Shares owned after the transactions: not provided in the excerpt of the filing.
• Footnotes indicate these surrenders were to satisfy tax withholding on vested RSUs from grants dated: 6/27/2022 (F1), 6/26/2023 (F2), 4/29/2024 (F3), and 4/11/2025 (F4).
• Transaction code: F — tax withholding (not an open-market sale).

Context
Surrendering shares to cover tax withholding on vested RSUs is a common, administrative transaction and does not necessarily signal a change in the insider’s view of the company. This was not a purchase or market sale by the insider; it was a cashless tax-withholding settlement of vested equity awards.