Lin Chih-Hsiang (Thompson) 4

What Happened
Lin Chih‑Hsiang (Thompson), President, CEO and a director of Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI), received a grant/settlement of 711,743 performance‑based restricted stock units (RSUs) (acquired 2026-05-15, $0.00 per share). On 2026-05-19 he had 86,655 shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations (disposed at $190.36, value $16,495,646) and sold 58,000 shares in an open‑market sale at $173.26 per share (proceeds $10,049,080). The award is an acquisition (compensation), while the other two actions are disposals (one tax withholding, one open‑market sale).

Key Details

• Transaction dates and prices:
  • 2026-05-15: Award/settlement of 711,743 RSUs @ $0.00 (acquired)
  • 2026-05-19: Shares withheld for taxes: 86,655 @ $190.36 (disposed) — $16,495,646
  • 2026-05-19: Open‑market sale: 58,000 @ $173.26 (disposed) — $10,049,080
• Shares owned after transaction: Not specified in the filing summary provided.
• Footnotes:
  • F1: RSUs were earned and settled for the 2023–2026 performance period at maximum performance.
  • F2: 86,655 shares were withheld to satisfy applicable tax withholding obligations.
• Timeliness: The RSU settlement is dated 2026-05-15 while the Form 4 was filed 2026-05-19. Reporting for such equity changes is normally due within two business days, so the 5/15 grant appears to have been reported after that window; the disposals on 5/19 were filed the same day.

Context

• This was primarily a compensation settlement (performance RSUs) followed by routine share dispositions: a tax‑withholding share retention and a separate open‑market sale. Tax withholding is common when RSUs vest; it does not necessarily indicate a change in insider sentiment.
• The filing shows no options exercise; the RSUs were settled into shares and some were immediately withheld/sold to cover taxes and liquidity.