Barnett Valerie 4

What Happened

• Valerie Barnett, Chief Legal Officer of Cytek Biosciences (CTKB), received two RSU grants totaling 346,567 restricted stock units (120,114 + 226,453) on March 10, 2026 and also exercised/converted 29,722 derivative shares (4,908 + 10,313 + 14,501). To satisfy tax withholding obligations arising from vesting/conversion, 11,748 shares were surrendered (withheld) at $4.23 per share, totaling $49,694. The RSU awards are reported as derivative awards (A) and the conversions/exercises are reported as code M; the share withholding is reported as code F.

Key Details

• Transaction date: March 10, 2026; Form 4 filed March 12, 2026 (timely).
• RSU grants: 120,114 and 226,453 RSUs (total 346,567) reported as awards (no cash paid).
• Conversions/exercises: 4,908; 10,313; 14,501 shares (total 29,722).
• Tax withholding: 1,761 + 4,247 + 5,740 = 11,748 shares withheld at $4.23/share = $49,694 surrendered to the issuer to cover taxes.
• Shares owned after the transactions: not stated in the provided filing excerpt.
• Relevant footnotes: F1 clarifies each RSU converts to one share; F2 confirms the withheld shares were surrendered to satisfy tax withholding; F3–F7 describe multi-year vesting schedules for the options and RSUs (4-year vesting with specified monthly or annual tranches).

Context

• This was not an open‑market purchase or sale for cash; Barnett received equity awards (RSUs) and converted/exercised derivatives. The withheld shares represent a typical "sell-to-cover" or share-withholding to pay taxes, not a separate market sale signaling intent.
• For retail investors: awards and routine tax withholding are common compensation mechanics and do not by themselves indicate a bullish or bearish view. Exercises/conversions plus withholding typically reflect vesting or option exercise events rather than discretionary trading.