Batson Scott L. 4

What Happened
Scott L. Batson, EVP and Chief Power Grid Operations Officer at Duke Energy (DUK), received 5,580 performance shares that vested on Feb 5, 2026 (recorded as an acquisition at $0.00 per share). To satisfy tax withholding on the vesting event, 1,603 shares were surrendered/disposed at $123.41 per share, generating approximately $197,826 in value. The award stems from a February 22, 2023 performance grant with a three‑year performance period deemed satisfied on Feb 5, 2026.

Key Details

• Transaction dates: vesting and acquisition on 2026-02-05; Form 4 filed 2026-02-09 (filing appears timely).
• Award: 5,580 performance shares acquired (grant priced at $0.00).
• Tax withholding: 1,603 shares disposed at $123.41 each = ~$197,826 (shares withheld to pay taxes).
• Shares owned after the transaction: not specified in the filing.
• Relevant footnotes: vesting was for a 2023 performance share award (3-year performance period); amounts adjusted for dividend reinvestment and rounding; shares were withheld to satisfy tax obligations.
• Transaction codes: A = award/acquisition; F = shares withheld/used to pay taxes.

Context
This was a routine vesting of long‑term performance shares rather than an open‑market purchase or opportunistic sale. The withholding of shares to cover taxes is common and does not necessarily indicate a change in insider sentiment. For retail investors, awards vesting reflect compensation realization but are not a direct buy signal; the only cash-equivalent event reported here is the surrender of shares to cover taxes (~$197.8k).