Form 4: AAOI Senior VP Sells Shares for Tax Withholding

APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC. Senior Vice President and North America General Manager, Fred Chang, disposed of 6,732 shares of common stock to cover tax obligations related to restricted stock unit vesting.

Summary

• Fred Chang, Senior Vice President and North America General Manager of APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC. (AAOI), reported the disposition of common stock.
• On July 22, 2025, a total of 6,732 shares of AAOI common stock were surrendered to the Issuer.
• These shares were surrendered to satisfy tax-withholding obligations upon the vesting of multiple restricted stock unit (RSU) awards.
• The RSU awards vested from grants made on June 11, 2021, June 27, 2022, June 26, 2023, April 29, 2024, and April 11, 2025.
• The shares were disposed of at a price of $28.23 per share.
• Following these transactions, Fred Chang beneficially owns 272,110 shares of AAOI common stock directly.

Sentiment

Score: 5

Explanation: The filing reports a routine administrative transaction related to executive compensation (tax withholding on RSU vesting). It has no direct positive or negative implications for the company's operational or financial performance, hence a neutral sentiment.

Positives

• The transaction represents the vesting of restricted stock units, indicating that previously granted equity compensation to a key executive has matured.
• The executive continues to hold a significant number of shares (272,110), demonstrating ongoing alignment with shareholder interests.

Negatives

• The disposition of shares, even for tax purposes, reduces the executive's direct ownership stake in the company.

Future Outlook

This filing does not contain forward-looking statements or guidance regarding the company's future performance or strategic direction.

Management Comments

• No direct quotes or paraphrased statements from company management are included in this Form 4 filing, beyond the signature of the attorney-in-fact for the reporting person.

Industry Context

This routine insider transaction filing does not provide information relevant to broader industry trends or competitive dynamics within the optoelectronics sector.

Comparison to Industry Standards

• This filing, a standard Form 4 for executive compensation-related tax withholding, does not provide data points for comparison to industry-specific financial or operational benchmarks. It is a common practice across publicly traded companies for executives to surrender shares to cover tax liabilities upon the vesting of equity awards.

Stakeholder Impact

• Shareholders: Minimal direct impact, as this is a routine administrative transaction for tax purposes and does not reflect a change in the company's operational performance or strategy.
• Employees: No direct impact on the broader employee base, as this relates to executive equity compensation.

Next Steps

• No specific future actions or milestones for the company are mentioned in this Form 4 filing, beyond the implied ongoing vesting schedules for executive equity awards.

Key Dates

Keywords

APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, AAOI, Form 4, insider transaction, restricted stock units, RSU vesting, tax withholding, executive compensation, Fred Chang, common stock