Bal Joanne 4

What Happened

• Joanne Bal, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary & Head of Impact at Vital Farms (VITL), had shares withheld by the company to satisfy tax withholding related to equity compensation. Two withholding events occurred: 1,586 shares on 2026-03-12 at $17.62 ($27,945) and 1,061 shares on 2026-03-16 at $17.21 ($18,260). Total withheld: 2,647 shares worth approximately $46,205.
• This is a tax-withholding/net settlement of equity (disposition by the insider for tax purposes), not an open-market sale intended to realize cash gains.

Key Details

• Transaction dates & amounts:
  • 2026-03-12: 1,586 shares withheld @ $17.62 = $27,945 (Disposition; code F)
  • 2026-03-16: 1,061 shares withheld @ $17.21 = $18,260 (Disposition; code F)
• Total withheld: 2,647 shares; aggregate value ≈ $46,205.
• Footnote: F1 — shares withheld by the issuer to satisfy withholding tax obligation.
• Shares owned after the transaction: not provided in the data here (see the Form 4 for post-transaction beneficial ownership).
• Filing: Form 4 filed 2026-03-16 reporting transactions on 2026-03-12 and 2026-03-16; filing appears timely (within required business-day window).

Context

• Tax-withholding (code F) is a routine administrative action when equity awards vest or options are exercised: the company retains a portion of shares to cover taxes. Although it reduces the insider’s share count, it is not the same as an open-market sale driven by a change in conviction.
• For retail investors, outright purchases by insiders are generally viewed as stronger positive signals than routine withholdings; this filing documents compensation-related withholding rather than a discretionary sale.