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AlphaScala
SEC Form 4 transaction code

Form 4 Code A: Grant or Award (Rule 16b-3)

Code A marks a grant, award or other acquisition from the company that is exempt under Rule 16b-3(d), such as restricted stock units or stock options given as pay.

“Grant, award or other acquisition pursuant to Rule 16b-3(d)”
SEC Form 4, General Instruction 8 (Transaction Codes), under “Rule 16b-3 Transaction Codes”. Form 4 and instructions (PDF, sec.gov)

How often code A appears in real filings

Share of transaction rows
20.2%
10,109 of 50,023 rows, 3rd most common
Filings with a code A row
39.6%
7,963 of 20,089 filings
Companies
1,236
of 2,099 in the sample
Median days, trade to filing
2
calendar days

5,552 of the rows are in Table I (non-derivative securities) and 4,557 in Table II (derivative securities).

Sample: 50,023 transaction rows in 20,089 Form 4 and 4/A filings filed Jul 23 – Oct 21, 2026 by insiders of 2,099 companies with an AlphaScala stock page. Rows are counted as filed; see how the codes are counted.

SEC Form 4 filings as of Oct 21, 2026

Reading code A on a Form 4

A records compensation, not a purchase. The price column on a share award usually reads $0 because the insider pays nothing for it. Grants of options and units are reported in Table II as derivative securities, with the exercise or conversion price and expiry date; outright share awards appear in Table I.

Rule 16b-3 exempts qualifying transactions between a company and its officers or directors from Section 16(b), the short-swing rule under which a company can recover an insider’s profit on a purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, made within less than six months. An exempt grant is not matched against a later sale under that rule. It still has to be reported on Form 4.

Many companies grant awards once a year, so the share of A rows in any sample depends on which months it covers. The sample on this page is labelled with its dates for that reason.

Code A in real filings

Recent Form 4 lines coded A, chosen from the newest filings in the sample, one company each. Figures are as filed; each links to the filing on sec.gov.

GNLGlobal Net Lease, Inc.

Filing on sec.gov
Insider
Weil Edward M Jr., CEO, President
Transaction date
Oct 15, 2026
Filed
Oct 19, 2026
Table
I, non-derivative
Shares
200,585
Price
$0.00
Shares × price
–
Held after
3,065,225 (direct)
  • Weil Edward M Jr. (CEO, President) acquired 200,585 shares from the company as a grant, award or other Rule 16b-3(d) acquisition, at a reported price of $0.
  • Shares held after the transaction: 3,065,225, held directly.
  • The same filing also reports 1 code F row (104,906 shares).
  • Filed 4 days after the transaction date.

TTDTrade Desk, Inc.

Filing on sec.gov
Insider
Green Jeffrey Terry, President and CEO
Transaction date
Oct 19, 2026
Filed
Oct 21, 2026
Table
II, derivative
Units
737,028
Price
–
Shares × price
–
Held after
737,028 (direct)
  • Green Jeffrey Terry (President and CEO) acquired 737,028 derivative securities from the company as a grant, award or other Rule 16b-3(d) acquisition.
  • Derivative securities of this kind held after the transaction: 737,028, held directly.
  • The same filing also reports 4 code D rows (1,618,489 derivative securities) and 3 code A rows (881,461 derivative securities).
  • Filed 2 days after the transaction date.

ORCLORACLE CORP

Filing on sec.gov
Insider
Magouyrk Clayton M., Chief Executive Officer
Transaction date
Oct 15, 2026
Filed
Oct 19, 2026
Table
II, derivative
Units
446,197
Price
$0.00
Shares × price
–
Held after
446,197 (direct)
  • Magouyrk Clayton M. (Chief Executive Officer) acquired 446,197 derivative securities from the company as a grant, award or other Rule 16b-3(d) acquisition, at a reported price of $0.
  • Derivative securities of this kind held after the transaction: 446,197, held directly.
  • Filed 4 days after the transaction date.

Codes read alongside A

Questions about these codes

How common is code A on Form 4?

In AlphaScala’s sample of 50,023 Form 4 transaction rows filed Jul 23 – Oct 21, 2026, code A made up 20.2% of rows (10,109) and appeared on 39.6% of filings (7,963 of 20,089). It was the 3rd most common of the 16 codes found.

Does a code A transaction mean the insider bought shares?

No. Code A is a "grant, award or other acquisition pursuant to Rule 16b-3(d)": the shares or units come from the company, usually as pay, and the reported price is often $0. Purchases with the insider’s own money are code P.

Why are some code A rows in Table II?

Table II holds derivative securities. Stock options and restricted stock units granted as awards are reported there with their exercise or conversion price and expiration date. Outright share awards are reported in Table I.

What happens on Form 4 when a code A award vests?

Vesting or settlement produces more rows, often on a later filing: units converting into shares are commonly reported as code M, and shares the company withholds to cover tax as code F.

Definition: SEC Form 4, General Instruction 8 (sec.gov). Examples and counts: AlphaScala's copy of SEC EDGAR Form 4 filings. See all 20 Form 4 transaction codes, insider cluster buys and our methodology.

Educational reference only, not investment advice. Insider transactions have many motives and a Form 4 does not record them. See our risk disclaimer.