SEC Form 4 transaction code

Form 4 Code G: Bona Fide Gift

Code G marks a bona fide gift of securities: shares given away, for example to a charity or a family trust, or received as a gift.

“Bona fide gift”

SEC Form 4, General Instruction 8 (Transaction Codes), under “Other Section 16(b) Exempt Transaction and Small Acquisition Codes (except for Rule 16b-3 codes above)”. Form 4 and instructions (PDF, sec.gov)

How often code G appears in real filings

Share of transaction rows

1.7%

865 of 50,023 rows, 7th most common

Filings with a code G row

3.0%

597 of 20,089 filings

Companies

391

of 2,099 in the sample

Median days, trade to filing

calendar days

807 of the rows are in Table I (non-derivative securities) and 58 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 G on a Form 4

A gift moves shares without a sale price, so G rows usually show $0. The donor’s holdings fall. When the recipient is one the insider also reports for, such as a family trust, the same filing can show the shares arriving as an indirect holding.

Gifts used to be reportable on the annual Form 5. SEC amendments adopted in December 2022 require dispositions of bona fide gifts to be reported on Form 4 within two business days, starting February 27, 2023. The current form’s General Instruction 4(a) lists "dispositions of bona fide gifts" among the transactions that must be reported.

Rule 16b-5 exempts bona fide gifts, and transfers by will or the laws of descent (code W), from the Section 16(b) short-swing profit rule.

Code G in real filings

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

MLCOMelco Resorts & Entertainment LTD

Filing on sec.gov

Insider: HO LAWRENCE YAU LUNG, Chief Executive Officer
Transaction date: Sep 16, 2026
Filed: Sep 18, 2026
Table: I, non-derivative
Shares: 16,505,664
Price: $0.00
Shares × price: –
Held after: 8,797,083 (direct)

HO LAWRENCE YAU LUNG (Chief Executive Officer) reported a bona fide gift involving 16,505,664 shares.
Shares held after the transaction: 8,797,083, held directly.
The same filing also reports 1 code G row (9,934,422 shares).
Filed 2 days after the transaction date.

LVSLAS VEGAS SANDS CORP

Filing on sec.gov

Insider: Adelson Miriam, 10%+ Owner
Transaction date: Aug 31, 2026
Filed: Sep 2, 2026
Table: I, non-derivative
Shares: 7,947,648
Price: $0.00
Shares × price: –
Held after: 0 (indirect)

Adelson Miriam (10%+ Owner) reported a bona fide gift involving 7,947,648 shares.
Shares held after the transaction: 0, held indirectly (By Trust RR for the benefit of one or more members of the Adelson family).
The same filing also reports 1 code G row (1,077,046 shares).
Filed 2 days after the transaction date.

PEGAPEGASYSTEMS INC

Filing on sec.gov

Insider: TREFLER ALAN, C.E.O. & Chairman
Transaction date: Sep 14, 2026
Filed: Sep 16, 2026
Table: I, non-derivative
Shares: 5,399,303
Price: $0.00
Shares × price: –
Held after: 16,275,828 (indirect)

TREFLER ALAN (C.E.O. & Chairman) reported a bona fide gift involving 5,399,303 shares.
Shares held after the transaction: 16,275,828, held indirectly (Alan N. Trefler Irrevocable Non-GST Trust of 2022).
The same filing also reports 2 code G rows (5,399,303 shares).
Filed 2 days after the transaction date.

Codes read alongside G

Code W: Will or inheritance – transfers by will or inheritance
Code J: Other acquisition or disposition – other transfers between accounts
Code S: Open market or private sale – an actual sale, for contrast
Code C: Conversion of a derivative – conversions often filed by the same holders

Questions about these codes

How common is code G on Form 4?

In AlphaScala’s sample of 50,023 Form 4 transaction rows filed Jul 23 – Oct 21, 2026, code G made up 1.7% of rows (865) and appeared on 3.0% of filings (597 of 20,089). It was the 7th most common of the 16 codes found.

Does code G mean the insider sold shares?

No. G is a "bona fide gift". No sale price is involved, which is why G rows usually show $0. If the recipient later sells and is itself a reporting person, that sale is reported separately.

When must a gift be reported on Form 4?

Within two business days, like other Form 4 transactions. Before the SEC’s December 2022 amendments took effect on February 27, 2023, insiders could report gifts on Form 5 after the end of the company’s fiscal year.

Why does one gift appear on two rows?

The donor’s disposition and the recipient’s acquisition can both be reportable when the insider has a pecuniary interest in the recipient, such as a family trust. The two rows carry the same share count, often one held directly and one indirectly.

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.