Cytokinetics (Nasdaq: CYTK) granted inducement equity awards on June 15, 2026 under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) to 12 recent hires. Awards include stock options for 24,784 shares at $71.38, 16,429 RSUs, and 2,242 PSUs.
Options vest over 4 years with a 10-year term; RSUs vest over 3 years; PSUs are tied to two performance goals and time-based vesting, all subject to continued service and the company’s 2004 Equity Incentive Plan.
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News Market Reaction – CYTK
+0.86%
+0.86%Session close to close
In the Jun 18 session, CYTK gained 0.86%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
This announcement outlines equity inducement grants totaling 24,784 options, 16,429 RSUs, and 2,242 ...
Analysis
This announcement outlines equity inducement grants totaling 24,784 options, 16,429 RSUs, and 2,242 PSUs for 12 recent hires under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). Awards vest over multi-year periods with an option exercise price of $71.38. In context of prior similar grants and recent insider Form 4 activity, investors may monitor ongoing equity issuance, insider transactions, and how CYTK trades relative to its 200-day MA and 52-week range.
Key Figures
Inducement stock options:24,784 sharesInducement RSUs:16,429 RSUsInducement PSUs:2,242 PSUs+5 more
8 metrics
Inducement stock options24,784 sharesStock options granted June 15, 2026 as inducement awards
Inducement RSUs16,429 RSUsRestricted stock units granted to new employees
Inducement PSUs2,242 PSUsPerformance stock units tied to two performance goals
Employees receiving awards12 employeesNew hires in May and June 2026 receiving inducement equity
Option exercise price$71.38 per shareEqual to CYTK closing price on June 15, 2026
RSU vesting period3 years40%/40%/20% vesting on first, second, third anniversaries
Option vesting period4 years25% after one year, remainder monthly over 36 months
Option term10 yearsContractual term of inducement stock options
Granted stock options and RSUs as inducements for 8 new employees.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Pattern Detected
Recent CYTK headlines, including a major EU launch, often coincided with flat-to-negative price moves, suggesting that even positive developments have not consistently driven sustained upside.
Recent Company History
Over the last month, CYTK announced an EU launch of MYQORZO, investor conference participation, an annual meeting notice, a corporate giving program, and prior inducement grants. The MYQORZO EU launch on 2026-06-01 was clearly positive but saw a -4.01% move, while May inducement grants on 2026-05-18 coincided with a modest +1.69% gain. Overall, informational and governance updates have produced mostly muted or negative single-day reactions.
Key Terms
stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), performance stock units (PSUs), exercise price, +2 more
6 terms
stock optionsfinancial
"it granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 24,784 shares"
Stock options are agreements that give a person the right to buy or sell a company's stock at a specific price within a certain time frame. They are often used as a reward or incentive, similar to a coupon that can be used later if the stock price rises, allowing the holder to make a profit.
restricted stock units (RSUs)financial
"and 16,429 restricted stock units (RSUs) that will be settled in shares"
Restricted stock units (RSUs) are a type of company promise to give employees shares of stock in the future, usually after certain conditions like working for a set time. They are like a gift promised today that you receive later, which can become valuable if the company's stock price goes up. RSUs matter because they are a way companies reward employees and can be a significant part of compensation.
performance stock units (PSUs)financial
"and 2,242 performance stock units (PSUs) that, if earned, will be settled"
Performance stock units (PSUs) are a form of executive or employee pay that promise company shares only if pre-set performance goals are met over a defined period; think of them as a bonus paid in stock that arrives only when the company hits agreed targets. Investors watch PSUs because they affect the number of shares outstanding (dilution) and reveal how management’s pay is tied to financial or operational results, aligning incentives with shareholder outcomes.
exercise pricefinancial
"subject to an exercise price of $71.38 per share, which is equal"
The exercise price is the fixed amount at which you can buy or sell an asset, like a stock, when using an options contract. It matters because it helps determine whether exercising the option will be profitable or not, depending on the current market price. Think of it as the set price you agree on today to buy or sell later.
Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)regulatory
"inducement to employment in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)"
NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) is a rule that requires a company to get approval from its shareholders before selling a large amount of its shares, usually over 20%. This helps protect investors by making sure the company doesn't flood the market with new shares without their say, which could lower the stock's value.
equity incentive planfinancial
"terms and conditions of the Company's Amended and Restated 2004 Equity Incentive Plan"
An equity incentive plan is a program that gives employees, executives or directors the right to receive company stock or options to buy stock as part of their pay. Think of it as offering slices of future company profit to motivate people to boost long‑term performance; for investors it matters because it can align employee goals with shareholder value but also increases the number of shares outstanding, which can dilute existing ownership.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq: CYTK) today announced that on June 15, 2026 it granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 24,784 shares of common stock and 16,429 restricted stock units (RSUs) that will be settled in shares of common stock upon vesting and 2,242 performance stock units (PSUs) that, if earned, will be settled in shares of common stock upon vesting to 12 employees, whose employment commenced in May and June, 2026, as a material inducement to their employment.
The RSUs will vest over 3 years, with 40% of the RSUs vesting on the first anniversary of the applicable grant date, an additional 40% of the RSUs vesting on the second anniversary of the grant date and the final 20% vesting on the third anniversary of the grant date, in each case, subject to each respective employee’s continued service with the Company. The stock options that were granted are subject to an exercise price of $71.38 per share, which is equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on June 15, 2026, and will vest over 4 years, with 1/4th of the shares underlying the employee’s option vesting on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining shares thereafter vesting in monthly installments at a rate of 1/48th of the shares underlying such stock options over the subsequent 36 months, subject to each respective employee’s continued service with the Company. The stock options have a 10-year term. The PSU award is subject to two performance goals and will be earned as to up to 50% of the number of shares subject to the PSU award upon the certification by Compensation and Talent Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (Committee) that the Company has achieved the first performance goal and as to up to 50% of the number of shares subject to the PSU award upon the certification by the Committee that the Company has achieved the second performance goal. The earned shares will vest as to 50% of the earned shares on applicable Committee certification date and as to 50% of the earned shares following the one-year anniversary of the applicable Committee certification date, subject to the respective employee’s continued service with the Company. These awards are subject to the terms and conditions of the Company's Amended and Restated 2004 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements pursuant to which the awards were granted.
The stock options, RSUs and PSUs were granted as material inducements to employment in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
About Cytokinetics
Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction. Cytokinetics’ MYQORZO® (aficamten) is a cardiac myosin inhibitor approved in the U.S., Europe and China for the treatment of adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). Following positive topline results in ACACIA-HCM, a Phase 3 clinical trial of aficamten in patients with non-obstructive HCM (nHCM), the company is preparing to present the full results at an upcoming medical meeting and discuss them with the U.S. FDA and other regulatory authorities. Cytokinetics is also developing omecamtiv mecarbil, an investigational cardiac myosin activator for the potential treatment of patients with heart failure with severely reduced ejection fraction and ulacamten, an investigational cardiac myosin inhibitor for the potential treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, while continuing pre-clinical research and development in muscle biology.
Omecamtiv mecarbil and ulacamten are investigational medicines. They have not been approved nor determined to be safe or efficacious for any disease state or any indication by FDA or any other regulatory agency.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). Cytokinetics disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements and claims the protection of the Act's Safe Harbor for forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Cytokinetics' and its partners' research and development activities of Cytokinetics’ product candidates. Such statements are based on management's current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to the risks related to Cytokinetics' business outlined in Cytokinetics' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission particularly under the caption “Risk Factors” in Cytokinetics’ latest Annual Report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and Cytokinetics' actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which it operates, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that Cytokinetics makes in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Cytokinetics assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
CYTOKINETICS® and the CYTOKINETICS C-shaped logo are registered trademarks of Cytokinetics in the U.S. and certain other countries.
MYQORZO® is a registered trademark of Cytokinetics in the U.S. and the European Union.
What inducement equity grants did Cytokinetics (NASDAQ: CYTK) announce on June 17, 2026?
Cytokinetics announced stock option, RSU, and PSU inducement grants to 12 new employees. According to Cytokinetics, awards cover 24,784 option shares, 16,429 RSUs, and 2,242 PSUs, granted under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as material inducements to employment.
How many stock options and RSUs did Cytokinetics (CYTK) grant as inducement awards in June 2026?
Cytokinetics granted options for 24,784 shares and 16,429 RSUs as inducement awards. According to Cytokinetics, these equity grants were made on June 15, 2026 to 12 employees whose employment began in May and June 2026, subject to service-based vesting schedules.
What are the vesting terms for Cytokinetics (CYTK) RSU inducement grants from June 15, 2026?
The RSU inducement grants vest over three years with tiered annual vesting. According to Cytokinetics, 40% vests on the first anniversary, 40% on the second, and 20% on the third anniversary of the grant date, subject to each employee’s continued service with the company.
What is the exercise price and term of Cytokinetics (CYTK) inducement stock options granted in June 2026?
The inducement stock options have a $71.38 exercise price and a 10-year term. According to Cytokinetics, the price equals the June 15, 2026 closing stock price, and options vest 25% after one year, then monthly over 36 months, subject to continued service.
How do Cytokinetics (CYTK) performance stock units (PSUs) from June 2026 vest and depend on performance?
The PSUs are earned based on two performance goals and time-based vesting. According to Cytokinetics, up to 50% is earned for each goal, with 50% of earned shares vesting at Committee certification and 50% one year later, subject to continued employment.
Under which plan and Nasdaq rule were the new Cytokinetics (CYTK) inducement awards granted?
The inducement awards were granted under the company’s Amended and Restated 2004 Equity Incentive Plan. According to Cytokinetics, the stock options, RSUs, and PSUs were made as material inducements to employment in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
