Geron Corporation Reports Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)
The employee options vest over four years and carry an exercise price equal to the grant-date closing share price.
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Rhea-AI Summary
Geron (Nasdaq: GERN) granted options to purchase 570,000 common shares to three newly hired employees, effective October 16, 2026.
The employment inducement options have a $1.17 exercise price, equal to the grant-date closing share price, and a ten-year term. They vest over four years, subject to continued employment.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.570,000 stock options granted to new employees at $1.17 per share create potential dilution upon exercise.
News Explained
The 570,000 options are a potential, not current, share issuance: if exercised, the resulting additional shares would increase the share count and reduce existing holders’ percentage ownership, absent offsetting changes.
Key Figures
- Options granted
- 570,000 shares
- Aggregate grant to three newly hired employees
- Exercise price
- $1.17 per share
- Equal to Geron’s closing price on the grant date
- Option term
- 10 years
- Term of the stock options
- Vesting schedule
- 4 years; 12.5% at six months, remainder over 42 months
- Subject to continued employment through applicable vesting dates
Historical Context
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Granted options to nine new employees under the same inducement award program.
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Granted options to six new employees under the same inducement award program.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN), a hematology-focused biopharmaceutical company pursuing more meaningful moments for people living with blood cancer, today reported that, effective October 16, 2026, it granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 570,000 shares of common stock to three newly hired employees as an inducement material to such employees’ acceptance of employment with Geron.
The stock options have an exercise price of
The equity awards were granted by the Compensation Committee of Geron’s Board of Directors in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and are subject to the terms and conditions of Geron’s 2018 Inducement Award Plan and the form of stock option agreement under the plan.
About Geron
Geron is a hematology-focused biopharmaceutical company pursuing more meaningful moments for people living with blood cancer. Because patients cannot wait, we approach our work with urgency, bringing together deep expertise in telomerase biology with patient perspectives and insights from clinical research and real-world care. Our medicine, RYTELO® (imetelstat), is approved in the United States and European Union for certain patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS). We are building on our foundation in telomerase inhibition by studying imetelstat in myelofibrosis, including a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with JAK-inhibitor relapsed/refractory disease, as well as other hematologic malignancies. Geron is a commercial-stage company with offices in Parsippany, New Jersey and Foster City, California. To learn more, visit www.geron.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
CONTACT:
Dawn Schottlandt
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs
dschottlandt@geron.com
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
What stock options did Geron grant to new employees in October 2026?
Geron granted options to purchase 570,000 common shares to three newly hired employees, effective October 16, 2026. The options have a $1.17 exercise price and a ten-year term and were granted as an inducement to accept employment.
How do Geron's October 2026 employee stock options vest?
The options vest over four years: 12.5% vest on the six-month anniversary of each employee's employment commencement, and the remainder vest over the following 42 months in equal installments of whole shares. Vesting requires continued employment through each applicable vesting date.