Ocular Therapeutix™ Reports Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)

Option awards vest over four years and restricted stock units over three years, subject to continued service.

Rhea-AI Summary

Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL) granted inducement equity awards to fifteen newly hired non-executive employees, effective October 5, 2026.

The grants comprise stock options to purchase up to 70,150 common shares and restricted stock units representing the right to receive 22,900 common shares. The options have a $7.25 per-share exercise price, equal to the closing share price on the grant date, and a ten-year term. The awards were made under the 2019 Inducement Stock Incentive Plan in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), as a material inducement to each recipient’s acceptance of employment.

Positive

• None.

Negative

• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Options for up to 70,150 common shares at $7.25 per share create potential dilution.
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Restricted stock units covering 22,900 common shares create potential dilution as awards vest.

News Explained

The granted awards vest over time: options vest 25% on each recipient’s one-year employment anniversary, then in monthly installments over the next three years; restricted stock units vest in three annual installments, and both depend on continued service.

Key Figures

Newly hired employees: 15 employees Stock options: Up to 70,150 shares Restricted stock units: 22,900 shares +4 more

Newly hired employees

15 employees

Recipients of inducement equity awards

Stock options

Up to 70,150 shares

Aggregate underlying shares

Restricted stock units

22,900 shares

Aggregate underlying shares

Option exercise price

$7.25 per share

Equal to the closing price on the grant effective date

Option term

10 years

Stock option awards

Option vesting period

4 years

25% after one year; remaining shares vest monthly over three years

RSU vesting period

3 years

Equal annual installments

Key Terms

non-statutory stock option, restricted stock unit

2 terms

non-statutory stock option financial

"consist of non-statutory stock option awards to purchase up to an aggregate"

A non-statutory stock option is a company-granted right that lets a person buy shares later at a set price but does not receive special tax-favored treatment under tax law. It matters to investors because when the option is used the holder usually pays ordinary income tax on the gain and the company records compensation cost and issues new shares, which can reduce existing owners’ percentage ownership—think of it like a coupon to buy stock that creates a taxable event and some dilution.

restricted stock unit financial

"and restricted stock unit awards representing the right to receive an aggregate"

A restricted stock unit is a promise from a company to give an employee shares of stock after certain conditions are met, like staying with the company for a set amount of time. It’s like earning a bonus that turns into company stock once you’ve proven your commitment, making it a way to motivate and reward employees.

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BEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCUL, “Ocular” or the “Company”), an integrated biopharmaceutical company committed to redefining the retina experience, today announced that it has granted inducement equity awards to fifteen newly hired non-executive employees. The awards were made as an inducement material to each recipient’s acceptance of employment with Ocular under Ocular’s 2019 Inducement Stock Incentive Plan in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

The inducement equity awards were granted effective as of October 5, 2026, and consist of non-statutory stock option awards to purchase up to an aggregate of 70,150 shares of Ocular’s common stock and restricted stock unit awards representing the right to receive an aggregate of 22,900 shares of Ocular’s common stock. The stock option awards have an exercise price of $7.25 per share, equal to the closing price of Ocular’s common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on the effective date of grant. Each of the stock option awards has a ten-year term and vests over four years, with 25% of the original number of shares for each award vesting on the one-year anniversary of the applicable recipient’s commencement of employment, and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the three years after such date, subject to the recipient’s continued service to Ocular through the applicable vesting dates. Each of the restricted stock unit awards vests over three years, in equal annual installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to the recipient’s continued service to Ocular through the applicable vesting dates.

The inducement equity awards are subject to the terms and conditions of the award agreements covering the grants and Ocular’s 2019 Inducement Stock Incentive Plan.

About Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. is an integrated biopharmaceutical company committed to redefining the retina experience. AXPAXLI™ (also known as OTX-TKI), Ocular’s investigational product candidate for retinal disease, is an axitinib intravitreal hydrogel based on its ELUTYX™ proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology. AXPAXLI is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), and diabetic retinal disease, including non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Ocular’s pipeline also leverages the ELUTYX technology in its commercial product DEXTENZA^®, an FDA-approved corticosteroid for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery in adults and pediatric patients and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis in adults and pediatric patients aged two years or older, and in its investigational product candidate OTX-TIC, which is a travoprost intracameral hydrogel that has completed a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ocular is currently evaluating next steps for the OTX-TIC program.

Follow the Company on its website, LinkedIn, or X.

DEXTENZA^® is a registered trademark of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. The Ocular Therapeutix logo, AXPAXLI™, ELUTYX™, and Ocular Therapeutix™ are trademarks of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.

Investors & Media
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
Bill Slattery
Vice President, Investor Relations
bslattery@ocutx.com

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What equity awards did Ocular Therapeutix grant to its new employees?

Ocular granted fifteen newly hired non-executive employees options to purchase up to 70,150 common shares and restricted stock units covering 22,900 common shares, effective October 5, 2026. The options have a $7.25 per-share exercise price and a ten-year term.

When do Ocular Therapeutix’s October 2026 inducement awards vest?

The options vest over four years, while the restricted stock units vest over three years, subject to continued service through each vesting date.

For options, 25% vests on the first anniversary of employment commencement, with the remainder in equal monthly installments over the following three years. Restricted stock units vest in equal annual installments on the first, second and third grant-date anniversaries.