[Form 4] Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. Insider Trading Activity
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Mark L. Jacobson, Chief Operating Officer of Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (AXSM), reported option exercises and open-market sales on 09/16/2025. He exercised two stock option grants: 25,000 shares at $4.95 (issued 03/15/2018) and 15,000 shares at $4.85 (issued 09/13/2018), generating 40,000 underlying shares. All 40,000 shares were subsequently sold in open-market transactions under a pre-approved 10b5-1 plan for weighted average prices of $116.19 and $114.23, resulting in no shares owned following the sales. The exercises were necessary due to the options approaching their 10-year expiration.
Positive
- Transactions were executed under a pre-approved 10b5-1 plan, indicating procedural compliance.
- Option exercises occurred before expiration, avoiding automatic forfeiture and preserving value for the reporting person.
- Open-market sale prices ($112.93–$116.87 range) were substantially above the option strike prices ($4.95 and $4.85), creating significant gain for the reporting person.
Negative
- The reporting person no longer beneficially owns any common shares following the reported sales, reducing insider ownership.
Insights
TL;DR: Insider exercised and sold all option-derived shares under a 10b5-1 plan; transactions are liquidity events, not necessarily a signal on fundamentals.
The filing shows the COO exercised a total of 40,000 options and sold the resulting shares the same day under a pre-established 10b5-1 plan. The exercises were required by option expirations, indicating a timing-driven disposition rather than opportunistic sale only. The proceeds per share ranged from about $114.23 to $116.19, materially above the option strike prices ($4.95 and $4.85), producing substantial spread for the reporting person. For investors, this is routine insider liquidity and option lifecycle activity rather than a disclosed change in company operations or financial outlook.
TL;DR: Transactions followed governance controls: exercises due to expirations and sales under a pre-approved 10b5-1 plan, showing procedural compliance.
The Form 4 indicates compliance with governance mechanisms: the sale activity was executed pursuant to a pre-approved 10b5-1 trading plan and the option exercises were compelled by 10-year expiry dates. The filing is properly signed and discloses sale prices and option details. From a governance perspective, disclosures are complete and timely, and the use of a 10b5-1 plan reduces concerns about opportunistic insider timing.