Backblaze (NASDAQ: BLZE) CEO sells 12,855 shares in tax-withholding trade
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Backblaze, Inc. (BLZE) reported insider activity by CEO and Chairperson Gleb Budman involving Class A Common Stock. On August 21, 2026, he executed a mandated "sell to cover" transaction, selling 12,855 shares at a weighted average price of $15.82 per share to fund tax withholding obligations related to vesting and settlement of restricted stock units; these were not discretionary trades. On August 20, 2026, 11,083 previously issued restricted stock units were retired by Backblaze for cash upon vesting, and were settled at the closing price of $16.24 per share in lieu of issuing new shares, representing a disposition of shares to the issuer.
Positive
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Insider Trade Summary
Net Seller: 23,938 shares
Net Sell
2 txns
Insider
Budman Gleb
Role
CEO and Chairperson
Sold
12,855 shs ($203K)
| Type | Security | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale | Class A Common Stock F3, F4 | 12,855 | $15.82 | $203K |
| Disposition | Class A Common Stock F1, F2 | 11,083 | $16.24 | $180K |
Holdings After Transaction:
Class A Common Stock — 2,192,103 shares (Direct)
Footnotes (4)
- F1. Represents previously issued restricted stock units that the Issuer retired for cash upon vesting in lieu of issuing shares of common stock.
- F2. These restricted stock units were settled by the Issuer at the closing price per share of the Issuer's common stock on the vesting date.
- F3. The sales reported on this Form 4 represent shares required to be sold by the Reporting Person to cover tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting and settlement of restricted stock units. These sales are mandated by the Issuer's election under its equity incentive plans to require the satisfaction of tax withholding obligations to be funded by a "sell to cover" transaction and do not represent discretionary trades by the Reporting Person.
- F4. The price reported is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $15.82 to $15.83, inclusive. The Reporting Person undertakes to provide to the Issuer, any security holder of the Issuer, or the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the ranges set forth herein.
Key Figures
Shares sold to cover taxes: 12,855 shares
Weighted average sale price: $15.82 per share
Restricted stock units retired: 11,083 units
+2 more
5 metrics
Shares sold to cover taxes
12,855 shares
Mandated sell-to-cover sale by Gleb Budman on August 21, 2026
Weighted average sale price
$15.82 per share
Sale of 12,855 shares on August 21, 2026, with trades from $15.82 to $15.83
Restricted stock units retired
11,083 units
Previously issued RSUs retired for cash upon vesting on August 20, 2026
Settlement price for RSUs
$16.24 per share
RSUs settled by the issuer at the closing price on the August 20, 2026 vesting date
Net shares sold
12,855 shares
Net-sell direction across all reported non-derivative transactions
Key Terms
sell to cover, restricted stock units, Disposition to issuer, weighted average price
4 terms
sell to cover financial
"require the satisfaction of tax withholding obligations to be funded by a "sell to cover""
Sell to cover is when a person who receives company stock through options or awards sells just enough shares immediately to pay required taxes, exercise costs, or fees, keeping the rest. Think of it like cashing part of a bonus to cover the tax bill so you can keep the remainder. For investors, it can create predictable small selling pressure and slightly change the number of shares actually held by insiders without increasing long‑term dilution.
restricted stock units financial
"Represents previously issued restricted stock units that the Issuer retired for cash"
Restricted stock units are a type of company reward where employees are promised shares of stock, but they only fully own these shares after meeting certain conditions, like staying with the company for a set time. They matter because they can become valuable assets and are often used to motivate employees to help the company succeed.
Disposition to issuer financial
"transaction_code_description": "Disposition to issuer""
weighted average price financial
"The price reported is a weighted average price. These shares were sold"
Weighted average price is the average price of a security where each trade or component is counted according to its size, so bigger trades pull the average more than smaller ones. Think of it like calculating the average cost of a grocery haul where items you bought more of have greater influence on the final per-item cost. Investors use it to understand the true average price paid or received, judge execution quality, and compare trading performance against market movement.
FAQ
What insider transactions did BLZE CEO Gleb Budman report on this Form 4?
The Form 4 reports two transactions: a 12,855-share sale on August 21, 2026 to cover tax withholding on vesting restricted stock units, and the retirement of 11,083 restricted stock units on August 20, 2026, which the issuer settled for cash instead of issuing shares.
What happened to the 11,083 restricted stock units reported for BLZE on August 20, 2026?
The 11,083 restricted stock units were retired for cash by Backblaze upon vesting instead of being settled in shares. They were settled at the closing price of $16.24 per share on the vesting date and reported as a disposition of shares to the issuer.
Does this BLZE Form 4 indicate any Rule 10b5-1 trading plan for Gleb Budman?
No. The filing’s Rule 10b5-1 checkbox is not marked as affirming the use of a trading plan, and the footnotes describe the August 21, 2026 sale as a required sell to cover transaction for tax withholding, not a discretionary plan-based trade.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.