[Form 4] Civista Bancshares, Inc. Insider Trading Activity

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Civista Bancshares, Inc. (CIVB) – Form 4 Insider Transaction

On 11 July 2025, Lance A. Morrison, the company’s Senior Vice-President & Legal Counsel, purchased 1,000 shares of CIVB common stock at $21.25 per share in the issuer’s underwritten public offering that closed on 14 July 2025. Following the purchase, Morrison’s direct ownership increased to 6,012 shares.

The filing reflects a direct open-market purchase rather than a sale or option exercise, indicating the officer is adding personal capital at the current offering price. No derivative transactions were reported, and there are no indications of sales or dispositions during the period.

• Position after trade: 6,012 common shares
• Transaction value: approximately $21,250
• Ownership type: Direct

This single, modest-sized purchase marginally raises insider ownership and may signal incremental confidence, but the scale is relatively small compared with typical insider accumulation patterns.

Positive

• Officer purchase: SVP & Legal Counsel bought 1,000 shares, indicating personal confidence.
• No sales reported: Filing shows only acquisitions, suggesting net positive insider activity.

Negative

• Modest size: The $21k purchase is small relative to company size, limiting signaling power.
• No additional context: Filing lacks information on prior holdings trend or other insiders’ activity, making it hard to gauge broader sentiment.

Insights

Equity Research Analyst

TL;DR: Officer adds 1,000 shares; small positive signal, limited impact.

The SVP & Legal Counsel’s purchase during the company’s public offering suggests personal conviction in the equity value at $21.25. While insider buys often precede favorable performance, the dollar amount (≈$21k) is minor relative to CIVB’s market capitalization, limiting market impact. No sales or derivative hedges were disclosed, reinforcing the directional nature of the trade. Overall, this is a mildly constructive datapoint, but not large enough to materially alter the investment thesis.

Corporate Governance Specialist

TL;DR: Clean Form 4; aligns insider interests, but scale is immaterial.

The filing is straightforward, with one open-market purchase and no complexities such as option exercises or indirect holdings. Purchasing shares through an underwritten offering underscores commitment to the capital-raising process and aligns management with shareholders. Nevertheless, insider ownership increase of roughly 0.01% of outstanding shares is unlikely to sway governance considerations or voting outcomes. I classify the impact as neutral-to-slightly positive.

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Morrison Lance A.

(Last) (First) (Middle)

3803 WINDSOR BRIDGE COURT

(Street)

HURON OH 44839

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
CIVISTA BANCSHARES, INC. [ CIVB ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	SVP, Legal Counsel

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
07/11/2025

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common	07/11/2025(1)		P		1,000	A	$21.25	1,000	D
Common								6,012	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. These shares of the issuer's common stock were purchased in an underwritten public offering by the Issuer that closed on July 14, 2025.

	/s/ Lori A. Castillo, By Power of Attorney	07/15/2025
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

FAQ

How many CIVB shares did Lance A. Morrison purchase?

He bought 1,000 common shares on 11 July 2025.

At what price were the CIVB shares purchased?

The shares were acquired at $21.25 per share during the issuer’s public offering.

What is Morrison’s total CIVB share ownership after the transaction?

After the purchase, he directly owns 6,012 shares of CIVB common stock.

Was this an open-market transaction or an option exercise?

It was an open-market purchase in an underwritten public offering; no options or derivatives were involved.

Does the filing report any insider sales of CIVB stock?

No, the Form 4 discloses only purchases; there are no sales or dispositions.

Why might an insider buy shares in a public offering?

Participation can signal confidence and support the company’s capital-raising efforts while aligning insider and shareholder interests.