ELAN Form 4: CEO Simmons Adds 144 Deferred Stock Units, Now Owns 17,836 Shares
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Jeffrey N. Simmons, President, CEO and Director of Elanco Animal Health Inc (ELAN), reported an acquisition of 144.2313 deferred stock units on 09/19/2025. Each deferred stock unit represents the right to one share of common stock or the cash equivalent and settles in cash or shares under the company’s Executive Deferral and Stock Match Plan. The reported transaction used transaction code A (acquisition) at an indicated underlying price of $19.20 per share, and following the transaction Mr. Simmons beneficially owns 17,836.142 shares directly. The Form 4 was signed on behalf of Mr. Simmons by Amy C. Seidel as attorney-in-fact on 09/23/2025.
Positive
- CEO acquired deferred stock units, increasing his direct beneficial ownership to 17,836.142 shares
- Transaction reported promptly on Form 4 with attorney-in-fact signature, indicating compliance with disclosure rules
- Deferral plan aligns executive compensation with shareholder outcomes since units convert to shares or cash upon settlement
Negative
- None.
Insights
TL;DR: CEO reported a modest acquisition of deferred stock units that increases his direct ownership and aligns compensation with shareholder value.
The filing documents a grant/acquisition of 144.2313 deferred stock units under the company’s deferral plan, which convert to shares or cash upon specified settlement events. This type of award is a standard executive compensation mechanism designed to retain executives and align incentives with long-term shareholder outcomes. The disclosure and timely Form 4 filing are compliant with Section 16 reporting requirements. The incremental increase to 17,836.142 shares of direct beneficial ownership is disclosed, but the filing does not provide context on total outstanding shares or percentage ownership, so the materiality of the change cannot be assessed from this form alone.
TL;DR: Routine, non-cash compensation-related acquisition; not likely to be market-moving by itself.
The transaction is coded as an acquisition of deferred stock units rather than an open-market purchase, indicating this is part of the company’s executive compensation plan rather than a discretionary buy. The report lists an underlying price reference of $19.20 and shows direct beneficial ownership after the transaction. For investors, this is a disclosure of alignment between executive pay and equity, but without additional context on dilution or outstanding share count the filing alone suggests a neutral impact on valuation.