Eastern Co director acquires 1,423 shares

Eastern Co director and ten percent owner James A. Mitarotonda received stock-based director fees and now reports 47,613 shares held directly plus 650,000 shares indirectly.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

EASTERN CO (symbol: EML) is the issuer of record for a Form 4 filing submitted to the SEC. MITAROTONDA JAMES A reported reported purchase transactions in this Form 4 filing.

EASTERN CO (EML) director and ten percent owner James A. Mitarotonda reported acquiring 1,423 Common Shares of Eastern on September 16, 2026. According to a footnote, these shares were issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program pursuant to Rule 16b-3(d) using the share price on September 15, 2026 to determine the number of shares. After this stock-based fee issuance, he holds 47,613 Common Shares directly and has an additional 650,000 Common Shares reported as indirectly owned through Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P., subject to a disclaimer of beneficial ownership beyond his pecuniary interest.

Insider Trade Summary

Net Buyer: 1,423 shares

Net Buy 2 txns

Insider MITAROTONDA JAMES A

Role Director, 10% Owner

Bought 1,423 shs ($36K)

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Purchase	Common Shares F1	1,423	$25.25	$36K
holding	Common Shares F2, F3	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Common Shares — 47,613 shares (Direct); Common Shares — 650,000 shares (Indirect, By Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P.)

Footnotes (3)

1. F1. 1,423 shares issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program pursuant to rule 16b-3(d). The price used to determine the number of shares is the price of the shares on September 15, 2026.
2. F2. The reporting person is the sole stockholder and director of LNA Capital Corp. LNA Capital Corp. is the general partner of Barington Capital Group, L.P., which is the majority member of Barington Companies Investors, LLC ("Barington Investors"). Barington Investors is the general partner of Barington Companies Equity Partners L.P.
3. F3. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities, except to the extent of the pecuniary interests therein, and this report shall not be deemed to be an admission that the reporting person is the beneficial owner of these shares for the purposes of Section 16 or any other purpose.

Key Figures

Shares acquired: 1,423 Common Shares Transaction price per share: $25.25 per share Direct holdings after transaction: 47,613 Common Shares +2 more

5 metrics

Shares acquired 1,423 Common Shares Director’s fee issuance on September 16, 2026 under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program

Transaction price per share $25.25 per share Price used for the September 16, 2026 director fee share issuance

Direct holdings after transaction 47,613 Common Shares Direct ownership of James A. Mitarotonda after the September 16, 2026 issuance

Indirect holdings 650,000 Common Shares Reported as held indirectly by Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P., subject to beneficial ownership disclaimer

Net buy shares 1,423 shares Net share acquisition across reported transactions in this Form 4

Key Terms

Director's Fee Program, Rule 16b-3(d), beneficial ownership, pecuniary interests, +1 more

5 terms

Director's Fee Program financial

"1,423 shares issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program"

Rule 16b-3(d) regulatory

"shares issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program pursuant to rule 16b-3(d)"

Rule 16b-3(d) is a narrow SEC safe-harbor that shields company insiders (officers, directors and large shareholders) from liability for short‑swing profits when their buys or sells of company stock are made under a pre-established, written plan or contract that removes the insider’s ability to time trades. For investors, this matters because it permits predictable, automated insider transactions — like scheduled sales for diversification or payroll withholding — without triggering forced disgorgement, so such planned trades are treated differently from opportunistic insider trading.

beneficial ownership financial

"The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities"

Beneficial ownership means the person or entity that actually enjoys the benefits of owning shares or other assets — such as receiving dividends, voting rights, or price gains — even if the legal title is held in another name. For investors it matters because knowing who truly controls and profits from a company reveals who can influence decisions, exposes potential conflicts of interest or hidden concentration of power, and affects transparency and risk in the stock.

pecuniary interests financial

"disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities, except to the extent of the pecuniary interests"

indirect ownership financial

"nature of ownership: By Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P."

FAQ

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

What transaction did EML director James A. Mitarotonda report on this Form 4?

He reported acquiring 1,423 Common Shares of Eastern Co on September 16, 2026, issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program pursuant to Rule 16b-3(d), with the number of shares based on the share price on September 15, 2026.

What price was used to determine the number of EML shares issued to the director?

The number of shares was determined using the price of the shares on September 15, 2026. The filed transaction price per share is $25.25, and this price was used to calculate how many shares to issue as part of the director’s fee program.

How many EML shares does James A. Mitarotonda hold directly after this transaction?

After the reported issuance, James A. Mitarotonda holds 47,613 Common Shares of Eastern Co directly. These are in addition to separate indirect holdings reported through Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P.

What indirect ownership in EML does Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P. report?

The filing reports 650,000 Common Shares of Eastern Co as indirectly owned, with the nature of ownership described as “By Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P.”, and includes a disclaimer that the reporting person only claims beneficial ownership to the extent of his pecuniary interest.

Was this EML Form 4 transaction made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan?

No. The filing’s Rule 10b5-1 checkbox is marked in a way that indicates no Rule 10b5-1 trading plan is reported for the transactions in this Form 4.

What role does James A. Mitarotonda have at EML according to this filing?

He is reported as both a director and a ten percent owner of Eastern Co. These roles are indicated in the reporting person information section of the Form 4.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Available on EDGAR 09/17/2026 - 04:01 PM Accepted by SEC EDGAR 09/17/2026 - 04:00 PM Learn about SEC filing dates

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).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

MITAROTONDA JAMES A

(Last) (First) (Middle)

888 SEVENTH AVENUE 6TH FL

(Street)

NEW YORK NEW YORK 10019

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
EASTERN CO [ EML ]

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

X	Director	X	10% Owner
	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
09/16/2026

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

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

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

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 Shares(1)	09/16/2026		P		1,423	A	$25.25	47,613	D
Common Shares								650,000	I	By Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P.(2)(3)

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. 1,423 shares issued under The Eastern Company Director's Fee Program pursuant to rule 16b-3(d). The price used to determine the number of shares is the price of the shares on September 15, 2026.

2. The reporting person is the sole stockholder and director of LNA Capital Corp. LNA Capital Corp. is the general partner of Barington Capital Group, L.P., which is the majority member of Barington Companies Investors, LLC ("Barington Investors"). Barington Investors is the general partner of Barington Companies Equity Partners L.P.

3. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities, except to the extent of the pecuniary interests therein, and this report shall not be deemed to be an admission that the reporting person is the beneficial owner of these shares for the purposes of Section 16 or any other purpose.

	/s/James A. Mitarotonda	09/17/2026
	** 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.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)