Form 4: Frederick DiSanto Acquires 296 EML Shares; Direct Holdings 81,449

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Eastern Company (EML) Form 4 shows Director Frederick D. DiSanto purchased shares of the company on two occasions in August 2025. He acquired 96 shares on 08/08/2025 at $22.49 and 200 shares on 08/11/2025 at $22.50, bringing his reported direct beneficial ownership to 81,449 shares following the transactions. The filing also reports additional indirect holdings of 43,797 shares by Ancora Catalyst and 11,970 shares by Ancora Merlin, with footnotes stating Mr. DiSanto may be deemed to beneficially own those shares solely by virtue of his roles with Ancora entities and that he disclaims beneficial ownership except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. The form identifies Mr. DiSanto as a Director and the report was filed as by one reporting person. This disclosure documents modest open-market purchases and the structure of related indirect holdings without providing commentary on intent.

Positive

• Insider purchases recorded: 96 shares at $22.49 (08/08/2025) and 200 shares at $22.50 (08/11/2025)
• Direct beneficial ownership updated: Direct holdings reported as 81,449 shares after transactions
• Transparent disclosure of indirect holdings: 43,797 shares held by Ancora Catalyst and 11,970 shares held by Ancora Merlin with explanatory footnotes

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

TL;DR: Director completed small open-market purchases totaling 296 shares at about $22.50, modestly increasing direct stake.

The reported purchases — 96 shares at $22.49 and 200 shares at $22.50 — increased Mr. DiSanto's direct reported stake to 81,449 shares. While the absolute purchase size is small relative to typical institutional trades, it is a concrete, disclosed acquisition by an insider and therefore a factual update to the company's insider ownership profile. Investors can view this as a transparent update to insider holdings; the filing contains no further transaction context or material corporate developments.

Corporate Governance Expert

TL;DR: Form 4 clarifies direct purchases and substantial indirect holdings via Ancora entities, with customary disclaimers of beneficial ownership.

The filing documents direct acquisitions and explicitly discloses indirect holdings owned by Ancora Catalyst (43,797 shares) and Ancora Merlin (11,970 shares). Footnotes state Mr. DiSanto may be deemed to beneficially own those indirect holdings by virtue of his positions but disclaims ownership except for pecuniary interests. That distinction is important for governance transparency and for how regulators and investors interpret beneficial ownership, but the form does not indicate any change in control or other governance actions.

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^*

DiSanto Frederick D.

(Last) (First) (Middle)

6060 PARKLAND

SUITE 200

(Street)

CLEVELAND OH 44124

(City) (State) (Zip)

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

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

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

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
08/08/2025

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 Stock, par value $0.01 per share	08/08/2025		P		96	A	$22.49	81,249	D
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share	08/11/2025		P		200	A	$22.5	81,449	D
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share								43,797	I	See Footnote(1)
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share								11,970	I	See Footnote(2)

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. Shares owned directly by Ancora Catalyst. Mr. DiSanto, solely by virtue of his position as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ancora Holdings, the sole member of Ancora Alternatives, the General Partner of Ancora Catalyst, may be deemed to beneficially own the shares owned directly by Ancora Catalyst, for purposes of Section 16. Mr.DiSanto expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

2. Shares owned directly by Ancora Merlin. Mr. DiSanto, solely by virtue of his position as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ancora Holdings, the sole member of Ancora Alternatives, the General Partner of Ancora Merlin, may be deemed to beneficially own the shares owned directly by Ancora Merlin, for purposes of Section16. Mr.DiSanto expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

	Fredrick DiSanto	08/11/2025
	** 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

What insider transactions did Eastern Co (EML) disclose in this Form 4?

The Form 4 reports that Director Frederick D. DiSanto purchased 96 shares on 08/08/2025 at $22.49 and 200 shares on 08/11/2025 at $22.50.

How many shares does Frederick DiSanto report owning directly after these transactions?

Following the reported purchases, Mr. DiSanto's direct beneficial ownership is 81,449 shares as shown on the Form 4.

What indirect holdings are disclosed and how are they described?

The filing discloses 43,797 shares owned directly by Ancora Catalyst and 11,970 shares owned directly by Ancora Merlin, with footnotes stating Mr. DiSanto may be deemed to beneficially own them by virtue of his positions but disclaims ownership except to the extent of pecuniary interest.

What is Frederick DiSanto's relationship to Eastern Co?

The Form 4 lists Frederick D. DiSanto as a Director of Eastern Co.

Was the Form 4 filed by a single reporting person or jointly?

The filing was submitted as Form filed by One Reporting Person.