Penns Woods Bancorp Form 4 Confirms Share Swap at Merger Close
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Form 4 discloses that director D. Michael Hawbaker disposed of 12,615 Penns Woods Bancorp (PWOD) common shares on 07/25/2025. The disposition (transaction code “D”) occurred automatically at the closing of the merger between PWOD and Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (“Parent”) under the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated 12/16/2024. At the effective time, each PWOD share converted into 2.385 Parent shares and cash for any fractional shares; thus the reporting person no longer owns PWOD stock directly.
Reference prices on the closing date were $30.00 for PWOD and $12.63 for Parent. On that basis, the exchange equates to an implied consideration of roughly $71.55 per PWOD share in Parent stock. The reported total includes 137 dividend-reinvestment shares. No derivative positions were reported, and no further insider ownership of legacy PWOD securities remains after the transaction.
Positive
- Merger consummation: Form 4 confirms PWOD’s merger with Northwest Bancshares closed on 07/25/2025, finalizing the long-announced transaction.
- Exchange ratio executed: Shareholders received 2.385 Northwest shares per PWOD share, validating previously disclosed deal economics.
Negative
- Legacy insider ownership ends: Director Hawbaker now holds no PWOD shares, eliminating insider alignment with the former standalone entity (though ownership presumably continues in Parent shares).
Insights
TL;DR – Insider Form 4 confirms merger completion and share conversion; no open-market sales occurred.
The filing is largely administrative: Hawbaker’s 12,615 PWOD shares were exchanged for Northwest Bancshares stock per the pre-announced 2.385x ratio. Because the exchange was contractual, it does not indicate insider sentiment or liquidity pressure. Nonetheless, it provides investors final confirmation of the equity swap value (~$71.55 per PWOD share using 07/25/2025 closes) and removes any residual float of PWOD. Impact on Parent’s share count is minor (~30 thousand shares issued to this insider), but across all PWOD holders the dilution has been fully disclosed in prior merger documents. Overall, the event is neutral to slightly positive as it signals deal consummation and integration progress.
TL;DR – Filing evidences legal consummation of PWOD–Northwest merger; exchange ratio executed as agreed.
From a deal-making perspective, this Form 4 is a procedural step that records legacy PWOD shares rolling into Northwest. The absence of price variance or amended terms indicates a smooth closing. Investors now have an authoritative timestamp (07/25/2025) for the effective merger date, which can trigger accounting consolidation and cost-synergy timelines. Because the ratio was fixed, PWOD holders realized a 2.385x share uplift regardless of short-term market swings, mitigating closing risk. The document does not expose new financial obligations but implicitly confirms that all regulatory and shareholder approvals were secured prior to conversion. Impact is neutral; the material information (exchange ratio) was already public.