SES Insider Activity — CLO Retains 861,277 Shares, 681,778 RSUs
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Kyle Pilkington, Chief Legal Officer of SES AI Corporation (SES), reported a change in beneficial ownership tied to the vesting of restricted stock units (RSUs). On 08/08/2025 the Form 4 shows 5,452 shares were withheld to satisfy withholding tax obligations arising from RSU vesting; the form explicitly states these shares were not sold.
After this withholding, the report lists 861,277 shares of Class A common stock beneficially owned by Pilkington, which include 681,778 shares underlying RSUs that remain subject to forfeiture until they vest. Ownership is reported as direct. The form records a price of $1.13 associated with the reported transaction and uses transaction code F indicating tax withholding.
Positive
- Significant retained stake: Reporting person beneficially owns 861,277 shares, indicating continued alignment with shareholder interests.
- Shares withheld, not sold: The 5,452 shares were withheld to cover taxes on RSU vesting and the form explicitly states these shares were not sold.
Negative
- Large unvested portion: 681,778 shares underlying RSUs are still subject to forfeiture and are not currently fully vested.
- Limited immediate economic rights: Because a majority of the reported stake is unvested, the effective, fully vested ownership is materially lower than the total beneficial ownership figure.
Insights
Routine RSU tax-withholding; maintains direct ownership but many shares remain unvested.
The Form 4 indicates a standard post-vesting administrative step rather than an active sale: 5,452 shares were withheld to cover taxes rather than being sold on-market, preserving the reporting person’s stake. Beneficial ownership of 861,277 shares is substantial in absolute terms, but the disclosure that 681,778 shares are unvested RSUs materially limits the immediate economic rights attached to a large portion of that holding. Transaction code F appropriately describes tax withholding; no derivative transactions are reported.
Insider retained long-term exposure via RSUs; withholding is administrative, not a disposition signal.
The filing reflects executive compensation mechanics: shares withheld to satisfy withholding tax on RSU vesting are routine and explicitly "not sold," which preserves alignment with shareholders. However, 681,778 underlying RSUs remain subject to forfeiture, indicating that a majority of the reported stake lacks full vesting rights today. For governance assessment, this highlights continued incentive alignment but also limited immediate liquidity or voting availability for much of the position.