Vital Farms (VITL) executive boosts stake with open-market and ESPP buys

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Vital Farms, Inc. executive Peter Nicholas Pappas, CSO and President, Eggs, increased his direct stake through both a market purchase and an employee plan acquisition. He bought 3,500 shares of common stock on May 14, 2026 at $8.51 per share in an open-market transaction. On May 15, 2026, he acquired an additional 395 shares at $7.21 per share under the company’s 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, at a price equal to 85% of the closing price on the purchase date. Following these transactions, he directly owns 85,564 shares of Vital Farms common stock.

Insider Trade Summary

Net Buyer: 3,500 shares ($29,785)

Net Buy 2 txns

Insider Pappas Peter Nicholas

Role CSO and President, Eggs

Bought 3,500 shs ($30K)

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Common Stock	395	$7.21	$3K
Purchase	Common Stock	3,500	$8.51	$30K

Holdings After Transaction: Common Stock — 85,564 shares (Direct, null)

Footnotes (1)

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Key Figures

Open-market purchase: 3,500 shares at $8.51 ESPP acquisition: 395 shares at $7.21 Holdings after transactions: 85,564 shares +1 more

4 metrics

Open-market purchase 3,500 shares at $8.51 Common Stock bought on May 14, 2026

ESPP acquisition 395 shares at $7.21 Purchased under 2020 ESPP on May 15, 2026

Holdings after transactions 85,564 shares Total direct common stock held after latest acquisition

ESPP discount rate 85% of closing price ESPP purchase price as a percentage of closing price

Key Terms

Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Rule 16b-3(d), Rule 16b-3(c), open-market purchase

4 terms

Employee Stock Purchase Plan financial

"These shares were acquired under the Issuer's 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP")"

An employee stock purchase plan is a company program that lets workers buy shares through small payroll deductions, often at a discount to the market price and after a set offering period. Think of it like a workplace savings plan that turns into ownership: it encourages employees to share in the company’s success and can create predictable buying or selling of stock that investors watch because it affects supply, demand and employee incentives.

Rule 16b-3(d) regulatory

"exempt under both Rule 16b-3(d) and Rule 16b-3(c)"

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.

Rule 16b-3(c) regulatory

"exempt under both Rule 16b-3(d) and Rule 16b-3(c)"

An SEC rule that lets corporate insiders avoid automatic "short‑swing" profit recovery when they buy or sell their company’s stock under a pre‑approved, written plan that meets specific conditions. For investors, it matters because it clarifies when insider trades are treated as routine, reducing legal uncertainty and helping distinguish trades made for ordinary compensation or pre‑planned reasons from those that might signal opportunistic or timely insider advantage.

open-market purchase financial

"transaction_action": "open-market purchase""

An open-market purchase is when an investor or a company buys shares on a public stock exchange at the going market price, rather than through a private deal. It matters to investors because these purchases change how many shares are available, can push the stock price up or signal confidence from large buyers, and often affect per-share metrics like earnings—think of it like someone buying lots of apples off a grocery shelf, reducing supply and potentially raising the price.

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

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^*

Pappas Peter Nicholas

(Last) (First) (Middle)

C/O VITAL FARMS, INC.

3601 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE, SUITE A100

(Street)

AUSTIN TEXAS 78704

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Vital Farms, Inc. [ VITL ]

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

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	CSO and President, Eggs

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/14/2026

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 Stock	05/14/2026		P		3,500	A	$8.51	85,169	D
Common Stock	05/15/2026		A(1)		395	A	$7.21	85,564	D

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. These shares were acquired under the Issuer's 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP") in a transaction that was exempt under both Rule 16b-3(d) and Rule 16b-3(c). In accordance with the ESPP, these shares were purchased at a price equal to 85% of the closing price of Issuer's common stock on the purchase date.

	/s/ Francis Cullo, Attorney-in-Fact	05/18/2026
	** 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)

FAQ

What insider transactions did Vital Farms (VITL) report for Peter Nicholas Pappas?

Vital Farms executive Peter Nicholas Pappas reported two acquisitions of common stock: an open-market purchase of 3,500 shares at $8.51 per share and an additional 395 shares acquired through the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan at $7.21 per share.

How many Vital Farms (VITL) shares does Peter Nicholas Pappas own after these transactions?

After the reported transactions, Peter Nicholas Pappas directly owns 85,564 shares of Vital Farms common stock. This total reflects both the 3,500-share open-market purchase and the 395 shares acquired under the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

At what prices did Peter Nicholas Pappas acquire Vital Farms (VITL) shares?

Peter Nicholas Pappas bought 3,500 Vital Farms common shares at $8.51 each in an open-market transaction, and acquired 395 additional shares at $7.21 each through the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which used 85% of the closing stock price.

What role does Peter Nicholas Pappas hold at Vital Farms (VITL)?

Peter Nicholas Pappas serves as Chief Sales Officer and President, Eggs at Vital Farms. His Form 4 filing reflects personal acquisitions of company common stock through an open-market purchase and the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

How were the Employee Stock Purchase Plan shares for Vital Farms (VITL) priced?

The 395 shares acquired under Vital Farms’ 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan were purchased at $7.21 per share. According to the plan, this purchase price equaled 85% of the closing price of Vital Farms common stock on the purchase date.