Verastem (VSTM) Form 4: CEO Paterson Offloads 17.8k Shares, Ownership Still Robust
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Verastem, Inc. (VSTM) – Form 4 insider activity
President & Chief Executive Officer Dan Paterson filed a Form 4 disclosing the sale of 17,808 common shares on 20-Jun-2025 at $5.13 per share. The transaction was coded “S,” and the filing states that the sale was made solely to cover statutory tax-withholding obligations triggered by the vesting of previously granted restricted stock units (RSUs).
After the withholding-related sale, Paterson’s direct beneficial ownership stands at 443,839 common shares. No derivative securities were bought or sold, and there were no Rule 10b5-1 trading-plan indications.
Key take-aways for investors
- The transaction value is approximately $91,400, representing a small fraction of his total equity stake.
- The filing cites administrative tax obligations rather than discretionary profit-taking, which typically lessens negative signaling.
- No changes were reported to option holdings, RSUs, or indirect ownership.
Because the CEO retains a substantial position and the sale size is modest relative to both his holdings and Verastem’s market capitalization, the market impact is expected to be immaterial. Nonetheless, investors monitoring insider sentiment should log the event for longitudinal trend analysis.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
Insights
TL;DR: Small CEO sale for taxes; stake remains large, signaling neutral.
The 17,808-share sale (~$0.09 MM) equals roughly 4% of Paterson’s 461 K-share pre-transaction stake and is explicitly for RSU tax withholding. Such administrative disposals do not generally indicate negative forward-looking views. Insider retains ~444 K shares, aligning incentives with shareholders. Given Verastem’s ±$500 MM market cap, the transaction is de-minimis & unlikely to influence valuation or liquidity. I view the filing as neutral for sentiment and valuation.
TL;DR: Routine withholding sale; governance impact negligible.
From a governance lens, the CEO followed Section 16 reporting deadlines and disclosed the purpose of the sale, satisfying transparency requirements. The absence of a 10b5-1 plan suggests opportunistic timing was not a factor; however, the nominal size and stated tax purpose mitigate concerns. No red flags regarding compliance or control were observed. Overall governance impact: neutral.