What does code A mean on Form 4?
Code A means a grant, award, or other acquisition under Rule 16b-3(d). It often appears in equity-compensation activity, but the official label is broader than “grant,” and the acquisition does not by itself show a market purchase.
What code A means
Grant, award or other acquisition pursuant to Rule 16b-3(d)
The reporting person received a grant, award, or another acquisition covered by Rule 16b-3(d).
- A Rule 16b-3 code for grants, awards, and other qualifying acquisitions from the issuer.
- A category often used for compensation-related securities, including events that may have a zero reported price.
- A row that can be paired with code F when securities are delivered or withheld for a covered obligation.
What code A does not mean
- A code-P purchase or proof that the recipient committed capital at the current market price.
- A universal label for every vesting or conversion event; the exact security and companion codes still matter.
- Evidence that a zero-dollar row is economically comparable with buying the same number of shares in the market.
How code A appears on Form 4
The row commonly carries an A marker because the reporting person acquired a security.
The security title can identify common stock, restricted stock, units, or another plan instrument; a footnote may describe award and vesting terms.
A separate code-F disposition may follow, but code F alone does not say whether the covered obligation was tax or exercise-price related.
Common event shapes involving code A
A covered acquisition without a paired disposition
Read the title of security, reported price, ownership form, and explanation to understand what was granted, awarded, or accrued.
Acquisition with delivery or withholding
Keep the acquisition and issuer-facing disposition separate; the explanatory text must identify the obligation when the filing provides it.
Compensation activity near a real purchase
A nearby code-P filing does not transform the award into a purchase or make two different actors part of one economic decision.
Common misreads
- Calling a code-A acquisition insider buying without identifying any purchase or fresh market-price decision.
- Comparing a plan-derived or zero-dollar price directly with an open-market execution price.
- Assuming every code-A row has the same compensation economics despite different securities and vesting conditions.
Questions to ask next
What security was acquired, and what Rule 16b-3 plan or award terms apply?
Was any price paid, and is that field comparable with a market execution?
When does the security vest or become exercisable, and what conditions remain?
Does a paired code-F row identify tax withholding, exercise-price payment, or neither in the explanation?
How did final beneficial ownership change after all related rows?
Alphabet: a specifically explained code-A accrual
Ruth Porat’s Form 4 used code A for dividend-equivalent units accrued on outstanding Google Stock Units. The explanation—not the A marker alone—supplied that specific character.
- The filing covered several dates and several transaction types rather than one discretionary market event.
- Code C, code F, and code G rows remained separate from the code-A accruals.
- The example shows why “other acquisition” should not automatically be rewritten as a purchase or ordinary stock award.
Code A FAQ
Is code A an insider purchase?
No. Code A is a grant, award, or other acquisition under Rule 16b-3(d). A market or private purchase is code P.
Why can a code-A price be zero?
Issuer-plan securities can be awarded or accrued without an open-market purchase price. Read the security title and explanation instead of comparing the field mechanically with a market quote.
Does code A always mean employee compensation?
The category often appears in compensation filings, but the official definition also says “other acquisition.” Use the plan and explanatory text for the precise event.
Why does code F sometimes appear with code A?
Securities can be delivered or withheld for an exercise price or tax liability incident to receipt or vesting. The filing context must identify which covered obligation applies.
Official sources
Definitions follow the current official Form 4 instructions. Filing examples link to the primary document, not a mirror or third-party summary.
- Official sourceSEC — Form 4 and General Instructions (March 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Instruction 8 supplies the official transaction-code labels; Instructions 4 and 6 explain separate rows, table placement, ownership, and explanatory footnotes.
- Official sourceInvestor.gov — Insider Transactions and Forms 3, 4, and 5 (opens in a new tab)
Official investor education covering who reports, when Form 4 is filed, and several frequently seen transaction codes.
- Primary filingSEC Form 4 — Ruth Porat, filed April 29, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Primary filing showing code-A dividend-equivalent-unit accruals alongside separately explained code-C, code-F, and code-G activity.
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Buteon provides market data analysis and signal interpretation for informational and educational purposes. It is not a broker, custodian, or investment adviser, and this page is not investment advice or a buy/sell recommendation. Verify the official filing before relying on any transaction description.