William L. Ballhaus, Chairman, President and CEO of Mercury Systems Inc (NASDAQ:MRCY), filed a Form 4 on August 27, 2026, disclosing the exercise of employee stock options and the sale of common shares on August 25 and August 26, 2026.

Key Highlights

  • Options exercised: Ballhaus exercised a total of 222,152 stock options (153,676 on August 25 and 68,476 on August 26) at an exercise price of $43 per share.
  • Shares sold: A total of 160,166 shares were sold across four transactions on August 25 and August 26, 2026, at weighted average prices ranging from $87.089 to $89.744.
  • Purpose of sales: According to the filing, the sales were "intended solely to cover the exercise price, applicable withholding taxes and related transaction costs of stock options exercised on the same date."
  • Options expiration: The exercised options were scheduled to expire on August 17, 2027, and became exercisable on August 17, 2026.
  • Remaining direct ownership: Following all reported transactions, Ballhaus directly held 361,822.325 shares of common stock.
  • Indirect holdings: The filing also reports 1,403 shares held indirectly through a 401K Plan and 7,066.173 shares held indirectly through Milestone Road Holdings, LLC.

Ballhaus Option Exercises and Share Sales at Mercury Systems: Transaction Detail

According to the Form 4 filed with the SEC, Ballhaus exercised employee stock options on two consecutive days. On August 25, 2026, he exercised 153,676 options at $43 per share, acquiring that number of common shares, which increased his direct holdings to 453,512.325 shares. He then sold 107,628 shares at a weighted average price of $87.089 (in multiple trades ranging from $86.800 to $87.800) and sold an additional 3,448 shares at a weighted average price of $87.993 (in multiple trades ranging from $87.820 to $88.325), reducing his direct holdings to 342,436.325 shares.

On August 26, 2026, Ballhaus exercised a further 68,476 options at $43 per share, bringing his direct holdings to 410,912.325 shares. He subsequently sold 38,276 shares at a weighted average price of $88.913 (in multiple trades ranging from $88.500 to $89.435) and sold 10,814 shares at a weighted average price of $89.744 (in multiple trades ranging from $89.560 to $89.960). After these transactions, his direct beneficial ownership stood at 361,822.325 shares. The filing notes that full information on individual trade prices and share counts is available upon request to the SEC staff, the issuer, or a security holder.

The exercised options had a transaction code of "M" and the sales carried a transaction code of "S." The filing identifies Ballhaus as both a Director and an Officer with the title Chairman, President and CEO. The Form 4 was signed by Douglas Munro as attorney-in-fact and filed on August 27, 2026.

What Was Disclosed

The filing disclosed the exercise of 222,152 employee stock options at $43 per share and the sale of 160,166 common shares across four transactions on August 25 and 26, 2026, with the sales described as covering exercise costs, taxes, and transaction costs.