Insider Trading February 5, 2026

aTyr Pharma CEO Sells Small Stake to Cover RSU Taxes as FDA Meeting on Lead Candidate Is Set

Transaction tied to RSU vesting; company preparing for mid-April Type C meeting with FDA to review Phase 3 results for efzofitimod

By Hana Yamamoto ATYR
aTyr Pharma CEO Sells Small Stake to Cover RSU Taxes as FDA Meeting on Lead Candidate Is Set
ATYR

aTyr Pharma CEO Shukla Sanjay sold 3,745 shares on Feb. 4, 2026 to satisfy tax withholding associated with vested restricted stock units, after receiving 10,375 shares on Feb. 3, 2026. The company, with a market capitalization of $86.28 million, is trading slightly below its fair value while reporting that it holds more cash than debt but is rapidly drawing down cash reserves. Separately, the FDA has accepted a request for a Type C meeting to discuss efzofitimod and the Phase 3 EFZO-FIT study results in mid-April 2026.

Key Points

  • CEO Shukla sold 3,745 shares on Feb. 4, 2026 at $0.976 per share to meet tax withholding obligations after 10,375 RSU-derived shares vested on Feb. 3, 2026.
  • Following the transactions, Shukla directly owns 153,553 shares in a company with an $86.28 million market capitalization; the stock trades at $0.88, down 77.65% over the past year but up 12.44% year-to-date.
  • The FDA has accepted a Type C meeting request to review efzofitimod and the Phase 3 EFZO-FIT study results in mid-April 2026; the EFZO-FIT trial evaluated 268 patients with symptomatic pulmonary sarcoidosis.

A director and chief executive officer of aTyr Pharma Inc. executed a small stock sale this month tied to the vesting of previously granted restricted stock units (RSUs).

On February 4, 2026, Shukla Sanjay sold 3,745 shares of common stock at $0.976 per share, producing total proceeds of $3,655. The transaction followed the automatic conversion of RSUs into common stock on a one-for-one basis: on February 3, 2026, Shukla acquired 10,375 shares upon vesting of those RSUs. The sale was made specifically to satisfy tax withholding obligations arising from that vesting.

After these movements, Shukla directly holds 153,553 shares of aTyr Pharma. The company’s market capitalization stands at $86.28 million. At the time of the sale, the stock was trading at $0.88, reflecting a 77.65% decline over the prior year but a 12.44% gain year-to-date. Independent analysis cited with company data indicates the stock is trading slightly below its fair value.


On the company fundamentals side, available data indicate that aTyr carries more cash than debt on its balance sheet; however, the business is drawing down cash reserves at a rapid rate. That dynamic is noted alongside the executive’s transaction and the firm’s market valuation.

In regulatory developments, aTyr announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted its request for a Type C meeting to discuss efzofitimod, the company’s lead therapeutic candidate for pulmonary sarcoidosis. The meeting is scheduled for mid-April 2026 and will focus on the Phase 3 EFZO-FIT trial, which enrolled 268 patients with symptomatic pulmonary sarcoidosis.

The company described the FDA’s acceptance of the meeting request as a step forward in the regulatory review process for efzofitimod. The Type C discussion is intended to address results from the EFZO-FIT study and to inform the next steps in the development program for the candidate therapy.


Investors and observers are likely to monitor both the upcoming FDA meeting and the company’s cash usage as factors that could influence strategic options and the program timeline. The executive’s sale was limited in size and explicitly linked to tax obligations stemming from RSU vesting rather than an open-market disposition for other purposes.

Below are concise takeaways and the principal uncertainties highlighted by these developments.

Risks

  • Cash burn risk - Company data indicate aTyr holds more cash than debt but is expending cash reserves quickly, which could affect operations and development timelines - impacts biotech and small-cap healthcare markets.
  • Regulatory uncertainty - Outcomes from the mid-April Type C meeting with the FDA on efzofitimod could materially influence the next steps for the lead program and investor expectations - impacts biotech and drug development stakeholders.
  • Market volatility - The company’s shares have shown large year-over-year declines alongside recent year-to-date gains, reflecting potential volatility that can affect shareholder value - impacts equity investors and small-cap market segments.

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