Yext grants CEO Michael Walrath stock option tied to stock price targets from $21.00 to $88.08
Yext's board on October 11, 2026 approved a nonstatutory stock option for CEO Michael Walrath covering 11,000,000 shares at a $7.00 exercise price, a premium to the $6.93 close on October 9, 2026. The option vests only if the stock hits one of 14 escalating price targets over up to ten years, and it requires stockholder approval within twelve months. The grant is significant because it aligns the CEO's potential pay with large share price gains, but its value depends entirely on those gains being achieved.
Key points
- Option covers 11,000,000 shares at $7.00 per share, with a ten-year term
- Vesting is tied to 14 tranches with target prices from $21.00 to $88.08 per share
- Option is subject to stockholder approval within twelve months and is granted outside the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan
- Exhibit 10.1, the Stand-Alone Stock Option Agreement dated October 11, 2026, is filed with the report
The filing
Written by AI on Nov 9, 2026, 8:38 AM ET, from this filing only. Written later: this filing was briefed after the fact, when past filings were added to the site, so the brief may be read with hindsight; the filing itself is the record of what was known on October 14, 2026.
Briefs are written by AI from the filing text and can contain mistakes — open the filing before acting on anything. Impact (1-5) and tone are the AI's reading of the filing for shareholders, not a price forecast. Not investment advice.