Mercury Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY) Chief Executive William L. Ballhaus sold 173,209 shares of common stock for approximately $15.7 million following the exercise of employee stock options, regulatory filings show.
Ballhaus acquired 244,848 shares through option exercises on August 21 and August 24, 2026, at prices ranging from $42.00 to $43.00 per share, for a total cost of about $10.3 million. The subsequent sales were primarily used to cover the exercise price, withholding taxes, and transaction costs.
On August 21, Ballhaus sold 64,796 shares at a weighted average price of $92.404, with individual trades between $92.300 and $92.910. An additional 204 shares were sold at a weighted average price of $93.508, with trades ranging from $93.505 to $93.680. On August 24, 105,471 shares were disposed of at a weighted average price of $89.473, with prices between $89.170 and $90.150. A further 2,738 shares were sold at a weighted average price of $90.600, with trades between $90.250 and $90.735.
Following the transactions, Ballhaus holds 299,836.325 shares directly, along with 1,403 shares in a 401K plan and 7,066.173 shares indirectly through Milestone Road Holdings, LLC.
The sales follow Mercury Systems’ fiscal fourth-quarter results for 2026, which reported revenue of $289.8 million, exceeding Wall Street expectations by 6.1% year-over-year. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.37, slightly below the consensus estimate of $0.38. The company also reported record bookings growth of 93.1% year-over-year and a total backlog of $1.945 billion, up 38.4% from the prior year.
Analysts have maintained a positive outlook on the stock. RBC Capital raised its price target to $120 from $105 while maintaining an Outperform rating. Piper Sandler increased its target to $131 from $126, and Baird reiterated an Outperform rating with a $130 target.
