AXT, INC.
INSIDER TRADING POLICY
| I. | Trading in Company Securities While in Possession of Material Nonpublic Information is Prohibited |
The purchase or sale of securities by any person who possesses material nonpublic information is a violation of federal and state securities laws. Furthermore, it is important that the appearance, as well as the fact, of trading on the basis of material nonpublic information be avoided. Therefore, it is the policy of AXT (the “Company”) that any person subject to this Policy who possesses material nonpublic information pertaining to the Company may not trade in the Company’s securities, advise anyone else to do so, or communicate the information to anyone else until you know that the information has been disseminated to the public.
No director, officer, employee or consultant of the Company who is aware of material nonpublic information relating to the Company may, directly or through family members or other persons or entities,
| ● | buy or sell securities of the Company, other than pursuant to a trading plan that complies with Rule 10b5-1 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission ( “SEC”), |
| ● | engage in any other action to take personal advantage of that information, or |
| ● | pass that information on to others outside the Company, including friends and family (a practice referred to as “tipping”). |
In addition, it is the policy of the Company that no officer, director, employee or consultant who, in the course of working for the Company, learns of material nonpublic information of another company with which the Company does business, such as a customer or supplier, may trade in that company’s securities until that information becomes public or is no longer material.
| II. | All Employees, Officers, Directors and their Family Members and Affiliates Are Subject to this Policy |
This Policy applies to all directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company and entities (such as trusts, limited partnerships and corporations) over which such individuals have or share voting or investment control. For the purposes of this Policy, officers, outside directors and consultants are included within the term “employee.” This Policy also applies to any other persons whom the Company’s insider trading Compliance Officer may designate because they have access to material nonpublic information concerning the Company, as well as any person who receives material nonpublic information from any Company insider. Employees, officers and directors are responsible for ensuring compliance by family members and members of their households and by entities over which they exercise voting or investment control. Insiders are responsible for ensuring compliance with this Policy, including restrictions on all trading during certain periods, by family members and members of their households and by entities over which they exercise voting or investment control. Insiders should provide each of these persons or entities with a copy of this Policy.
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Trading Window. In addition to the restrictions that are applicable to all employees, any trade by an Insider that is subject to the Insider Trading Policy will be permitted only during an open “trading window.” Further, any China employee who has AXT stock options or RSAs must also comply with the Trading Window and Blackout rules. The trading window generally opens on the second full trading day following the public issuance of the Company’s earnings release for the most recent fiscal quarter and closes at the close of trading on the last day of the month preceding the last month of a fiscal quarter. For example, if AXT releases our quarterly financial results on a Wednesday, Insiders can begin trading on the following Friday (assuming that the market was trading on Thursday). In addition to the times when the trading window is scheduled to be closed, the Company may impose a special blackout period at its discretion due to the existence of material nonpublic information, such as a pending acquisition, that is likely to be widely known among Insiders. Following termination of employment or other service, Insiders will be subject to the trading window, as well as any special blackout period in effect at the time of termination, for one full fiscal quarter thereafter. Even when the window is open, Insiders and other Company personnel are prohibited from trading in the Company’s securities while in possession of material nonpublic information. The Company’s Compliance Officer will advise Insiders when the trading window opens and closes.
Hardship Exemptions. The Compliance Officer may, on a case by case basis, authorize a transaction in the Company’s securities outside of the trading window (but in no event during a special blackout period) due to financial or other hardship. Any request for a hardship exemption must be in writing and must describe the amount and nature of the proposed transaction and the circumstances of the hardship. (The request may be made as part of a pre-clearance request, so long as it is in writing.) The Insider requesting the hardship exemption must also certify to the Compliance Officer within two business days prior to the date of the proposed trade that he or she is not in possession of material nonpublic information concerning the Company.
The existence of the foregoing procedure does not in any way obligate the Compliance Officer to approve any hardship exemption requested by an Insider.
Individual Account Plan Blackout Periods. Certain trading restrictions apply during a blackout period applicable to any Company individual account plan in which participants may hold Company stock. For the purpose of such restrictions, a “blackout period” is a period in which the plan participants are
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temporarily restricted from making trades in Company stock. During any blackout period, directors and executive officers are prohibited from trading in shares of the Company’s stock that were acquired in connection with such director's or officer's service or employment with the Company. Such trading restriction is required by law, and no hardship exemptions are available. The Company will notify directors and executive officers in the event of any blackout period.
The Company has designated Gary Fischer, as its Insider Trading Compliance Officer (the “Compliance Officer”).
The duties of the Compliance Officer will include the following:
| 1. | Administering this Policy and monitoring and enforcing compliance with all policy provisions and procedures. |
| 2. | Responding to all inquiries relating to this policy and its procedures. |
| 3. | Designating and announcing special trading blackout periods during which no Insiders may trade in Company securities. |
| 4. | Providing copies of this Policy and other appropriate materials to all current and new directors, officers and employees, and such other persons as the Compliance Officer determines have access to material nonpublic information concerning the Company. |
| 5. | Administering, monitoring and enforcing compliance with federal and state insider trading laws and regulations; and assisting in the preparation and filing of all required SEC reports relating to trading in Company securities, including without limitation Forms 3, 4, 5 and 144 and Schedules 13D and 13G. |
| 6. | Selecting designated brokers through which Insiders are authorized to trade Company securities. |
| 7. | Revising the Policy as necessary to reflect changes in federal or state insider trading laws and regulations. |
| 8. | Maintaining as Company records originals or copies of all documents required by the provisions of this Policy or the procedures set forth herein, and copies of all required SEC reports relating to insider trading, including without limitation Forms 3, 4, 5 and 144 and Schedules 13D and 13G. |
| 9. | Maintaining the accuracy of the list of Section 16 Individuals as set forth on Exhibit A and the list of Insider Employees as set forth on Exhibit B, and updating such lists periodically as necessary to reflect additions or deletions. |
The Compliance Officer may designate one or more individuals who may perform the Compliance Officer’s duties in the event that the Compliance Officer is unable or unavailable to perform such duties.
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In fulfilling his or her duties under this Policy, the Compliance Officer shall be authorized to consult with the Company’s outside counsel.
1.Stock Option Plans. The trading prohibitions and restrictions set forth in this Policy do not apply to the exercise of stock options for cash, but do apply to all sales of securities acquired through the exercise of stock options. Thus, this Policy does apply to the “same-day sale” or cashless exercise of Company stock options.
2.Employee Stock Purchase Plans. The trading prohibitions and restrictions set forth in this Policy do not apply to periodic contributions by the Company or employees to employee stock purchase plans or employee benefit plans (e.g., a pension or 401(k) plan) which are used to purchase Company securities pursuant to the employee’s advance instructions. However, no officers or employees may alter their instructions regarding the level of withholding or the purchase of Company securities in such plans while in the possession of material nonpublic information. Any sale of securities acquired under such plans is subject to the prohibitions and restrictions of this Policy.
| ● | Financial performance, especially quarterly and year-end earnings, and significant changes in financial performance or liquidity. |
| ● | Company projections and strategic plans. |
| ● | Potential mergers or acquisitions, the sale of Company assets or subsidiaries or major partnering agreements. |
| ● | New major contracts, orders, suppliers, customers or finance sources or the loss thereof. |
| ● | Major discoveries or significant changes or developments in products or product lines, research or technologies. |
| ● | Significant changes or developments in supplies or inventory, including significant product defects, recalls or product returns. |
| ● | Significant pricing changes. |
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| ● | Stock splits, public or private securities/debt offerings, or changes in Company dividend policies or amounts. |
| ● | Significant changes in senior management or membership of the Board of Directors. |
| ● | Significant labor disputes or negotiations. |
| ● | Actual or threatened major litigation, or the resolution of such litigation. |
| ● | Receipt or denial of regulatory approval for products. |
| VII. | Employees May Not Disclose Material Nonpublic Information to Others or Make Recommendations Regarding Trading in Company Securities |
No employee may disclose material nonpublic information concerning the Company to any other person (including family members) where such information may be used by such person to his or her advantage in the trading of the securities of companies to which such information relates, a practice commonly known as “tipping.” No employee or related person may make recommendations or express opinions as to trading in the Company’s securities while in possession of material nonpublic information, except such person may advise others not to trade in the Company’s securities if doing so might violate the law or this policy.
Employees are prohibited from participating in chat room discussions, message boards, Facebook, blogs or other online conversation platforms regarding the Company’s securities or business.
| IX. | Only Designated Company Spokespersons Are Authorized to Disclose Material Nonpublic Information |
The Company is required under the federal securities laws to avoid the selective disclosure of material nonpublic information. The Company has established procedures for releasing material information in a manner that is designed to achieve broad dissemination of the information immediately upon its release. Employees may not, therefore, disclose material information to anyone outside the Company, including family members and friends, other than in accordance with those established procedures. Any inquiries from outsiders regarding material nonpublic information about the Company should be forwarded to the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer.
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In order to avoid any questions and to protect both employees and the Company from any potential liability, from time to time the Company may impose a “blackout” period during which some or all of the Company’s employees may not buy or sell the Company’s securities. The Compliance Officer will impose such a blackout period if, in his judgment, there exists nonpublic information that would make trades by the Company’s employees (or certain of the Company’s employees) inappropriate in light of the risk that such trades could be viewed as violating applicable securities laws.
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Every employee has the individual responsibility to comply with this Policy against illegal insider trading. An employee may, from time to time, have to forego a proposed transaction in the Company’s securities even if he or she planned to make the transaction before learning of the material nonpublic information and even though the employee believes that he or she may suffer an economic loss or forego anticipated profit by waiting.
The Policy continues to apply to transactions in the Company’s securities even after termination of employment. If an employee is in possession of material nonpublic information when his or her employment terminates, he or she may not trade in the Company’s securities until that information has become public or is no longer material.
Please direct all inquiries regarding any of the provisions or procedures of this Policy to the Compliance Officer.
The Company may change the terms of this Policy from time to time to respond to developments in law and practice. The Company will take steps to inform all affected persons of any material change to this Policy.
The Policy will be delivered to all employees upon its adoption by the Company, and to all new other employees at the start of their employment or relationship with the Company. Upon first receiving a copy of the Policy or any revised versions, each employee must sign an acknowledgment that he or she has received a copy and agrees to comply with the Policy’s terms. This acknowledgment and agreement will constitute consent for the Company to impose sanctions for violation of this Policy and to issue any necessary stop-transfer orders to the Company’s transfer agent to enforce compliance with this Policy.
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EXHIBIT A
SECTION 16 DIRECTORS AND NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
(as of February 26, 2025)
SECTION 16 NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS | |
| |
Name | Title |
| |
Morris Young | Chief Executive Officer and Board of Director |
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Gary Fischer | VP & CFO |
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| |
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OTHER DIRECTORS | |
| |
Jesse Chen | Lead Director & Corp Gov Committee Chair |
David Chang | Comp Committee Chair |
Christine Russell | Audit Committee Chair |
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