ORIC Pharmaceuticals Reports Inducement Grants under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)
Rhea-AI Summary
ORIC Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ORIC) granted inducement equity on May 1, 2026 to four new non-executive employees: 216,000 non-qualified stock options and 35,000 restricted stock units.
Options carry an exercise price equal to the closing price on May 1, 2026. Vesting: 25% after one year, then monthly 1/36th; RSUs vest one-third on each of the first three anniversaries. Grants were approved under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4) and subject to plan terms and continued service.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Positive
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Negative
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News Market Reaction – ORIC
On the day this news was published, ORIC declined 1.43%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
Momentum scanner shows peers like NUVB and ELVN moving up between about 1.92% and 4.24%, but sector momentum was flagged as stock-specific (is_sector_move = false) and ORIC’s own direction was not captured, suggesting this inducement-grant news is not part of a broad sector catalyst.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17 | Preclinical AACR data | Positive | +1.3% | Preclinical rinzimetostat data at AACR highlighting activity and improved properties. |
| Apr 03 | Inducement grants | Neutral | +0.2% | Inducement equity awards to a new hire under the 2022 plan. |
| Mar 31 | Phase 3 dose selection | Positive | -41.0% | Selection of 400 mg rinzimetostat RP3D for global Phase 3 study. |
| Mar 27 | Data call announcement | Neutral | -2.6% | Announcement of upcoming Phase 1b rinzimetostat data presentation. |
| Mar 17 | AACR poster acceptance | Positive | -10.0% | Acceptance of preclinical rinzimetostat posters for AACR 2026. |
Recent history shows mixed reactions: routine governance/HR news around inducement grants tended to see modest, aligned moves, while some clinically positive rinzimetostat updates coincided with sharp negative price reactions, indicating prior divergence on good clinical data.
Over the past months, ORIC has focused on advancing its oncology pipeline and communicating clinical and scientific progress. In March 2026, it announced selection of a 400 mg rinzimetostat dose for a Phase 3 trial and shared dose-optimization data, followed by multiple AACR preclinical presentations in April 2026. Alongside this, the company issued several routine corporate updates, including inducement equity grants on April 3, 2026. Today’s inducement awards similarly reflect ongoing hiring and compensation practices rather than a change in clinical or financial strategy.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement detailed inducement equity awards under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4), granting 216,000 non-qualified options and 35,000 RSUs to four new non‑executive employees, vesting over several years. It follows a series of clinically focused updates on rinzimetostat and other pipeline assets in early 2026. Investors tracking ORIC may focus more on upcoming clinical and regulatory milestones and the company’s cash runway than on these routine compensation-related grants when assessing longer-term implications.
Key Terms
non-qualified stock options financial
restricted stock units financial
equity incentive plan financial
nasdaq rule 5635(c)(4) regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, May 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ORIC), a clinical stage oncology company focused on developing treatments that address mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, today announced that on May 1, 2026 (the “Grant Date”), ORIC granted a total of 216,000 non-qualified stock options and 35,000 restricted stock units to four new non-executive employees who began their employment with ORIC in April 2026.
These inducement grants were granted pursuant to the ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2022 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, subject to recipient’s continued employment or service through each applicable vesting date. The stock options have an exercise price equal to the closing price of ORIC’s common stock on the Grant Date. Twenty-five percent (
The inducement grants were approved by ORIC’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, as required by Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4), and were granted as a material inducement to employment in accordance with Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4).
About ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
ORIC Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patients’ lives by Overcoming Resistance In Cancer. ORIC’s clinical stage product candidates include (1) rinzimetostat, an allosteric inhibitor of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) via the EED subunit, being developed for prostate cancer, and (2) enozertinib, a brain penetrant inhibitor targeting EGFR exon 20 and EGFR PACC mutations, being developed for NSCLC. ORIC has offices in South San Francisco and San Diego, California. For more information, please go to www.oricpharma.com, and follow us on X or LinkedIn.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding the vesting of the inducement grants; target indications for ORIC’s product candidates; the potential advantages of ORIC’s product candidates; and plans underlying ORIC’s clinical trials and development. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “goal,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based upon ORIC’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: risks associated with the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics and operating as an early clinical stage company; ORIC’s ability to develop, initiate or complete preclinical studies and clinical trials for, obtain approvals for and commercialize any of its product candidates; changes in ORIC’s plans to develop and commercialize its product candidates; the potential for clinical trials of ORIC’s product candidates to differ from preclinical, initial, interim, preliminary or expected results; negative impacts of health emergencies, economic instability or international conflicts on ORIC’s operations, including clinical trials; the risk of the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of ORIC’s license and collaboration agreements; the potential market for our product candidates, and the progress and success of competing therapeutics currently available or in development; ORIC’s ability to raise any additional funding it will need to continue to pursue its business and product development plans; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; ORIC’s reliance on third parties, including contract manufacturers and contract research organizations; ORIC’s ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its product candidates; the loss of key scientific or management personnel; competition in the industry in which ORIC operates; general economic and market conditions; and other risks. Information regarding the foregoing and additional risks may be found in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in ORIC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 23, 2026, and ORIC’s future reports to be filed with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and ORIC assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Contact:
Dominic Piscitelli, Chief Financial Officer
dominic.piscitelli@oricpharma.com
info@oricpharma.com
