Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

v3.8.0.1
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
Share Incentive Plans. In 2013, the Company adopted the Era Group Inc. 2012 Incentive Plan (“2012 Plan”) under which a maximum of 4,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock are reserved for issuance.  Awards granted under the 2012 Plan may be in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, shares of restricted stock, other share-based awards (payable in cash or common stock) or performance awards, or any combination thereof, and may be made to outside directors, employees or consultants. Era Group’s board of directors determines, for each award, whether to issue new shares or shares from the Company’s treasury account. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, 2,525,563 and 2,747,662 shares, respectively, remained available for grant under the 2012 Plan.
In 2013, the Company adopted the Era Group Inc. 2013 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) under which the Company may offer up to a maximum of 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for purchase by eligible employees at a price equal to 85% of the lesser of (i) the fair market value of Common Stock on the first day of the offering period or (ii) the fair market value of Common Stock on the last day of the offering period. Common Stock is made available for purchase under the ESPP for six-month offering periods. The ESPP is intended to comply with Section 423 of the Code but is not intended to be subject to Section 401(a) of the Code or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The Board of Directors of the Company may amend or terminate the ESPP at any time; however, no increase in the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the ESPP may be made without stockholder approval. In 2016, the Board of Directors authorized an additional 400,000 to be reserved for issuance under the ESPP, which was approved by the stockholders of the Company at the Company’s annual meeting in 2017. The ESPP has a term of ten years. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, 336,763 and 461,811 shares, respectively, remained available for issuance under the ESPP. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company issued 125,102 shares under the ESPP.
Total share-based compensation expense, which includes stock options, restricted stock and ESPP purchases, was $4.6 million, $4.6 million and $3.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. A portion of the restricted stock awards are performance-based. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had approximately $2.8 million in total unrecognized compensation costs, and the weighted average period over which it is expected to be recognized is 1.7 years.
Restricted Stock Awards. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the number of shares and the weighted average grant price of restricted stock award transactions were as follows:
 
 
2017
 
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted Average Grant Price
Non-vested as of December 31, 2016
 
503,407

 
$
14.60

Restricted stock awards granted:
 
 
 
 
Non-employee directors
 
30,853

 
$
11.67

Employees
 
266,403

 
$
11.44

Vested
 
(381,017
)
 
$
14.36

Forfeited
 
(36,773
)
 
$
11.46

Non-vested as of December 31, 2017
 
382,873

 
$
12.68


During the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, the Company awarded 297,256, 342,913 and 193,668 shares, respectively, of restricted stock at a weighted average grant date fair value of $11.44, $10.56 and $20.82, respectively. The total fair value of shares vested during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, determined using the closing price on the grant date, was $5.5 million, $3.2 million and $1.9 million, respectively.
Stock Option Grants. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the number of shares, the weighted average grant date fair value and the weighted average exercise price on stock option transactions were as follows:
 
 
Non-vested Options
 
Vested/Exercisable Options
 
Total Options
 
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted Average Exercise Price
 
Number of Shares
 
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding as of December 31, 2016
 
70,000

 
$
7.94

 
213,764

 
$
18.84

 
283,764

 
$
19.54

Granted
 


 


 


 


 

 


Vested
 
(48,750
)
 
$
7.84

 
48,750

 
$
20.84

 

 
 
Exercised
 


 

 


 


 

 


Expired
 

 

 
(13,384
)
 
$
16.74

 
(13,384
)
 
$
16.74

Forfeited
 
(6,250
)
 
$
10.86

 
(18,750
)
 
$
29.24

 
(25,000
)
 
$
29.24

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017
 
15,000

 
$
7.04

 
230,380

 
$
18.54

 
245,380

 
$
18.71


The Company did not grant any options during the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.