Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock-Based Compensation

v3.8.0.1
Stock-Based Compensation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-Based Compensation

The Company has granted to certain of its directors, employees and employees of its subsidiaries, restricted shares (“RSAs”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock (collectively, "Awards"). The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an equity classified Award (such as stock options, RSAs and RSUs) based on the grant-date fair value (“GDFV”) of the Award, and recognizes that cost over the period during which the employee is required to provide service (usually the vesting period of the Award). The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for a liability classified Award based on the current fair value of the Award, and remeasures the fair value of the Award at each reporting date.

Included in Selling, General and Administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations are $5.2 million and $2.7 million of stock-based compensation during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, and in connection with our current CEO's employment agreement, GCI Liberty granted 143 thousand options to purchase shares of Class B common stock to our current CEO. Such options had a weighted average GDFV of $16.55 per share and vest on December 31, 2018.

The Company has calculated the GDFV for all of its equity classified Awards and any subsequent remeasurement of its liability classified Awards using the Black-Scholes-Merton Model. The Company estimates the expected term of the Awards based on historical exercise and forfeiture data. The volatility used in the calculation for Awards is based on the historical volatility of GCI Liberty's stock and the implied volatility of publicly traded GCI Liberty options. The Company uses a zero dividend rate and the risk-free rate for Treasury Bonds with a term similar to that of the subject options.

GCI Liberty-Outstanding Awards

The following tables present the number and weighted average exercise price ("WAEP") of the Awards to purchase GCI Liberty common stock granted to certain officers, employees and directors of the Company. The options outstanding as of January 1, 2018 reflect Qurate Retail's Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock. On March 9, 2018, Qurate Retail redeemed each outstanding share of Qurate Retail's Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock for the corresponding class of GCI Liberty common stock using a one-for-one ratio.
 
 
Class A
 
    
 
    
 
    
Weighted
    
Aggregate
 
 
 
 
 
 
average
 
intrinsic
 
 
Awards
 
 
 
remaining
 
value
 
 
(000's)
 
WAEP
 
life
 
(millions)
Outstanding at January 1, 2018
 
1,670

 
$
47.12

 
 
 
 
 
Granted
 

 
$

 
 
 
 
 
Exercised
 
(3
)
 
$
16.94

 
 
 
 
 
Forfeited/Cancelled
 

 
$

 
 
 
 
 
Outstanding at March 31, 2018
 
1,667

 
$
47.18

 
2.4
years
 
$
13

Exercisable at March 31, 2018
 
1,306

 
$
47.39

 
1.8
years
 
$
10


 
 
Class B
 
    
 
    
 
    
Weighted
    
Aggregate
 
 
 
 
 
 
average
 
intrinsic
 
 
Awards
 
 
 
remaining
 
value
 
 
(000's)
 
WAEP
 
life
 
(millions)
Outstanding at January 1, 2018
 
1,080

 
$
56.38

 
 
 
 
 
Granted
 
143

 
$
54.01

 
 
 
 
 
Exercised
 

 
$

 
 
 
 
 
Forfeited/Cancelled
 

 
$

 
 
 
 
 
Outstanding at March 31, 2018
 
1,223

 
$
56.10

 
4.8
years
 
$

Exercisable at March 31, 2018
 
443

 
$
56.38

 
5.5
years
 
$



As of March 31, 2018, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested options and RSAs was approximately $24 million and $23 million, respectively. Such amounts will be recognized in the Company's consolidated statements of operations over a weighted average period of approximately 1.7 years and 1.8 years, respectively.

As of March 31, 2018, GCI Liberty reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock options approximately 1.7 million shares of GCI Liberty Class A common stock and 1.2 million shares of GCI Liberty Class B common stock.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company had approximately 1.3 million and 27 thousand unvested RSAs and RSUs, respectively, of GCI Liberty common stock and preferred stock held by certain directors, officers and employees of the Company. These Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred unvested RSAs, along with the Class A common stock unvested RSUs of GCI Liberty had a weighted average GDFV of $46.76 per share.

The aggregate fair value of all restricted shares of GCI Liberty common and preferred stock that vested during the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $1.8 million.