Share-based compensation

Under the 2010 Equity and Incentive Plan, as amended, HEI can issue shares of common stock as incentive compensation to selected employees in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights (SARs), restricted shares, restricted stock units, performance shares and other share-based and cash-based awards. The 2010 Equity and Incentive Plan (original EIP) was amended and restated effective March 1, 2014 (EIP) and an additional 1.5 million shares was added to the shares available for issuance under these programs.

As of March 31, 2015, approximately 3.5 million shares remained available for future issuance under the terms of the EIP, (assuming recycling of shares withheld to satisfy minimum statutory tax liabilities relating to EIP awards), including an estimated 0.8 million shares that could be issued upon the vesting of outstanding restricted stock units and the achievement of performance goals for awards outstanding under long-term incentive plans (assuming that such performance goals are achieved at maximum levels).

Under the 2011 Nonemployee Director Stock Plan (2011 Director Plan), HEI can issue shares of common stock as compensation to nonemployee directors of HEI, Hawaiian Electric and ASB. As of March 31, 2015, there were 169,290 shares remaining available for future issuance under the 2011 Director Plan.

Share-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit were as follows:



	Three months ended March 31
(in millions)	2015		2014
HEI consolidated
Share-based compensation expense ¹	$	1.8	$	2.4
Income tax benefit	0.6		0.8
Hawaiian Electric consolidated
Share-based compensation expense ¹	0.5		0.7
Income tax benefit	0.2		0.3


¹	$0.04 million and $0.04 million of this share-based compensation expense was capitalized in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Stock awards. In the second quarter of each year, HEI grants shares to nonemployee directors of HEI, Hawaiian Electric and ASB under the 2011 Director Plan. The number of shares issued to each nonemployee director of HEI, Hawaiian Electric and ASB is determined based on the closing price of HEI Common Stock on the grant date.

Stock appreciation rights. As of December 31, 2014, the shares underlying SARs outstanding totaled 80,000, with a weighted-average exercise price of $26.18. As of March 31, 2015, there were no remaining SARs outstanding.

SARs activity and statistics were as follows:



	Three months ended March 31
(dollars in thousands, except prices)	2015		2014
Shares underlying SARS exercised	80,000		-
Weighted-average price of shares exercised	$	26.18	-
Intrinsic value of shares exercised ¹	502		-
Tax benefit realized for the deduction of exercises	162		-

¹ Intrinsic value is the amount by which the fair market value of the underlying stock and the related dividend equivalent rights exceeds the exercise price of the right.

Restricted stock units. Information about HEI’s grants of restricted stock units was as follows:



	Three months ended March 31
	2015					2014
	Shares			(1)		Shares			(1)
Outstanding, beginning of period	261,235			$	25.77	288,151			$	25.17
Granted	84,294			33.74		115,036			25.19
Vested	(79,219		)	25.77		(71,029		)	25.79
Forfeited	(4,619		)	25.83		—			—
Outstanding, end of period	261,691			$	28.33	332,158			$	25.04
Total weighted-average grant-date fair value of shares granted ($ millions)	$	2.8				$	2.9


(1)	Weighted-average grant-date fair value per share based on the average price of HEI common stock on the date of grant.

As of March 31, 2015, there was $6.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the nonvested restricted stock units. The cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.9 years.

For the first three months of 2015 and 2014, total restricted stock units that vested and related dividends had a fair value of $3.0 million and $2.0 million, respectively, and the related tax benefits were $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

Long-term incentive plan payable in stock. The 2013-2015 long-term incentive plan (LTIP) and 2014-2016 LTIP provide for performance awards under the original EIP of shares of HEI common stock based on the satisfaction of performance goals considered to be a market condition and service conditions. The number of shares of HEI common stock that may be awarded is fixed on the date the grants are made subject to the achievement of specified performance levels. The potential payout varies from 0% to 200% of the number of target shares depending on achievement of the goals. The LTIP performance goals for the LTIP periods include awards with a market goal based on total return to shareholders (TRS) of HEI stock as a percentile to the Edison Electric Institute Index over the applicable three-year period. In addition, the 2013-2015 LTIP and 2014-2016 LTIP have performance goals related to levels of HEI consolidated net income, HEI consolidated return on average common equity (ROACE), Hawaiian Electric consolidated net income, Hawaiian Electric consolidated ROACE and ASB net income — all based on the applicable three-year averages, and ASB return on assets relative to performance peers. The 2015-2017 LTIP provides for performance awards payable in cash, and thus, is not included in the tables below.

LTIP linked to TRS. Information about HEI’s LTIP grants linked to TRS was as follows:



	Three months ended March 31
	2015					2014
	Shares			(1)		Shares			(1)
Outstanding, beginning of period	257,956			$	28.45	232,127			$	32.88
Granted (target level)	—			—		96,793			22.95
Vested (issued or unissued and cancelled)	(75,915		)	30.71		(70,189		)	35.46
Forfeited	(13,264		)	26.00		(488		)	32.13
Outstanding, end of period	168,777			$	27.63	258,243			$	28.46
Total weighted-average grant-date fair value of shares granted ($ millions)	$	—				$	2.2


(1)	Weighted-average grant-date fair value per share determined using a Monte Carlo simulation model.

The grant date fair values of the shares were determined using a Monte Carlo simulation model utilizing actual information for the common shares of HEI and its peers for the period from the beginning of the performance period to the grant date and estimated future stock volatility and dividends of HEI and its peers over the remaining three-year performance period. The expected stock volatility assumptions for HEI and its peer group were based on the three-year historic stock volatility, and the annual dividend yield assumptions were based on dividend yields calculated on the basis of daily stock prices over the same three-year historical period.

The following table summarizes the assumptions used to determine the fair value of the LTIP awards linked to TRS and the resulting fair value of LTIP awards granted:



	2014
Risk-free interest rate	0.66		%
Expected life in years	3
Expected volatility	17.8		%
Range of expected volatility for Peer Group	12.4% to 23.3%
Grant date fair value (per share)	$	22.95

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, there were no vested LTIP awards linked to TRS. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, all of the shares vested (which were granted at target level based on the satisfaction of TRS performance) for the 2012-2014 LTIP lapsed.

As of March 31, 2015, there was $1.6 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the nonvested performance awards payable in shares linked to TRS. The cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.3 years.

LTIP awards linked to other performance conditions. Information about HEI’s LTIP awards payable in shares linked to other performance conditions was as follows:



	Three months ended March 31
	2015					2014
	Shares			(1)		Shares			(1)
Outstanding, beginning of period	364,731			$	26.01	296,843			$	26.14
Granted (target level)	—			—		128,873			25.19
Vested (issued)	(121,249		)	26.05		(65,089		)	24.95
Forfeited	(13,263		)	25.72		(557		)	26.55
Outstanding, end of period	230,219			$	26.00	360,070			$	26.01
Total weighted-average grant-date fair value of shares granted (at target performance levels) ($ millions)	$	—				$	3.2


(1)	Weighted-average grant-date fair value per share based on the average price of HEI common stock on the date of grant.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, total vested LTIP awards linked to other performance conditions and related dividends had a fair value of $4.7 million and $1.9 million and the related tax benefits were $1.8 million and $0.8 million, respectively.

As of March 31, 2015, there was $2.4 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the nonvested shares linked to performance conditions other than TRS. The cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.3 years.