Equity Plans and Equity Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Equity Plans and Equity Based Compensation

Equity Plans and Equity Based Compensation

The Company maintains three equity incentive plans under which stock options, restricted stock, and other equity incentive awards can be granted. At March 31, 2015, the Company has reserved 390,033 shares of common stock (as adjusted for subsequent stock dividends and subject to further customary anti-dilution adjustments) for the purpose of issuance pursuant to outstanding and future grants of options, restricted stock, and other equity awards to officers, directors and other employees of the Company. 

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company granted no options, and accordingly, recorded no stock option expense related to option grants during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. The Company recorded no other stock compensation expense applicable to options during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 because all outstanding options were fully vested prior to 2007. In addition, there was no unrecognized option expense as all outstanding options were fully vested prior to March 31, 2015 and 2014. 

During the periods presented, awards of long-term incentives were granted in the form of restricted stock. Awards that were granted to management under a management incentive plan were granted in tandem with cash credit entitlements (typically in the form of 60% restricted stock grants and 40% cash credit entitlements). The management and employee restricted stock grants and tandem cash credit entitlements awarded will vest in three equal installments of 33.3% with the first annual vesting on December 5th of the year of the grant and on December 5th of the next two succeeding years.  Awards that were granted to directors as additional retainer for their services do not include any cash credit entitlement. These director restricted stock grants are subject to forfeiture in the event that the recipient of the grant does not continue in service as a director of the Company through December 5th of the year after grant or do not satisfy certain meeting attendance requirements, at which time they generally vest 100 percent. For measuring compensation costs, restricted stock awards are valued based upon the market value of the common shares on the date of grant. During the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company granted awards of 32,610 and 31,080 shares of restricted stock, respectively. 

The following tables present expense recorded for restricted stock and cash entitlements as well as the related tax effect for the periods presented:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015			2014
Restricted Stock Expense	$	234		$	158
Cash Entitlement Expense	162			99
Tax Effect	(160		)	(104		)
Net of Tax	$	236		$	153

Unrecognized expense associated with the restricted stock grants and cash entitlements totaled $2,615 and $2,127 as of March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

The Company maintains an Employee Stock Purchase Plan whereby eligible employees have the option to purchase the Company’s common stock at a discount. The purchase price of the shares under this Plan has been set at 95% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of the last day of the plan year. The plan provided for the purchase of up to 500,000 shares of common stock, which the Company may obtain by purchases on the open market or from private sources, or by issuing authorized but unissued common shares. Funding for the purchase of common stock is from employee and Company contributions. 

The Employee Stock Purchase Plan is not considered compensatory.  There was no expense recorded for the employee stock purchase plan during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, nor was there any unrecognized compensation expense as of March 31, 2015 and 2014 for the Employee Stock Purchase Plan.