Common Stock Incentive Plan

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Common Stock Incentive Plan

Common Stock Incentive Plan

18.     Common Stock Incentive Plan

In 2012, our Board of Directors adopted and stockholders approved the Realty Income Corporation 2012 Incentive Award Plan, or the 2012 Plan, to enable us to motivate, attract and retain the services of directors, employees and consultants considered essential to our long-term success. The 2012 Plan offers our directors, employees and consultants an opportunity to own stock in Realty Income or rights that will reflect our growth, development and financial success.  Under the terms of the 2012 Plan, the aggregate number of shares of our common stock subject to options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units and other awards, will be no more than 3,985,734 shares.  The 2012 Plan has a term of 10 years from the date it was adopted by the Board of Directors.

The amount of share-based compensation costs recognized in general and administrative expense on our consolidated statements of income was $2.7 million during the first three months of 2014 and was $3.8 million during the first three months of 2013.

The following table summarizes our common stock grant activity under the 2012 Plan. Our common stock grants vest over periods ranging from immediately to five years.

	For the three months ended				For the year ended
	March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
			Weighted				Weighted
	Number of		average		Number of		average
	shares		price(1)		shares		price(1)
Outstanding nonvested shares, beginning of year	722,263		$	23.37	895,550		$	19.94
Shares granted	223,293		$	39.22	484,060		$	41.13
Shares vested	(269,109	)	$	35.41	(654,650	)	$	30.91
Shares forfeited	(949	)	$	39.75	(2,697	)	$	37.30
Outstanding nonvested shares, end of each period	675,498		$	33.90	722,263		$	23.37

(1) Grant date fair value.

During the first three months of 2014, we issued 223,293 shares of common stock under the 2012 Plan. These shares vest over the following service periods: 18,829 vested immediately, 30,535 vest over a service period of four years, and 173,929 vest over a service period of five years.  Additionally, during 2013, 51,454 shares of performance-based common stock was granted, of which 12,864 shares vested at the end of 2013 based on the achievement of certain 2013 performance metrics, and of which 12,864 may vest at the end of 2014, 2015 and 2016, if certain performance metrics are reached.

As of March 31, 2014, the remaining unamortized share-based compensation expense totaled $22.9 million, which is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the service period of each applicable award.

Due to a historically low turnover rate, we do not estimate a forfeiture rate for our nonvested shares. Accordingly, unexpected forfeitures will lower share-based compensation expense during the applicable period. Under the terms of our 2012 Plan, we pay non-refundable dividends to the holders of our nonvested shares. Applicable accounting guidance requires that the dividends paid to holders of these nonvested shares be charged as compensation expense to the extent that they relate to nonvested shares that do not or are not expected to vest. However, since we do not estimate forfeitures given our historical trends, we did not record any compensation expense related to dividends paid in the first three months of 2014 or 2013.