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Share-based Compensation and Equity
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Share-based Compensation and Equity Share-based Compensation and Equity
Share-based compensation expense was as follows:
For the years ended December 31, 202120202019
Continuing operations
Stock options, net of estimated forfeitures$468 $1,291 $3,101 
Restricted stock awards8,427 8,957 7,224 
Total continuing operations$8,895 $10,248 $10,325 
Discontinued operations
Share-based compensation expense for discontinued operations1,277 3,050 2,669 
Total continuing and discontinued operations$10,172 $13,298 $12,994 

2007 Stock Incentive Plan

In 2007, Laureate's Board of Directors (the Board) approved the Laureate Education, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (2007 Plan). The total shares authorized under the 2007 Plan were 9,232. Shares that were forfeited, terminated, canceled, allowed to expire unexercised, withheld to satisfy tax withholding, or repurchased were available for re-issuance. Any awards that were not vested upon termination of employment for any reason were forfeited. Upon voluntary or involuntary termination without cause (including death or disability), the grantee (or the estate) has a specified period of time after termination to exercise options vested on or prior to termination. The 2007 Plan’s restricted stock awards have a claw-back feature whereby all vested shares, or the gross proceeds from the sale of those shares, must be returned to Laureate for no consideration if the employee does not abide by the agreed-upon restrictive covenants such as covenants not to compete and covenants not to solicit. Stock option awards under the 2007 Plan have a contractual life of 10 years and were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of Laureate’s stock at the date of grant. As of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, all outstanding awards that were granted under the 2007 Plan are fully vested. The 2007 Plan expired in 2017.

2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan

On June 13, 2013, the Board approved the Laureate Education, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (2013 Plan), as a successor plan to Laureate’s 2007 Plan. The 2013 Plan became effective in June 2013, following approval by the stockholders of Laureate. No awards have been made under the 2007 Plan since the 2013 Plan has been effective. Under the 2013 Plan, the Company may grant stock options, stock appreciation rights, unrestricted common stock or restricted stock, unrestricted stock units or restricted stock units, and other stock-based awards, to eligible individuals on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the 2013 Plan. As of the effective date in June 2013, the total number of shares of common stock issuable under the 2013 Plan were 7,521. In September 2015, the Board and Shareholders approved an amendment to increase the total number of shares of common stock issuable under the 2013 Plan by 1,219, and in December 2016, the Board and Shareholders approved an amendment to increase the total number of shares of common stock issuable under the 2013 Plan by 3,884. Shares that are forfeited, terminated, canceled, allowed to expire unexercised, withheld to satisfy tax withholding, or repurchased are available for re-issuance. Any awards that have not vested upon termination of employment for any reason are forfeited. Holders of restricted stock shall have all of the rights of a stockholder of common stock including, without limitation, the right to vote and the right to receive dividends. However, dividends declared payable on performance-based restricted stock shall be subjected to forfeiture at least until achievement of the applicable performance target related to such shares of restricted stock. Any accrued but unpaid dividends on unvested restricted stock shall be forfeited upon termination of employment. Holders of stock units do not have any rights of a stockholder of common stock and are not entitled to receive dividends. All awards outstanding under the 2013 Plan terminate upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Laureate.

Stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock units granted under the 2013 Plan have provisions for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control of Laureate. As defined in the 2013 Plan, a change in control means the first of the following to occur: (i) a change in ownership of Laureate or Wengen or (ii) a change in the ownership of assets of Laureate. A change in ownership of Laureate or Wengen shall occur on the date that more than 50% of the total voting power of the capital stock of Laureate is sold or more than 50% of the partnership interests of Wengen is sold in a single or a series of related transactions. A change in the ownership of assets of Laureate would occur if 80% or more of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of Laureate are sold during a 12-month period. The gross fair market value of Laureate is determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets. Upon consummation of the change in control and an employee’s “qualifying termination” (as defined in the employee's award agreement): (a) those time-based stock options and stock
appreciation rights that would have vested and become exercisable on or prior to the third anniversary of the effective time of change in control would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (b) those performance-based stock options and stock appreciation rights that would have vested and become exercisable had Laureate achieved the performance targets in the three fiscal years ending coincident with or immediately subsequent to the effective time of such change in control, excluding the portion of awards that would have vested only pursuant to any catch-up provisions, would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (c) those time-based restricted stock awards that would have become vested and free of forfeiture risk and lapse restriction on or prior to the third anniversary of the effective time of such change in control would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (d) those performance-based restricted stock awards that would have vested and become free of forfeiture risk and lapse restrictions had Laureate achieved the target performance in the three fiscal years ending coincident with or immediately subsequent to the effective time of such change in control would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (e) those time-based restricted stock units that would have become vested or earned on or prior to the third anniversary of the effective time of such change in control would become vested and earned and be settled in cash or shares of common stock as promptly as practicable; and (f) those performance-based restricted stock units, performance shares and performance units that would have become vested or earned had Laureate achieved the target performance in the three fiscal years ending coincident with or immediately subsequent to the effective time of such change in control would become vested and earned and be settled in cash or shares of common stock as promptly as practicable. After giving effect to the foregoing change in control acceleration, any remaining unvested time-based and performance-based stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares and performance share units shall be forfeited for no consideration.

As discussed in Note 1, Description of Business, on January 27, 2020, the Company announced that it would explore strategic alternatives for each of its businesses to unlock shareholder value. Also on January 27, 2020, in connection with such announcement, the Company's Board of Directors determined that any outstanding awards under the 2007 Plan and the 2013 Plan that are held by a participant at the time that such participant is terminated without cause as of and following January 27, 2020 and before a divestiture, sale, spin-off, or any other similar corporate transaction involving the participant's employing entity will receive the same treatment that such awards would have received upon a qualifying termination on or following a change in control (i.e., accelerated vesting of unvested equity awards in accordance with the terms of such awards).

Stock Options Under 2013 Plan

Stock option awards under the 2013 Plan generally have a contractual term of 10 years and are granted with an exercise price equal to or greater than the fair market value of Laureate’s stock at the date of grant. These options typically vest over a period of five or three years. There were no stock options granted in 2021 and 2020. All 698 of the options granted in 2019 were Time Options. The Performance Options previously granted under the 2013 Plan are eligible for vesting based on achieving annual pre-determined Equity Value performance targets or Adjusted EBITDA targets, as defined in the plan, and the continued service of the employee. Some of the performance-based awards include a catch-up provision, allowing the grantee to vest in any year in which a target is missed if a following year's target is achieved, as long as the following year is within eight years from the grant date.

Compensation expense is recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period. For Time Options, expense is recognized ratably over the five-year or three-year vesting period. For Performance Options, expense is recognized under a graded expense attribution method, to the extent that it is probable that the stated annual earnings target will be achieved and options will vest for any year. We assess the probability of each option tranche vesting throughout the life of each grant. As of December 31, 2021, all outstanding awards that were granted under the 2013 Plan are fully vested.

Amendment to 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan

On June 19, 2017, the Board approved, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment and restatement of the 2013 Plan. Among other things, the amendment (i) increases the number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to awards under the 2013 Plan to 14,714; (ii) adds performance metrics, the ability to grant cash awards, and annual limits on grants, intended to qualify awards as performance-based awards that are not subject to certain limits on tax deductibility of compensation payable to certain executives; and (iii) extends the term of the 2013 Plan to June 18, 2027, the day before the 10th anniversary of the date of adoption of the amendment. On June 19, 2017, the holder of the majority of the voting power of the Company's outstanding stock (the Majority Holder) approved by written consent the amended and restated 2013 Plan and it became effective.
Stock Option Activity for 2007 and 2013 Plans

The following tables summarize the stock option activity and the assumptions used to record the related share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019:
202120202019
OptionsWeighted Average Exercise PriceAggregate Intrinsic ValueOptionsWeighted Average Exercise PriceAggregate Intrinsic ValueOptionsWeighted Average Exercise PriceAggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at January 13,428 $17.85 $159 5,388 $18.18 $3,396 9,020 $18.79 $744 
Granted— — — — 698 14.99 
Exercised(583)12.25 883 (860)17.60 2,353 (1,569)16.95 794 
Forfeited or expired(682)20.14 (1,100)19.66 (2,761)20.06 
Outstanding at December 312,163 9.89 6,098 3,428 17.85 159 5,388 18.18 3,396 
Exercisable at December 312,163 9.89 6,098 3,292 17.97 159 4,846 18.50 2,136 
Vested and expected to vest2,163 9.89 6,098 3,426 17.85 159 5,274 18.20 3,344 
Options OutstandingOptions ExercisableAssumption Range*
Exercise PricesNumber
of Shares
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Terms (Years)
Number
of Shares
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Terms (Years)
Risk-Free
Interest Rate
Expected
Terms
in Years
Expected
Volatility
Year Ended December 31, 2021
$6.38 - $7.96
414 5.98414 5.98
2.68% - 3.05%
5.54 - 5.91
38.29% - 57.25%
$8.79 - $10.30
1,655 1.531,655 1.53
1.45% -2.34%
3.20 - 7.12
35.20% - 58.84%
$15.27 - $24.33
94 0.4494 0.44
0.76% -2.35%
4.16 - 6.52
39.38%- 53.80%
Year Ended December 31, 2020
$13.97 - $15.55
748 6.84625 6.58
1.99% - 3.05%
3.25 - 5.91
38.29% - 64.18%
$16.38 - $17.89
2,247 2.722,235 2.68
1.38% - 2.34%
 3.20 - 7.12
 35.20% - 58.84%
$21.00
146 0.70146 0.70
1.81%
 4.00
 57.79%
$22.88 - $31.92
287 0.76287 0.76
 0.73% - 2.86%
 4.00 - 6.52
 39.03% - 53.80%
Year Ended December 31, 2019
$13.97 - $15.55
944 7.89524 7.06
 1.81% - 3.05%
 3.25 - 5.91
 38.29% - 64.18%
$17.00 - $19.56
3,597 3.123,475 2.95
 1.38% - 2.94%
 2.60 - 10.00
 35.20% - 58.84%
$21.00 - $21.52
330 1.09330 1.09
 0.68% - 2.61%
 3.79 - 6.55
 38.16% - 57.79%
$22.32 - $31.92
517 1.44517 1.44
 0.60% - 3.03%
 3.18 - 6.52
 36.93% - 53.80%
* The expected dividend yield is zero for all options in all years.

The weighted-average estimated fair value of stock options granted during 2019 was $6.05 per share. As noted above, no stock options were granted in 2020 and 2021.

As of December 31, 2021, Laureate had $0 of unrecognized share-based compensation costs related to stock options outstanding.
Non-Vested Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

The following table summarizes the non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock units activity for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019:
202120202019
SharesWeighted Average Grant Date Fair ValueSharesWeighted Average Grant Date Fair ValueSharesWeighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested at January 11,000 $15.81 1,251 $14.69 1,895 $15.31 
Granted818 13.98 969 15.80 1,003 15.10 
Vested(822)15.01 (861)14.11 (765)16.18 
Forfeited(305)15.32 (359)15.95 (882)15.20 
Non-vested at December 31691 14.82 1,000 15.81 1,251 14.69 

Restricted stock units granted under the 2013 Plan consist of time-based restricted stock units (RSU) and performance-based restricted stock units (PSU) with various vesting periods over the next three to five years. PSUs are eligible to vest annually upon the Board's determination that the annual performance targets are met. The vesting percentage for PSUs is based on Laureate's attainment of a performance target or targets, provided that continued employment is required through the date the attainment of target is approved by the Compensation Committee.

The fair value of the non-vested restricted stock awards in the table above is measured using the fair value of Laureate’s common stock on the date of grant or the most recent modification date, whichever is later.

As of December 31, 2021, unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards was $5,471. Of the total unrecognized cost, $4,492 relates to time-based RSUs and $979 relates to PSUs. This unrecognized expense for time-based restricted stock and restricted stock units will be recognized over a weighted-average expense period of 1.1 years.

Other Stockholders' Equity Transactions

In June 2019, Wengen converted owned shares of the Company's Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock and sold a total of 10,955 shares of Class A common stock in a secondary offering at a price of $15.3032 per share. Wengen received all of the net proceeds from this offering and no shares of Class A common stock were sold by the Company.

In September 2019, Wengen converted owned shares of the Company's Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock and sold a total of 15,000 shares of Class A common stock in a secondary offering at a price of $16.85 per share, prior to underwriting discounts and commissions. Wengen received all of the net proceeds from this offering and no shares of Class A common stock were sold by the Company.

Effective October 29, 2021, each share of Company Class A common stock and each share of Company Class B common stock automatically converted into one share of common stock of the Company. Following the conversion, the Company has only one class of common stock outstanding.

Stock Repurchase Programs

On August 8, 2019, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had authorized a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $150,000 of the Company’s common stock. In early October 2019, the Company's stock repurchases reached the authorized limit of $150,000. On October 14, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors approved the increase of its existing authorization to repurchase shares of the Company's common stock by $150,000 for a total authorization (including the previously authorized repurchases) of up to $300,000 of the Company's common stock. The Company’s repurchases were made in a block trade, as well as on the open market at prevailing market prices and pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 stock repurchase plan, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). In January 2020, the Company repurchased 1,619 shares of its outstanding common stock for a total purchase price of $29,203 and reached the total authorized limit of $300,000.
On November 5, 2020, Laureate’s Board of Directors announced a new stock repurchase program to acquire up to $300,000 of the Company’s common stock. On April 30, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase of the above authorization to repurchase shares of the Company’s common stock by $200,000. On December 14, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase of the authorization to repurchase shares of the Company’s common stock by $100,000, for a total authorization (including the above authorized repurchases) of up to $600,000 of the Company’s common stock. The Company’s proposed repurchases may be made from time to time on the open market at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, in block trades and/or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. Repurchases may be effected pursuant to a trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act. The Company’s Board of Directors will review the share repurchase program periodically and may authorize adjustment of its terms and size or suspend or discontinue the program.

Special Cash Distributions

On September 15, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a plan of partial liquidation (the Partial Liquidation Plan) in connection with the sale of Walden e-Learning LLC. Pursuant to the Partial Liquidation Plan, the gross proceeds from the sale of the Walden Group, less expenses related to the sale, are to be distributed to the Company’s stockholders before the end of calendar year 2022. Notwithstanding the adoption of the Partial Liquidation Plan, the Company expects to continue operating as a going concern and a publicly traded company.

On September 15, 2021 after the adoption of the Partial Liquidation Plan, the Board approved the payment of a special cash distribution (the Distribution) pursuant to the Partial Liquidation Plan equal to $7.01 per each share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.004 per share, to each holder of record on October 6, 2021. The Distribution was paid on October 29, 2021, based on the number of shares outstanding on October 6, 2021. The aggregate amount of the Distribution was approximately $1,270,000. Nasdaq determined that the Company’s common stock would trade with "due bills" representing an assignment of the right to receive the Distribution during the period from October 5, 2021 through and including October 29, 2021 (the Due Bill Period). Stockholders who sold their shares during the Due Bill Period were not entitled to receive the Distribution. The Company’s shares began trading ex-dividend on November 1, 2021, the first business day after the payment date.

Gross proceeds from the sale included $74,000 held in escrow and approximately $83,600 of restricted cash related to collateralized regulatory obligations associated with activities of the divested business. Under the terms of the Partial Liquidation Plan, upon release of escrow amounts and restricted cash, the Company is required to distribute to stockholders any net proceeds from such amounts in the form of special distributions before December 31, 2022.

The restricted cash was released during the fourth quarter of 2021. Accordingly, on December 3, 2021, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved, pursuant to the previously announced Partial Liquidation Plan, the payment of a special cash distribution (the Second Distribution) equal to $0.58 per each share of the Company's common stock, par value $0.004 per share, to each holder of record on December 14, 2021. The Second Distribution was paid on December 28, 2021 and totaled approximately $105,000, based on the number of shares outstanding on December 14, 2021. The amount of the Second Distribution included the restricted cash that had been released, in addition to other net proceeds from the sale of Walden e-Learning LLC that had not yet been distributed to the Company’s stockholders. Gross proceeds remaining to be received from the sale include up to $74,000 held in escrow. In accordance with the Partial Liquidation Plan, upon release of escrow amounts, the Company intends to distribute to stockholders such remaining net proceeds in the form of a final special distribution before the end of calendar year 2022.

In connection with the Distribution, the Board of Directors approved certain required adjustments under the Company’s equity award compensation plans. These required equitable adjustments were effective on November 1, 2021 and were recorded in the consolidated financial statements during the fourth quarter of 2021. The exercise prices of the Company’s options were reduced by $7.01 per share, and holders of restricted and performance stock units will receive an amount in cash equal to $7.01 per unvested stock unit, payable when such unit vests. In connection with the Second Distribution, the Board of Directors also approved the required adjustments under the Company’s equity award compensation plans. These required equitable adjustments also were effective during the fourth quarter of 2021 and were recorded in the consolidated financial statements. The exercise prices of the Company’s options were reduced by $0.58 per share, and holders of restricted and performance stock units will receive an amount in cash equal to $0.58 per unvested stock unit, payable when such unit vests. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had recorded a payable of $6,932 related to the equitable adjustments for the equity award compensation plans.