Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock-Based Compensation

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Stock-Based Compensation
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2024
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Stock-Based Compensation
18. Stock-Based Compensation:
The Company has an equity incentive plan under which it grants common stock awards to employees, directors and affiliates of the Company. At June 30, 2024, 8,032,299 shares of common stock were available for issuance under the plan. The Company historically has settled these awards through the issuance of new shares.
RSU
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company granted 1,126,166 RSUs under its equity incentive plan. Each RSU provides the recipient with the right to receive a share of common stock subject to graded vesting terms based on service, which for the awards granted during the six months ended June 30, 2024, generally requires approximately one year of service for members of the Company’s board of directors and approximately three years of service for employees. The value of the RSUs granted during the six months ended June 30, 2024 was based on the average of the high and low trading prices of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE on the preceding trading day, in accordance with the Company’s policy for valuing such awards. Compensation expense related to the RSUs is recognized on a straight-line basis over the respective vesting period.
PSU
2024 Grants
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company granted 535,629 PSUs (at target) under its equity incentive plan. The PSUs granted during the six months ended June 30, 2024 provide the recipients with the right to receive shares of common stock dependent on 50% of a Company-specific financial performance target and 50% on the relative increase in the total shareholder return (“TSR”) goal (“the Performance measures”). The Performance measures are measured independently of each other, but achievement of both metrics is measured on the same three-year performance period from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026 (“Performance period”). Depending on the Company’s performance relative to the Performance measures, each PSU award recipient is eligible to receive a percentage of the target number of shares granted to the recipient, ranging from 50% to 200%. The PSUs, to the extent earned, will vest on the date the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (“Compensation Committee”) certifies the achievement of the Performance measures for the Performance period, which will occur subsequent to the end of the Performance period and after the Company files its annual consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2026.
Achievement of the Company-specific financial performance target is measured based on the actual three-year cumulative results across the Performance period. The TSR goal is based on the Company’s actual TSR performance against companies in the S&P 1500 Specialty Chemicals Index over the Performance period. The TSR goal, which determines how much of the 50% of the PSUs granted during 2024 may be earned, is considered a market condition as opposed to a vesting condition. Because a market condition is not considered a vesting condition, it is reflected in the grant date fair value of the award and the associated compensation cost based on the fair value of the award is recognized over the Performance period, regardless of whether the Company actually achieves the market condition or the level of achievement, as long as service is provided by the recipient.
The Company used a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the $11.64 weighted average fair value of the awards granted subject to the TSR goal during the six months ended June 30, 2024, with the following weighted average assumptions:

Expected dividend yield —  %
Risk-free interest rate 4.09  %
Expected volatility 39.45  %
Expected term (in years) 2.95

2021 Grants
In February 2024, the Compensation Committee certified the achievement of the performance metrics for the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, related to the PSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2021. The PSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2021 provide the recipients with the right to receive shares of common stock dependent on the achievement of a TSR goal, and are generally subject to the provision of service through the vesting date of the award. The TSR goal was based on the Company’s actual TSR percentage increase over the performance period. The awards vested during the six months ended June 30, 2024 with no percentage of the TSR goal earned.
Award Activity
The following table summarizes the activity for the Company’s RSUs and PSUs for the six months ended June 30, 2024:
Restricted Stock Units Performance Stock Units
Number of
units
Weighted average grant date fair value (per share) Number of
units
Weighted average grant date fair value (per share)
Nonvested as of December 31, 2023 1,962,828  $ 10.55  959,217  (1) $ 11.84 
Granted 1,126,166  $ 8.84  535,629  $ 10.23 
Vested (999,788) $ 11.10  —  $ — 
Forfeited (21,597) $ 10.19  (126,497) $ 12.99 
Nonvested as of June 30, 2024 2,067,609  $ 9.36  1,368,349  (1) $ 11.10 
(1)Based on target.
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company also granted 4,540 of RSAs with a weighted average grant date fair value of $8.81 per share that immediately vested. Cash proceeds received by the Company from the exercise of stock options were not material for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
For the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, stock-based compensation expense for the Company was $3,827 and $5,002, respectively. The associated income tax benefit based on the applicable statutory rate recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 was $939 and $1,181, respectively.
For the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, stock-based compensation expense for the Company was $7,507 and $9,070, respectively. The associated income tax benefit based on the applicable statutory rate recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of income for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 was $1,841 and $2,154, respectively.
As of June 30, 2024, unrecognized compensation cost was $14,391 for RSUs and $9,474 for PSUs considered probable of vesting, and the weighted-average period over which these costs are expected to be recognized at June 30, 2024 was 1.84 years for the RSUs and 2.13 years for the PSUs.