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Question 122.01

Question: A company has an equity incentive plan pursuant to which it grants awards that will vest, if at all, based on total shareholder return over a 3-year period. Awards were granted in 2005 ("2005 Awards") and will vest based on the company's total shareholder return from 1/1/05 through 12/31/07. 2006 was the second year of the 3-year performance period. Performance during 2005 was well above the maximum level. Performance during 2006 was below the threshold level. The combined performance for 2005 and 2006 would result in a payout at target if the performance period had ended on 12/31/06. Is it permissible to base disclosure on the actual multi-year performance to date (through the end of the last completed fiscal year)?
Answer: Yes. The number of shares or units reported in columns (d) or (i), and the payout value reported in column (j), should be based on achieving threshold performance goals, except that if performance during the last completed fiscal year (or, if the payout is based on performance to occur over more than one year, the last completed fiscal years over which performance is measured) has exceeded the threshold, the disclosure shall be based on the next higher performance measure (target or maximum) that exceeds the last completed fiscal year's performance (or, if the payout is based on performance to occur over more than one year, the last completed fiscal years over which performance is measured). [Aug. 8, 2007]

Question 122.02

Question: Instruction 2 to Item 402(f)(2) requires footnote disclosure of the vesting dates of the awards reported in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table. Can a company comply with this instruction by including a column in this table showing the grant date of each award reported and including a statement of the standard vesting schedule that applies to the reported awards?
Answer: Yes, provided, however, that if there is any different vesting schedule applicable to any of the awards, then the table would also need to include disclosure about any such vesting schedule. [July 3, 2008]

Question 122.03

Question: A company's performance-based restricted stock unit ("RSU") plan measures performance over a three-year period. After the end of the three-year performance period (2007-2009), the compensation committee will evaluate performance to determine the number of RSUs earned by the named executive officers. The named executive officers must remain employed by the company for a subsequent two-year service-based vesting period (2010-2011). Upon completion of service-based vesting, the company will pay the named executive officers the shares underlying the RSUs. In the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table for fiscal year 2009, how should information about the shares underlying the RSUs be reported?
Answer: The number of shares reported should be based on the actual number of shares underlying the RSUs that were earned at the end of the three-year performance period. This is the case even if this number will be determined after the 2009 fiscal year end. The shares should not be reported in columns (i) and (j) because they are no longer subject to performance-based conditions. Instead, the shares should be reported in columns (g) and (h) because they are subject to service-based vesting. [May 29, 2009]

Question 122.04

Question: Should a company include in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table in-kind earnings on restricted stock awards that have earned share dividends or share dividend equivalents?
Answer: Yes. Outstanding in-kind earnings at the end of the fiscal year should be included in the table. However, in-kind earnings that vested during the fiscal year, or in-kind earnings that are already vested when the dividends are declared, instead should be reported in the Option Exercises and Stock Vested Table under Item 402(g) of Regulation S-K. [Jan. 24, 2007]

Question 122.05

Question: Instruction 3 to Item 402(f)(2) states that the issuer should report the market value of equity incentive plan awards using the closing market price at the end of the last completed fiscal year. The next sentence, however, states that the number of shares or units reported should be based on achieving threshold performance goals, "except that if the previous fiscal year's performance" has exceeded the threshold, disclosure is based on the next higher measure. Is the "previous fiscal year" the same year as the last completed fiscal year, or the year that preceded the last completed fiscal year?
Answer: For this purpose, the "previous fiscal year" means the same year as the "last completed fiscal year." [Aug. 8, 2007]
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