Predecessor Awards under Predecessor Equity Plan
During the eight months ended August 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, 53,198 and 467,055 shares, respectively, of share-settled service-based RSAs and RSUs were granted to executive officers and directors. The Company determined compensation expense for these awards using their fair value at the grant date, which was based on the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock on such date. The weighted average grant date fair value of these service-based RSAs and RSUs was $4.94 per share and $24.65 per share for the eight months ended August 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, respectively. On March 31, 2020, all of the RSAs issued to executive officers in 2020 were forfeited and concurrently replaced with cash incentives. Refer to “2020 Compensation Adjustments” below for more information.
During the eight months ended August 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, 1,616,504 and 774,665 shares, respectively, of cash-settled, service-based RSUs were granted to executive officers and employees. The Company determined compensation expense for these awards using the fair value at the end of each reporting period, which was based on the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock on such date. On March 31, 2020, all of the RSUs issued to executive officers in 2020 were forfeited and concurrently replaced with cash incentives. Refer to “2020 Compensation Adjustments” below for more information.
During the eight months ended August 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, 1,665,153 and 347,493 shares, respectively, of PSAs and PSUs subject to certain market-based vesting criteria were granted to executive officers. These market-based awards were to cliff vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, however, on March 31, 2020, all of the PSAs and PSUs issued to executive officers in 2020 were forfeited and concurrently replaced with cash incentives. Refer to “2020 Compensation Adjustments” below for more information.
The grant date fair value of these PSAs and PSUs was estimated using the Monte Carlo Model. Expected volatility was calculated based on the historical volatility and implied volatility of Whiting’s common stock, and the risk-free interest rate was based on U.S. Treasury yield curve rates with maturities consistent with the three-year vesting period. The key assumptions used in valuing these market-based awards were as follows:
| | | | |
| | 2020 | | 2019 |
Number of simulations | | 2,500,000 | | 2,500,000 |
Expected volatility | | 76.52% | | 72.95% |
Risk-free interest rate | | 1.51% | | 2.60% |
Dividend yield | | — | | — |
The weighted average grant date fair value of the market-based awards that were to be settled in shares as determined by the Monte Carlo valuation model was $4.31 per share and $25.97 per share in the 2020 Predecessor Period and 2019, respectively.
For the eight months ended August 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, the total fair value of the Company’s service-based and market-based awards vested was $1 million and $12 million, respectively.
Total stock-based compensation expense for Predecessor restricted stock awards for the eight months ended August 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019 was $3 million and $8 million, respectively. As a result of the implementation of the Plan, the Company accelerated $4 million of expense related to unvested awards, which was recorded to reorganization items, net in the consolidated statements of operations during the 2020 Predecessor Period. Refer to the “Fresh Start Accounting” footnote for more information.
2020 Compensation Adjustments. All of the RSAs, RSUs, PSAs and PSUs granted to executive officers in 2020 under the Predecessor Equity Plan were forfeited on March 31, 2020 and were replaced with cash retention incentives. The cash retention incentives were subject to a service period and were subject to claw back provisions if an executive officer terminated employment for any reason other than a qualifying termination prior to the earlier of (i) the effective date of a plan of reorganization approved under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code or (ii) March 30, 2021. The transactions were considered concurrent replacements of the stock compensation awards previously issued. As such, the $12 million fair value of the awards, consisting of the after-tax value of the cash incentives, was capitalized and amortized over the period from the Petition Date to the Emergence Date, which amortization is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations for the 2020 Predecessor Period. The difference between the cash and after-tax value of the cash retention incentives of approximately $9 million, which was not subject to the claw back provisions contained within the agreements, was expensed to general and administrative expenses in the 2020 Predecessor Period.