Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Stock-Based Compensation

v3.20.1
Stock-Based Compensation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Stock-Based Compensation

14. Stock-Based Compensation

 

Equity Incentive Plans – The Company’s 2013 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2013 Plan”) was adopted for the purpose of providing equity incentives to employees, officers, directors and consultants including options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, other equity awards, annual incentive awards and dividend equivalents. The Company amended the 2013 Plan to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock under the Plan from 225,000 shares to 615,000 shares, which the Company’s stockholders approved on June 26, 2017. The Company further amended the 2013 Plan to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock under the Plan by 300,000 shares, which the Company’s stockholders approved and ratified on November 8, 2018. The Company is now authorized to issue 915,000 shares under the amended 2013 Plan.

 

Stock Options

 

The fair value of options is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The valuation determined by the Black-Scholes pricing model is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors. The risk free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rate for the expected life at the time of grant, volatility is based on the average long-term implied volatilities of peer companies, the expected life is based on the estimated average of the life of options using the simplified method, and forfeitures are estimated on the date of grant based on certain historical data. The Company utilizes the simplified method to determine the expected life of its options due to insufficient exercise activity during recent years as a basis from which to estimate future exercise patterns. The expected dividend assumption is based on the Company’s history and expectation of dividend payouts.

 

Forfeitures are required to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

 

The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

    Number of
Options
    Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
    Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
(in Years)
    Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
 
Outstanding – January 1, 2019     499,439     $ 6.94       9.0     $ -  
Granted     30,000       2.23                  
Exercised     -       -                  
Forfeited or Canceled     (233,646 )     3.87                  
Outstanding – December 31, 2019     295,793     $ 8.88       7.5     $ -  
                                 
Exercisable – December 31, 2019     275,793       9.37       7.4     $ -  

 

    Number of
Options
    Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
    Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
(in Years)
    Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
 
Outstanding – January 1, 2018     246,564     $ 11.17       9.1     $ -  
Granted     253,000       2.82                  
Exercised     -       -                  
Forfeited or Canceled     (125 )     27.6                  
Outstanding – December 31, 2018     499,439     $ 6.94       9.0     $ -  
                                 
Exercisable – December 31, 2018     251,272       8.49       8.8     $ -  

 

On March 11, 2019, the Company granted 30,000 stock options to CFO Adam He, in connection with his employment agreement. These options had an aggregate fair value of $53,400, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

Risk-free interest rate     2.44 %
Expected dividend yield     0.00 %
Expected volatility     102.71 %
Expected term     5.75 years  

 

The March 11, 2019 options granted are exercisable at an exercise price of $2.23 over a ten-year term and vest over two years, with one-third vested upon grant.

 

The Company recorded non-cash compensation expense of approximately $24,000 and $659,000 as a component of general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, pertaining to stock options.

 

Total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options at December 31, 2019 amounts to approximately $21,000 and is expected to be recognized over a remaining weighted average period of 1.2 years.

 

Warrants

 

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were 125,000 warrants outstanding and exercisable, with a weighted average exercise price of $20.00 per share, and 170,314 warrants outstanding and exercisable, with a weighted average exercise price of $32.44 per share, respectively. The weighted average remaining contractual life of the warrants outstanding and exercisable at December 31, 2019 and 2018 was 2.0 and 2.6 years, respectively, and the aggregate intrinsic value was $0.

 

Restricted Stock

 

A summary of restricted stock activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 is as follows:

 

    Number of
Shares
 
Unvested - December 31, 2018     60,651  
Granted     47,568  
Vested     (67,035 )
Forfeited or Canceled     (13,865 )
Unvested – December 31, 2019     27,319  

 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company granted 46,402 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to certain Board members and 1,166 RSUs to CFO Adam He. The RSUs granted to Board members vest one year after they were awarded (with the ex, subject to continued service on the vesting date), and the RSUs granted to CFO Adam He vested immediately. The RSUs have no voting or dividend rights. The fair value of the common stock on the dates of grant were $3.09 and $3.32 per share, based upon the closing market price on the grant dates. The aggregate grant date fair value of the combined awards amounted to $156,000.

 

The Company recorded non-cash compensation expense of $201,000 and $141,000 as a component of general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, pertaining to restricted stock.

 

Total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock at December 31, 2019 amounts to $14,000 and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.1 year.