Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Equity Based Compensation of the Company

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Equity Based Compensation of the Company (Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc [Member])
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc [Member]
 
Equity Based Compensation of the Company
Equity Based Compensation of the Company

We have a shareholder approved equity-based compensation plan, the Amended and Restated Incentive Award Plan of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and Tanger Properties Limited Partnership (the "Plan"), which covers our independent directors, officers and our employees. For each common share issued by the Company, the Operating Partnership issues one corresponding unit of partnership interest to the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries. Therefore, when the Company grants an equity based award, the Operating Partnership treats each award as having been granted by the Operating Partnership. In the discussion below, the term "we" refers to the Company and the Operating Partnership together and the term "shares" is meant to also include corresponding units of the Operating Partnership.

During the first quarter of 2010, the Company's Compensation Committee Approved the general terms of the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. 2010 Multi-Year Performance Plan, (the "2010 Multi Year Performance Plan"). Under the 2010 Multi-Year Performance Plan, we granted 392,000 notional units, net of notional units forfeited, to award recipients as a group, which would convert into restricted common shares on a one-for one basis, one-for two basis, or one-for-three basis depending upon the amount by which the Company's common shares appreciated above a minimum level over a four year performance period ending December 31, 2013, not to exceed a total value of approximately $32.2 million. Based on the Company's performance over the four year measurement period, we issued 933,769 restricted common shares in January 2014 which will vest on December 31, 2014 contingent on continued employment through the vesting date. In accordance with the plan, on December 31, 2013, we paid approximately $3.8 million which represented cumulative dividends that would have been paid to the award recipients had the number of earned common shares been issued at the beginning of the performance period.

In February 2014, the Company's Board of Directors approved the grant of 282,500 options to non-executive employees of the Company. The exercise price of the options granted during the first quarter of 2014 is $32.02 which equaled the closing market price of the Company's common shares on the day prior to the grant date. The options expire 10 years from the date of grant and 20% of the options become exercisable in each of the first five years commencing one year from the date of grant. The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions: expected dividend yield 2.8%; expected life of 7 years; expected volatility of 32%; a risk-free rate of 2.46%; and forfeiture rates of 3.0% to 13.5% dependent upon the employee's position within the Company.

During February 2014, the Company's Board of Directors approved grants of 373,960 restricted common shares to the Company's independent directors and the Company's senior executive officers. The grant date fair value of the awards ranged from $27.90 to $33.82 per share. The independent directors' restricted common shares vest ratably over a three year period and the senior executive officers' restricted shares vest ratably over a five year period. For the grant to our chief executive officer, the grant has a provision that requires the chief executive officer to hold the shares for a minimum of three years following the vesting date. Compensation expense related to the amortization of the deferred compensation is being recognized in accordance with the vesting schedule of the restricted shares.

In February 2014, the Compensation Committee of the Company approved the general terms of the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. 2014 Outperformance Plan (the “2014 OPP"). The 2014 OPP provides for the grant of performance shares under the Amended and Restated Incentive Award Plan of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. The 2014 OPP is a long-term incentive compensation plan pursuant to which award recipients may earn up to an aggregate of 329,700 restricted common shares of the Company based on the Company’s absolute share price appreciation (or total shareholder return) and its share price appreciation relative to its peer group, over a three year measurement period from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2016.

We recorded share-based compensation expense in general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations as follows (in thousands):
 
 
Three months ended
 
 
March 31,
 
 
2014
 
2013
Restricted common shares
 
$
2,306

 
$
1,889

Notional unit performance awards
 
946

 
528

Options
 
114

 
43

Total share-based compensation
 
$
3,366

 
$
2,460



Share-based compensation expense capitalized as a part of rental property and deferred lease costs for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 was $159,000 and $21,000, respectively.