Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units

v3.21.1
Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units

NOTE 11 – STOCK OPTIONS AND RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

 

In 2016 to compensate officers, directors and other key service providers with equity grants, the Board approved the 2016 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (“2016 Plan”), which initially allowed for 160,000 shares of common stock, stock options, stock rights (restricted stock units), or stock appreciation rights to be granted by the Board in its discretion. This authorized amount was increased to 400,000 shares by Board resolution and amendment in 2017.

 

The Company issued 128,000 stock options in 2020, 40,000 each to two of the Company’s independent directors, 20,000 each to one other independent director and one Board observer, and 8,000 to a new director. The options issued to the directors and Board observer were fully vested upon issuance, are exercisable at a price of $0.50 per share, and expire ten years after issuance. The 8,000 options to the new director vest half in 12 months and the balance in 24 months, expire in five years, and are exercisable at $0.50 per share. The options were valued at $18,023 (pursuant to the Black Scholes valuation model see below), based on an exercise price of $0.50 per share and estimated expected term of 5.0 years. This has been classified in general and administrative expense in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.

 

Option Repricing

 

On January 6, 2020, the compensation committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, approved a one-time stock option repricing program (the “Option Repricing”) to permit the Company to reprice certain options to purchase the Company’s Common Stock held by its current directors, officers and employees (the “Eligible Options”), which actions became effective on January 6, 2020. Under the Option Repricing, Eligible Options with an exercise price at or above $2.50 per share (representing an aggregate of 252,440 options, or 54% of the total outstanding) were amended to reduce such exercise price to $0.50.

 

The impact of the Option Repricing was a one-time incremental non-cash charge of $6,304, which was recorded as stock option expense in the first quarter of 2020 which is included in general and administrative expenses on the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations.

 

Total stock-based compensation for stock options issued and the one-time incremental charge for the Option Repricing for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $24,327. There was no stock-based compensation recognized in 2019 related to stock options.

 

A summary of the common stock options issued under the 2016 Plan and prior stock option plans for the year ended December 31, 2020 is as follows (shares and prices have been adjusted to account for a 25:1 reverse split):

 

   

Number

Outstanding

   

Weighted

Avg. Exercise

Price

   

Weighted

Avg.

Remaining

Contractual

Life (Years)

 
Balance, December 31, 2019     340,619     $ 3.00       3.9  
Options issued     128,000       0.50       8.9  
Balance, December 31, 2020     468,619       1.75       5.6  

 

The vested and exercisable options at period end follows:

 

   

Exercisable/

Vested

Options Outstanding

   

Weighted

Avg. Exercise

Price

   

Weighted

Avg.

Remaining Contractual

Life (Years)

 
Balance, December 31, 2020     464,619     $ 1.75       5.6  
                         

 

The fair value of new stock options granted and repriced stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model was calculated using the following assumptions for the year ended December 31, 2020:

 

   

Year Ended

December 31, 2020

 
Risk free interest rate     1.610 %
Expected volatility     149.67 %
Expected dividend yield     - %
Expected term in years     5.0  

 

Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of a group of 4 comparable companies, due to the low trading volume of the Company’s own stock. Short Term U.S. Treasury rates were utilized as the risk-free interest rate. The expected term of the options was calculated using the alternative simplified method codified as ASC 718 “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation,” which defines the expected life as the average of the contractual term of the options and the weighted average vesting period for all issuances.