SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION AND BENEFIT PLANS | 10. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION AND BENEFIT PLANS Share-Based Compensation Plans We have two share-based compensation plans for employees. The 2021 Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2021 Plan”) provides for the award of a broad variety of share-based compensation alternatives such as restricted stock, non-qualified non-qualified Under the 2021 Plan, the number of shares of Common and Class B common stock available for issuance is (i) 2,500,000, plus (ii) 7,327 shares of Common stock or Class B common stock that remained available for grant in connection with awards under the Watsco, Inc. 2014 Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2014 Plan”) on the date on which our shareholders approved the 2021 Plan, plus (iii) shares underlying currently outstanding awards issued under the 2014 Plan, which shares become reissuable under the 2021 Plan to the extent that such underlying shares are not issued due to their forfeiture, expiration, termination or otherwise. A total of 178,439 shares of Common and Class B common stock, net of cancellations, had been awarded under the 2021 Plan as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, 2,328,888 shares of common stock were reserved for future grants under the 2021 Plan. Options under the 2021 Plan vest over two Our second plan, the , , but outstanding awards remain outstanding in accordance with their respective terms two The following is a summary of stock option activity under the 2021 Plan and the 2014 Plan as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023: Options Weighted- Weighted- (in years) Aggregate Options outstanding at December 31, 2022 559,625 $ 225.01 Granted 54,471 344.05 Exercised (181,289 ) 174.92 Forfeited (21,942 ) 263.84 Expired — — Options outstanding at December 31, 2023 410,865 $ 260.82 2.57 $ 68,882 Options exercisable at December 31, 2023 86,340 $ 202.25 1.54 $ 19,532 The following is a summary of restricted stock activity as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023: Shares Weighted- Restricted stock outstanding at December 31, 2022 2,589,261 $ 112.53 Granted 180,617 302.71 Vested (19,401 ) 107.81 Forfeited (13,796 ) 243.17 Restricted stock outstanding at December 31, 2023 2,736,681 $ 124.56 The weighted-average grant date fair value of restricted stock granted during 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $302.71, $290.55, and $254.73, respectively. The fair value of restricted stock that vested during 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $5,745, $271,781, and $3,646, respectively. During 2023, 7,585 shares of Common and Class B common stock with an aggregate fair market value of $2,215 were withheld as payment in lieu of cash to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock. During 2022, 320,468 shares of Class B common stock, which include the 311,408 surrendered shares referenced below, with an aggregate fair market value of $87,049 were withheld as payment in lieu of cash to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock. During 2021, 3,858 shares of Class B common stock with an aggregate fair market value of $1,078 were withheld as payment in lieu of cash to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock. These shares were retired upon delivery. 2022 On October 15, 2022, 975,622 shares of Class B restricted stock previously granted to our CEO during the period from 1997 to 2011 under various performance-based incentive plans vested. The vested shares had a value of $265,106 based on the closing price of our Class B common stock as of that date, which is deductible in our 2022 income tax return. The vesting of shares provided a cash benefit of approximately $67,000 in 2022 and reduced our provision for income taxes in 2022 by approximately $49,000. This vested value constitutes taxable compensation to our CEO for income tax purposes and was subject to statutory withholding. Upon vesting, we funded $104,319 in statutory withholding, which, in turn, was satisfied by the CEO through a cash payment to us of $19,700 and by the surrendering of 311,408 shares of Class B common stock. Accordingly, 664,214 shares of Class B common stock were retained by the CEO, and we retired the surrendered shares. Share-Based Compensation Fair Value Assumptions The fair value of each stock option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing valuation model based on the weighted-average assumptions noted in the table below. The fair value of each stock option award, which is subject to graded vesting, is expensed, net of estimated forfeitures, on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for each separately vesting portion of the stock option. We use historical data to estimate stock option forfeitures. The expected term of stock option awards granted represents the period of time that stock option awards granted are expected to be outstanding and was calculated using the simplified method for plain vanilla options, which we believe provides a reasonable estimate of expected life based on our historical data. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the stock option award is based on the yield curve of a zero-coupon The following table presents the weighted-average assumptions used for stock options granted: Years Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 Expected term in years 4.25 4.25 4.25 Risk-free interest rate 4.11 % 3.04 % 0.79 % Expected volatility 25.38 % 23.10 % 21.85 % Expected dividend yield 3.15 % 2.84 % 2.97 % Grant date fair value $ 67.32 $ 46.60 $ 34.79 Exercise of Stock Options The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $30,515, $13,046, and $16,903, respectively. Cash received from the exercise of stock options during 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $26,835, $18,425, and $19,338, respectively. The tax benefit from stock option exercises during 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $6,617, $2,658, and $3,595, respectively. During 2023, 2022, and 2021, 17,687 shares of Common stock with an aggregate fair market value of $5,489, 1,592 shares of Common stock with an aggregate fair market value of $438 and 4,040 shares of Common stock with an aggregate fair market value of $1,179, respectively, were withheld as payment in lieu of cash for stock option exercises and related tax withholdings. These shares were retired upon delivery. Share-Based Compensation Expense The following table provides information on share-based compensation expense: Years Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 Stock options $ 3,603 $ 3,856 $ 2,908 Restricted stock 26,397 24,965 22,457 Share-based compensation expense $ 30,000 $ 28,821 $ 25,365 At December 31, 2023, there was $7,650 of unrecognized pre-tax At December 31, 2023, there was $219,771 of unrecognized pre-tax compensation expense would be immediately recognized as a charge to earnings with a corresponding tax benefit. At December , , we were obligated to issue shares of restricted stock to our CEO that vest in years, shares of restricted stock to our President that vest in years, and an estimated shares of restricted stock to various key leaders that vest in 5-12 years in connection with ’s performance-based incentive compensation program. Employee Stock Purchase Plan The Watsco, Inc. Fourth Amended and Restated 1996 Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) provides for up to 1,500,000 shares of Common stock to be available for purchase by our full-time employees with at least 90 days of service. The ESPP allows participating employees to purchase shares of Common stock at a 5% discount to the fair market value at specified times. During 2023, 2022, and 2021, employees purchased 4,096, 4,101, and 3,501 shares of Common stock at an average price of $306.80, $262.57, and $239.11 per share, respectively. Cash dividends received by the ESPP were reinvested in Common stock and resulted in the issuance of 3,079, 3,365, and 2,962 additional shares during 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. We received net proceeds of $2,292, $1,997, and $1,676, respectively, during 2023, 2022, and 2021, for shares of our Common stock purchased under the ESPP. At December 31, 2023, 436,304 shares remained available for purchase under the ESPP. 401(k) Plan We have a profit sharing retirement plan for our employees that is qualified under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Annual matching contributions are made based on a percentage of eligible employee compensation deferrals. The contribution has historically been made with the issuance of Common stock to the plan on behalf of our employees. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we issued 35,533, 21,560, and 22,752 shares of Common stock, respectively, to the plan, representing the Common stock discretionary matching contribution of $8,862, $6,746, and $5,154, respectively. |