During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company repurchased 11,140,637 shares of Class A common stock for a total purchase price of approximately $119.6 million. Under the current repurchase plans, the total purchase price of shares repurchased by the Company was approximately $138.5 million, and as of September 30, 2021, the value of shares that was available for repurchase under the repurchase plans was $11.5 million.
Redemption of 8.250% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock
On February 26, 2021, the Company redeemed all 2,201,547 outstanding shares of its Series A Preferred Stock at a redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus accrued and unpaid dividends up to, and including, the date of redemption in an amount equal to $0.320833 per share, for a total payment of $25.320833 per share, in cash.
Operating Partnership and Long-Term Incentive Plan Units
As of September 30, 2021, limited partners other than the Company owned approximately 30.44% of the common units of the Operating Partnership (6,309,672 OP Units, or 16.75%, is held by OP Unit holders, and 5,153,607 LTIP Units, or 13.69%, is held by LTIP Unit holders, including 5.92% which are not vested at September 30, 2021). Subject to certain restrictions set forth in the Operating Partnership’s Partnership Agreement, OP Units are exchangeable for Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, or, at the Company’s election, redeemable for cash. LTIP Units may be convertible into OP Units under certain conditions and then may be settled in shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, or, at the Company’s election, cash.
Equity Incentive Plans
LTIP Unit Grants
On January 1, 2021, the Company granted 277,001 time-based LTIP Units and 554,003 performance-based LTIP Units to various executive officers under the Fourth Amended 2014 Incentive Plans (“Incentive Plans”) pursuant to the executive officers’ employment and service agreements. The time-based LTIP Units vest over three years, while the performance-based LTIP Units are subject to a three-year performance period and will thereafter vest upon successful achievement of performance-based conditions. All such LTIP Unit grants require continuous employment for vesting.
In addition, on January 1, 2021, the Company granted 7,381 LTIP Units pursuant to the Incentive Plans to each independent member of the Board in payment of the equity portion of their respective annual retainers. Such LTIP Units were fully vested upon issuance and the Company recognized expense of $0.4 million immediately based on the fair value at the date of grant.
The Company granted LTIP Units to 2 executive officers under the Incentive Plans in lieu of cash payment of an agreed upon portion of the executive officers’ base salary, with the remaining portion payable in cash, as follows: an aggregate of 19,683 LTIP Units granted on February 16, 2021 for the first quarter 2021, an aggregate of 23,206 LTIP Units granted on May 11, 2021 for the second quarter 2021, and an aggregate of 19,209 LTIP Units granted on August 3, 2021 for the third quarter 2021.
On March 25, 2021, the Company granted an aggregate of 193,112 LTIP Units to various executive officers under the Incentive Plans pursuant to the executive officers’ employment or service agreements in lieu of cash payment of annual incentive bonuses for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. Of the LTIP Units granted, 144,173 LTIP Units were fully vested upon issuance, with the remaining 48,939 LTIP Units to vest on the first anniversary of the date of grant.
On April 1, 2021, the Company granted 22,598 LTIP Units to an employee under the Incentive Plans. Such LTIP Units will vest in three equal installments on each anniversary of the date of grant.
The Company recognizes compensation expense ratably over the requisite service periods for time-based LTIP Units based on the fair value at the date of grant; thus, the Company recognized compensation expense of approximately $1.0 million and $1.0 million, and $3.0 million and $2.9 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company recognizes compensation expense based on the fair value at the date of grant and the probability of achievement of performance criteria over the performance period for performance-based LTIP Units; thus, the Company recognized approximately $0.9 million and $0.8 million, and $2.7 million and $2.1 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.