STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Under the Atmus 2022 Omnibus Incentive Plan, Atmus is authorized to issue a maximum of 7.5 million shares of common stock to Atmus employees and non-employee directors.
Restricted Stock Units and Performance Share Units
During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, Atmus recognized compensation expense related to RSUs and PSUs, as a component of Selling, general, and administrative expense, in its Consolidated Statements of Income of $12.4 million, $11.9 million, and $5.5 million, respectively. The unamortized compensation expense related to Atmus RSUs and PSUs was $16.0 million and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years.
Our RSU and PSU activity is reflected below:
Number of SharesGrant DateWeighted-Average Fair Value Per ShareWeighted-Average Aggregate Fair Value
Balance at January 1, 2023
— $— 
Granted763,480 Various28.34 $21.6  million
Vested— — 
Forfeited— — 
Balance at December 31, 2023
763,480 $28.34 
Granted391,385 
Various
36.78 $14.4  million
Vested(52,894)28.03 $1.5  million
Forfeited(80,774)31.40 
Balance at December 31, 2024
1,021,197 $31.35 
Granted364,357 Various37.24$13.6  million
Vested(130,499)24.25 $3.2  million
Forfeited(52,740)25.54 
Balance at December 31, 2025
1,202,315 $34.16 

About Stock Compensation Disclosures

Stock-based compensation disclosures detail the equity awards granted to employees and executives — including stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and performance shares — along with the valuation methods and assumptions used to expense them. This section reveals the true cost of talent retention and the alignment between management incentives and shareholder interests.

Key signals: total unrecognized compensation expense and its expected recognition period signal future earnings headwinds from already-granted awards. For stock options, examine Black-Scholes assumptions — expected volatility, risk-free rate, and expected term — as understating any of these reduces reported compensation expense. Compare stock compensation expense as a percentage of revenue against peers to assess dilution cost. Watch vesting schedules for acceleration clauses tied to change-of-control events. Performance-based awards with undemanding targets may indicate weak governance. Add back stock compensation to operating cash flow to calculate a more conservative free cash flow figure.