9. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

On October 13, 2021, the Company’s board of directors adopted the 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), subject to stockholder approval, which was obtained on November 11, 2021. The 2021 Plan supplemented the 2011 Plan, which expired on May 11, 2021, and which replaced and superseded the 2009 Plan, as noted above. The Company’s outside directors and its employees, including the principal executive officer, principal financial officer and other named executive officers, and certain contractors are all eligible to participate in the 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan allows for the granting of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and upon such terms as are determined by the Board or a committee of the board that is designated to administer the 2021 Plan. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2021 Plan is 900,000 shares plus any increase by any Prior Plan Awards (as defined in the 2021 Plan) eligible for reuse (700,000 shares) as of December 31, 2024, of which one hundred percent (100%) may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options. As of December 31, 2024, there were 279,354 shares available for future grants under the Company’s 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan was initially administered by the Company’s board of directors, but it has been administered by the compensation committee following the creation of such committee in the first quarter of 2022.

 

The fair value of the stock options granted was measured using the Black-Scholes valuation model with the following assumptions:

  

   For the Years Ended December 31, 
   2024   2023 
Expected term (years)   5.0 - 6.0    5.0 - 6.0 
Risk-free interest rate   4.1% - 4.5%   3.5% - 4.4%
Expected volatility   112.3% - 125.7%   110.0% - 112.1%
Expected dividends   0.0%   0.0%

 

A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2024, is presented below:

 

   Stock
Options
   Weighted average
exercise
price
(1)
   Weighted
average remaining
contractual term
   Aggregate
intrinsic value
 
Outstanding as of January 1, 2024   706,167   $3.99           
Granted   75,146    4.28           
Exercised   (162,837)   1.69           
Forfeited/expired   (57,000)   8.71           
Outstanding as of December 31, 2024   561,476    4.22   5.27   $426 
Exercisable as of December 31, 2024   543,498    4.18    5.16    423 

 

(1)Exercise prices have been reduced by $1.50 per share as a result of the modification in connection with the special cash dividend declared for all common shareholders of record as of December 17, 2024.

 

 

A summary of the weighted-average grant-date fair value of options, total intrinsic value of options exercised, and cash receipts from options exercised is shown below:

 

   2024   2023 
   For the Years Ended December 31, 
   2024   2023 
Weighted-average fair value of options granted (per share)  $1.48   $0.97 
Intrinsic value gain of options exercised   453    52 
Cash receipts from exercise of options   519    50 

 

The following table presents information related to stock options as of December 31, 2024:

 

Options outstanding   Options exercisable
    Outstanding   Weighted average  Exercisable 
Exercise price   number of   remaining life  number of 
(1)   options   in years  options 
$0.18    10,000   5.3   10,000 
$1.67    11,000   7.4   11,000 
$1.81    144,667   6.4   144,667 
$2.18    1,000   1.2   1,000 
$2.32    1,309   0.0   - 
$3.75    50,000   8.4   50,000 
$4.10    4,000   3.3   4,000 
$4.42    70,000   9.9   70,000 
$4.60    10,000   8.7   3,333 
$5.75    5,000   8.6   1,666 
$5.80    236,000   2.3   236,000 
$5.99    2,500   8.5   2,500 
$6.11    2,500   8.6   833 
$6.77    5,000   8.5   1,666 
$7.00    2,500   8.5   833 
$7.48    6,000   0.3   6,000 
      561,476       543,498 

 

(1)Exercise prices have been reduced by $1.50 per share as a result of the modification in connection with the special cash dividend declared for all common shareholders of record as of December 17, 2024.

 

A summary of restricted stock unit (“RSU”) activity during the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 is as follows:

 

 

       Weighted-average   Weighted-average 
       grant-date   grant-date 
   Number of units   fair value per share   fair value 
Unvested restricted stock units as of January 1, 2023   250,000   $4.35   $1,087 
Units granted   100,000    5.75    575 
Units vested   (225,000)   4.97    (1,119)
Units forfeited   -    -    - 
Unvested restricted stock units as of January 1, 2024   125,000    4.35    543 
Units granted   50,000    5.92    296 
Units vested   (175,000)   4.80    (839)
Units forfeited   -    -    - 
Unvested restricted stock units as of December 31, 2024   -    -   $- 

 

During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, RSUs vested with an aggregate vest date fair value of $780 and $1,251, respectively.

 

2024

 

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued 10,000 shares of its common stock for consulting services with a fair value of $59.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued 175,000 shares of common stock to its Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) in connection with the vesting of 125,000 RSUs on May 1, 2024, and 50,000 RSUs on December 5, 2024.

 

 

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the CFO agreed to surrender shares of common stock to the Company, totaling an aggregate of 62,281 shares (57,541 shares on June 7, 2024, with a fair value of $220 and 4,740 shares on October 22, 2024, with a fair value of $29) in connection with income and payroll tax obligations paid by the Company in connection with the exercising of options and vesting of RSUs. The shares were cancelled and retired by the Company.

 

On November 12, 2024, the board of directors declared a one-time special cash dividend of $1.50 per share to shareholders of record as of December 17, 2024. All stock options that were outstanding as of the record date were modified to reduce the exercise price pursuant to the nondiscretionary anti-dilution provisions in the Company’s 2021 Plan. There was no incremental compensation expense related to the modification.

 

Stock based compensation expense recorded for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 was approximately $1,055 and $1,471, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, there was $80 of stock-based compensation expense remaining to be recognized in the consolidated statements of operations over a weighted average remaining period of 1.6 years.

 

2023

 

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued 10,000 shares of its common stock for consulting services with a fair value of $65.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued 100,000 shares of common stock to its Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) in connection with the vesting of 100,000 RSUs on May 11, 2023. The fair value of the RSUs on the date of grant was $575, which was recognized immediately.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued 250,000 shares of common stock to its CFO in connection with the vesting of 125,000 RSUs on May 1, 2022, and 125,000 RSUs on May 1, 2023. The fair value of the RSUs on the date of grant was $544, which was recognized immediately.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the CEO and CFO each individually agreed to surrender shares of common stock to the Company, totaling an aggregate of 117,082 shares with a fair value of $720 in connection with income and payroll tax obligations paid by the Company in connection with the vesting of the above mentioned RSUs. The shares were cancelled and retired by the Company.

 

 

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.