Note 13 – Share-Based Compensation

On July 7, 2015, the Company adopted the Seritage Growth Properties 2015 Share Plan (the “Plan”). The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan is 3,250,000. The Plan provides for grants of restricted shares, share units, other share-based awards, options, and share appreciation rights, each as defined in the Plan (collectively, the “Awards”). Directors, officers, other employees, and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates are eligible for Awards.

Restricted Shares and Share Units

Pursuant to the Plan, the Company has periodically made grants of restricted shares or share units. The vesting terms of these grants are specific to the individual grant and vary in that a portion of the restricted shares and share units vest in equal annual amounts over the subsequent three years (time-based vesting) and a portion of the restricted shares and share units vest on the third, and in some instances, the fourth anniversary of the grants subject to the achievement of certain performance criteria (performance-based and market-based vesting).

In general, participating employees are required to remain employed for vesting to occur (subject to certain limited exceptions). Restricted shares and share units that do not vest are forfeited. Dividends on restricted shares and share units with time-based vesting are paid to holders of such shares and share units and are not returnable, even if the underlying shares or share units do not ultimately vest. Dividends on restricted shares and share units with performance-based vesting are accrued when declared and paid to holders of such shares on the third, and in some instances, the fourth anniversary of the initial grant subject to the vesting of the underlying shares. See Note 2 for valuation information related to the grants of the awards that are subject to market-based vesting conditions.

The following table summarizes restricted share activity for the grant periods ended December 31, 2025, and 2024:

 

 

 

Year Ended December 31, 2025

 

 

Year Ended December 31, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Grant

 

 

 

 

 

Average Grant

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Date Fair Value

 

 

Shares

 

 

Date Fair Value

 

Unvested restricted shares at beginning of period

 

 

87,899

 

 

$

11.31

 

 

 

361,645

 

 

$

14.27

 

Restricted shares vested

 

 

(87,899

)

 

 

11.31

 

 

 

(141,771

)

 

 

13.42

 

Restricted shares forfeited

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(131,975

)

 

 

17.18

 

Unvested restricted shares at end of period

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

87,899

 

 

$

11.31

 

The Company recognized $0.2 million and $1.5 million in share-based compensation expense related to the restricted shares for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Compensation expenses related to the restricted shares are included in general and administrative expenses on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

As of December 31, 2025, there were no outstanding restricted shares. As of December 31, 2024, there were approximately $0.2 million of total unrecognized compensation costs related to the outstanding restricted shares which was expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 0.2 years.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 31, 2026Showing above
2024Mar 31, 2025
2023Apr 1, 2024
2022Mar 14, 2023
2021Mar 16, 2022
2020Mar 15, 2021

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.