Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

v3.3.1.900
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Text Block]
14.
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
 
In April 2014, the Company adopted the Medical Transcription Billing, Corp. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”), reserving a total of 1,351,000 shares of common stock for grants to employees, officers, directors and consultants. As of December 31, 2015, 770,900 shares are available for grant. Permissible awards include incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance stock and cash-settled awards and other stock-based awards in the discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors including unrestricted stock grants.
 
The RSUs contain a provision in which the units shall immediately vest and become converted into the right to receive a cash payment payable on the original vesting date after a change in control as defined in the award agreement.
 
The Company recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the total requisite service period for the entire award. For RSUs classified as equity, the market price of our common stock on the date of grant is used in recording the fair value of the award. For RSUs classified as a liability, the earned amount is marked to market based on the end of period common stock price. Certain RSUs were granted prior to the IPO. The Company engaged a third-party valuation specialist to assist the Company in determining the fair value of those RSUs, which were determined to be $3.60 at the date of grant. The weighted average grant date fair value of the common stock price in connection with the RSUs classified as equity was  $2.39 and  $3.70 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The aggregate compensation cost of RSUs recorded under the 2014 Plan was $628,792 and $258,878 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and recorded as follows:
 
 
 
Year ended December 31,
 
Stock-based compensation included in the Consolidated Statement of Operations:
 
2015
 
2014
 
Direct operating costs
 
$
21,267
 
$
5,090
 
General and administrative
 
 
581,040
 
 
253,788
 
Research and development
 
 
22,226
 
 
-
 
Selling and marketing
 
 
4,259
 
 
-
 
      Total stock-based compensation expense
 
$
628,792
 
$
258,878
 
 
The following table summarizes the RSU transactions under the 2014 Plan for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
Shares
 
Outstanding and unvested at January 1, 2014
 
 
-
 
Granted
 
 
513,500
 
Vested
 
 
-
 
Forfeited
 
 
(31,250)
 
Outstanding and unvested at December 31, 2014
 
 
482,250
 
Granted
 
 
221,600
 
Vested
 
 
(193,367)
 
Forfeited
 
 
(123,750)
 
Outstanding and unvested at December 31, 2015
 
 
386,733
 
 
As of December 31, 2015, there was $733,050 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the restricted stock awards. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.6 years.
 
The following table summarizes the RSU activity during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the amount available for grant at December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
Shares
 
Shares authorized under the 2014 Plan
 
 
1,351,000
 
RSUs issued
 
 
(513,500)
 
RSUs forfeited
 
 
31,250
 
Shares available for grant at December 31, 2014
 
 
868,750
 
RSUs issued
 
 
(221,600)
 
RSUs forfeited
 
 
123,750
 
Shares available for grant at December 31, 2015
 
 
770,900
 
 
Of the total outstanding and unvested at December 31, 2015, 264,000 RSUs are classified as equity and 122,733 are classified as a liability. The liability for the cash-settled awards was $32,764 at December 31, 2015 and is included in accrued compensation in the consolidated balance sheet. The cash-settled awards were granted during 2015 and accordingly, there was no liability at December 31, 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2015, $114,427 was paid in connection with the cash-settled awards.