Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Share-Based Compensation

v3.20.4
Share-Based Compensation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Share-Based Compensation SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
  
We have granted restricted stock shares, restricted stock units, performance stock units and phantom units to employees and non-employee directors under the 2011 Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2011 Plan”) and the 2020 Incentive Plan, which was approved by our shareholders in May 2020. The 2011 Plan and the 2020 Incentive Plan provide for the issuance of
35.0 million shares and 8.0 million shares, respectively, of our common stock that may be in the form of various share-based performance awards deemed by the Compensation Committee of our Board (the “Compensation Committee”).

Total share-based compensation consisted of the following (in millions):
Year Ended December 31,
2020 2019 2018
Share-based compensation costs, pre-tax:
Equity awards $ 114  $ 131  $ 89 
Liability awards 48 
Total share-based compensation 116  140  137 
Capitalized share-based compensation (6) (9) (24)
Total share-based compensation expense $ 110  $ 131  $ 113 
Tax benefit associated with share-based compensation expense $ 23  $ 14  $

The total unrecognized compensation cost at December 31, 2020 relating to non-vested share-based compensation arrangements consisted of the following:
Unrecognized Compensation Cost
(in millions)
Recognized over a weighted average period
(years)
Restricted Stock Share Awards $ 0.3
Restricted Stock Unit and Performance Stock Unit Awards $ 111  1.3
Phantom Units Awards $ —  0.2

Restricted Stock Share Awards

Restricted stock share awards are awards of common stock that are subject to restrictions on transfer and to a risk of forfeiture if the recipient terminates employment with us prior to the lapse of the restrictions. These awards vest based on service conditions (one, two, three or four-year service periods) and performance conditions. All performance conditions of the awards have been achieved as of December 31, 2020.

The table below provides a summary of our restricted stock outstanding (in millions, except for per share information):
 
Shares
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share
Non-vested at January 1, 2020
0.0  $ 67.79 
Granted 0.1  41.78 
Vested 0.0  — 
Forfeited 0.0  — 
Non-vested at December 31, 2020
0.1  $ 41.78 

The fair value of restricted stock share awards vested for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $3 million, $3 million and $53 million, respectively.

Restricted Stock Unit and Performance Stock Unit Awards

Restricted stock units are stock awards that vest over a service period of three years and entitle the holder to receive shares of our common stock upon vesting, subject to restrictions on transfer and to a risk of forfeiture if the recipient terminates employment with us prior to the lapse of the restrictions. Performance stock units provide for cliff vesting after a period of three years with payouts based on metrics dependent upon market and performance achieved over the defined performance period compared to pre-established performance targets. The settlement amounts of the awards are based on market and performance metrics which include cumulative distributable cash flow per share, and in certain circumstances, absolute total shareholder return (“ATSR”) of our common stock. Where applicable, the compensation for performance stock units is based on fair value assigned to the market metric of ATSR using a Monte Carlo model upon grant, which remains constant through the vesting period, and a performance metric, which will vary due to changing estimates regarding the expected achievement of the performance metric of cumulative distributable cash flow per share. The number of shares that may be earned at the end of
the vesting period ranges from 0% up to 300% of the target award amount. Both restricted stock units and performance stock units will be settled in Cheniere common stock (on a one-for-one basis) and are classified as equity awards.

The table below provides a summary of our restricted share unit and performance stock unit awards outstanding assuming payout at target for awards containing performance conditions (in millions, except for per unit information):
  Units Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Unit
Non-vested at January 1, 2020
4.4  $ 61.68 
Granted (1) 1.8  53.88 
Vested (2.3) 58.49 
Forfeited (0.2) 58.83 
Non-vested at December 31, 2020 (2)
3.7  $ 60.00 
(1)     This number includes 0.2 million incremental shares of our common stock that were issued based on performance results from previously-granted performance stock unit awards.
(2)     This number excludes 1.0 million performance stock units, which represent the incremental number of common units that would be issued if the maximum level of performance under the target awards amount is achieved.
The table below provides a summary of restricted share unit and performance stock unit awards issued and fair value of units vested:
Year Ended December 31,
2020 2019 2018
Units issued (in millions) 1.8  1.9  2.6 
Weighted average grant date fair value per unit $ 53.88  $ 67.47  $ 59.50 
Fair value of units vested (in millions) $ 137  $ 45  $ 22 
Phantom Units Awards
 
Phantom units are share-based awards granted to employees over a vesting period that entitle the grantee to receive the cash equivalent to the value of a share of our common stock upon each vesting. We did not issue any phantom units to our employees and non-employee directors during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. Phantom units are not eligible to receive quarterly distributions. These awards vest based on service conditions (two, three or four-year service periods).

The table below provides a summary of our phantom units outstanding (in millions):
  Units
Non-vested at January 1, 2020
0.1 
Granted — 
Vested (0.1)
Forfeited 0.0 
Non-vested at December 31, 2020
0.0 

The value of phantom units vested during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $4 million, $11 million and $91 million, respectively.