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Equity-Based Compensation | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Equity-Based Compensation |
Equity-Based Compensation | 14. Equity-Based Compensation Employee Stock Purchase Plan We have an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) under which employees that have been employed for at least 30 days may purchase shares of our common stock at a discount. The plan provides for two offering periods for purchases: January through June and July through December. At the end of each offering period, enrolled employees purchase shares of our common stock at a price equal to 85% of the market value on the last day of the applicable offering period. The purchases are made at the end of an offering period with funds accumulated through payroll deductions over the course of the offering period. Subject to limitations set forth in the plan and under IRS regulations, eligible employees may elect to have up to 10% of their base pay deducted during the offering period. The total number of shares issued under the plan for the offering periods in 2024, 2023 and 2022 was approximately 408,000, 473,000 and 455,000, respectively. After the January 2025 issuance of shares associated with the July to December 2024 offering period, 1.4 million shares remain available for issuance under the ESPP. As a result of our ESPP, annual compensation expense increased by $11 million, or $8 million net of tax expense, for 2024, $14 million, or $11 million net of tax expense, for 2023 and $13 million, or $10 million net of tax expense, for 2022. Employee Stock Incentive Plans In May 2023, our stockholders approved our 2023 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) to replace our 2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”). Upon approval of the 2023 Plan, no further awards could be granted under the 2014 Plan, and the 15.2 million shares of our common stock that were previously available for issuance under the 2014 Plan became available for issuance under the 2023 Plan, in addition to any shares of our common stock that were subject to outstanding awards under the 2014 Plan that subsequently cease to be subject to such awards as a result of the forfeiture, cancellation or termination. We did not request that our stockholders approve any shares in addition to the shares that roll over from the 2014 Plan for issuance pursuant to the 2023 Plan. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 13.5 million shares were available for future grants under the 2023 Plan. Our equity-based compensation awards described herein have been made pursuant to our 2023 Plan or our 2014 Plan (collectively, the “Incentive Plans”). We currently utilize treasury shares to meet the needs of our equity-based compensation programs. Pursuant to the 2023 Plan, we can issue cash awards, stock options, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock and stock awards, including restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and performance share units (“PSUs”). The terms and conditions of equity awards granted under the Incentive Plans are determined by the Management Development and Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. The 2024 annual stock incentive plan awards granted to the Company’s senior leadership team, which generally includes the Company’s executive officers, included a combination of PSUs and stock options. Awards granted to other eligible employees under the Incentive Plans included a combination of PSUs, RSUs and stock options in 2024. The Company also periodically grants RSUs to employees working on key initiatives, in connection with new hires and promotions and to field and corporate managers. Upon our acquisition of Stericycle on November 4, 2024, each outstanding award of Stericycle RSUs and PSUs held by an employee of Stericycle that continued their employment with us was assumed by us and converted into new RSU awards granted pursuant to the 2023 Plan (the “Replacement RSUs”). The number of Replacement RSUs issued was calculated by multiplying the number of Stericycle RSUs and PSUs by a conversion factor of 0.289171, which represents the $62.00 per share consideration for the Stericycle acquisition divided by the average of the closing sales price of a share or our common stock for each of the five consecutive trading days before the closing. The Replacement RSUs pay out in shares of our common stock and are subject to substantially the same terms and conditions as were applicable to the corresponding Stericycle RSUs. Stericycle RSUs and PSUs held by employees who did not continue their employment with us, and all employee stock options, were cancelled and converted into a right to receive cash immediately upon closing of the acquisition. Restricted Stock Units — A summary of our RSUs is presented in the table below (units in thousands): ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | Weighted Average
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | Per Share
​ |  | Units |  | Fair Value
Unvested as of January 1, 2024 |  | 371 | ​ | $ | 139.37
Granted |  | 237 | ​ | $ | 209.86
Vested |  | (122) | ​ | $ | 119.10
Forfeited |  | (14) | ​ | $ | 163.18
Unvested as of December 31, 2024 |  | 472 | ​ | $ | 179.25
​ The total fair market value of RSUs that vested during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 was $25 million, $15 million and $15 million, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we issued approximately 86,000 shares of common stock for these vested RSUs, net of approximately 36,000 units deferred or used for payment of associated taxes. RSUs may not be voted or sold by award recipients until time-based vesting restrictions have lapsed. RSUs currently outstanding primarily provide for three-year cliff vesting and include dividend equivalents accumulated during the vesting period. Unvested units are subject to forfeiture in the event of voluntary or for-cause termination. RSUs are generally subject to pro-rata vesting upon an employee’s involuntary termination other than for cause and generally payout at the end of the three-year vesting period and become immediately vested in the event of an employee’s death or disability. Compensation expense associated with RSUs is measured based on the grant-date fair value of our common stock and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the required employment period. RSUs generally continue to vest following a qualifying retirement as if the employee had remained employed until the end of the vesting period, and compensation expense for RSUs granted to retirement eligible employees is recognized over the longer of (i) the period between grant date and the date that the recipient becomes retirement-eligible or (ii) the defined service requirement of the award. Compensation expense is only recognized for those awards that we expect to vest, which we estimate based upon an assessment of expected forfeitures. Performance Share Units — Two types of PSUs are currently outstanding: (i) PSUs for which payout is dependent on total shareholder return relative to the S&P 500 Index (“TSR PSUs”) and (ii) PSUs for which payout is dependent on the Company’s performance against pre-established adjusted cash flow metrics (“Cash Flow PSUs”). Both types of PSUs are payable in shares of common stock after the end of a three-year performance period, when the Company’s financial performance for the entire performance period is reported, typically in the first half of the first quarter of the succeeding year. At the end of the performance period, the number of shares awarded can range from 0% to 200% of the targeted amount, depending on the performance against the pre-established targets. A summary of our PSUs, at 100% of the targeted amount, is presented in the table below (units in thousands): ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | ​ |  | Weighted Average
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | Per Share
​ |  | Units |  | Fair Value
Unvested as of January 1, 2024 |  | 881 | ​ | $ | 150.77
Granted |  | 281 | ​ | $ | 255.98
Vested |  | (309) | ​ | $ | 122.58
Forfeited |  | (24) | ​ | $ | 200.21
Unvested as of December 31, 2024 |  | 829 | ​ | $ | 195.49
​ The determination of achievement of performance results and corresponding vesting of PSUs for the three-year performance period ended December 31, 2024 was performed by the Management Development and Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors in January 2025. Accordingly, vesting information for such awards is not included in the table above as of December 31, 2024. The “vested” PSUs are for the three-year performance period ended December 31, 2023, as achievement of performance results and corresponding vesting was determined in February 2024. The performance of the Company’s common stock for purposes of the TSR PSUs and the Cash Flow PSUs exceeded maximum performance criteria. Accordingly, recipients of the PSU awards received a payout of 200% of the vested TSR PSUs and 200% of the vested Cash Flow PSUs. In February 2024, approximately 617,000 PSUs vested and we issued approximately 406,000 shares of common stock for these vested PSUs, net of units deferred or used for payment of associated taxes. The shares of common stock that were issued or deferred during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 for prior PSU award grants had a fair market value of $121 million, $74 million and $91 million, respectively. PSUs have no voting rights. PSUs receive dividend equivalents that are paid out in cash based on the number of shares that vest at the end of the awards’ performance period. Subject to attainment of the performance metrics described above, PSUs are payable to an employee (or applicable beneficiary) upon death or disability as if that employee had remained employed until the end of the performance period. PSUs are generally subject to pro-rata vesting upon an employee’s involuntary termination other than for cause and are subject to forfeiture in the event of voluntary or for-cause termination. PSUs generally continue to vest following a qualifying retirement as if the employee had remained employed until the end of the performance period, and compensation expense for PSUs granted to retirement-eligible employees is accelerated over the period that the recipient becomes retirement-eligible plus a defined service requirement. Compensation expense associated with our Cash Flow PSUs is based on the grant-date fair value of our common stock. Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the performance period based on our estimated achievement of the established performance criteria. Compensation expense is only recognized for those awards that we expect to vest, which we estimate based upon an assessment of both the probability that the performance criteria will be achieved and expected forfeitures. The grant-date fair value of our TSR PSUs is based on a Monte Carlo valuation and compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Compensation expense is recognized for all TSR PSUs whether or not the market conditions are achieved less expected forfeitures. Deferred Units — Certain employees can elect to defer some or all of the vested RSU or PSU awards for payout six months after the employee leaves the Company. Deferred units are not invested, nor do they earn interest, but deferred amounts do receive dividend equivalents paid in cash during deferral at the same time and at the same rate as dividends on the Company’s common stock. Deferred amounts are paid out in shares of common stock at the end of the deferral period. As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately 183,000 vested deferred units outstanding. Stock Options — Stock option awards vest ratably in three annual increments, beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant. The exercise price of the options is the average of the high and low market value of our common stock on the date of grant, and the options have a term of 10 years. A summary of our stock options is presented in the table below (options in thousands): ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | ​ |  | Weighted Average
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | Per Share
​ |  | Options |  | Exercise Price
Outstanding as of January 1, 2024 |  | 2,729 | ​ | $ | 111.22
Granted |  | 377 | ​ | $ | 204.76
Exercised (a) |  | (693) | ​ | $ | 98.54
Forfeited or expired |  | (38) | ​ | $ | 149.97
Outstanding as of December 31, 2024 (b) |  | 2,375 | ​ | $ | 129.15
Exercisable as of December 31, 2024 (c) |  | 1,596 | ​ | $ | 106.79
(a) | Includes approximately 118,000 stock options exercised pursuant to written trading plans that provided for net share settlement, resulting in the Company withholding approximately 89,000 shares of our common stock to cover the associated stock option exercise price and taxes.
(b) | Stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2024 have a weighted average remaining contractual term of 5.9 years and an aggregate intrinsic value of $174 million based on the market value of our common stock on December 31, 2024.
(c) | Stock options exercisable as of December 31, 2024 have an aggregate intrinsic value of $152 million based on the market value of our common stock on December 31, 2024.
During 2024, 2023 and 2022, we received cash proceeds of $53 million, $44 million and $44 million, respectively, from the exercise of 693,000, 597,000 and 675,000 of employee stock options. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised during 2024, 2023 and 2022 was $75 million, $44 million and $51 million, respectively. Stock options exercisable as of December 31, 2024 were as follows (options in thousands): ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | ​ |  | Weighted Average |  | ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | Per Share | ​ | Weighted Average
Range of Exercise Prices |  | Options |  | Exercise Price |  | Remaining Years
$54.64 - $85.34 |  | 484 | ​ | $ | 70.10 |  | 1.9
$85.35 - $110.80 |  | 516 | ​ | $ | 106.48 |  | 5.4
$110.81 - $204.76 |  | 596 | ​ | $ | 136.87 |  | 6.4
$54.64 - $204.76 |  | 1,596 | ​ | $ | 106.79 |  | 4.7
​ All unvested stock options shall become exercisable upon the award recipient’s death or disability. In the event of a recipient’s qualifying retirement, stock options shall continue to vest pursuant to the original schedule set forth in the award agreement. If the recipient is terminated by the Company without cause or voluntarily resigns, the recipient shall be entitled to exercise all stock options outstanding and exercisable within a specified time frame after such termination. All outstanding stock options, whether exercisable or not, are forfeited upon termination for cause. We account for our employee stock options under the fair value method of accounting using a Black-Scholes valuation model to measure stock option expense at the date of grant. The weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 was $43.00, $32.82 and $26.44, respectively. The fair value of stock options at the date of grant is amortized to expense over the vesting period less expected forfeitures, except for stock options granted to retirement-eligible employees, for which expense is accelerated over the period that the recipient becomes retirement-eligible. The following table presents the weighted average assumptions used to value employee stock options granted during the year ended December 31 under the Black-Scholes valuation model: ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ |  | 2024 |  | 2023 |  | 2022
Expected option life |  | 4.4 | years |  | 4.6 | years |  | 4.7 | years
Expected volatility |  | 20.7 | % |  | 22.3 | % |  | 23.4 | %
Expected dividend yield |  | 1.5 | % |  | 1.9 | % |  | 1.8 | %
Risk-free interest rate |  | 4.2 | % |  | 4.4 | % |  | 1.6 | %
​ The Company bases its expected option life on the expected exercise and termination behavior of its optionees and an appropriate model of the Company’s future stock price. The expected volatility assumption is derived from the historical volatility of the Company’s common stock over the most recent period commensurate with the estimated expected life of the Company’s stock options, combined with other relevant factors including implied volatility in market-traded options on the Company’s stock. The expected dividend yield is the annual rate of dividends per share over the exercise price of the option as of the grant date. For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we recognized $99 million, $78 million and $71 million, respectively, of compensation expense associated with RSU, PSU and stock option awards as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. Our income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 includes related income tax benefits of $18 million, $15 million and $14 million, respectively. We have not capitalized any equity-based compensation costs during the reported periods. As of December 31, 2024, we estimate that $49 million of currently unrecognized compensation expense will be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.7 years for our unvested RSU, PSU and stock option awards issued and outstanding. Non-Employee Director Plan Our non-employee directors receive annual grants of shares of our common stock, generally payable in two equal installments, under the Incentive Plans described above. Each non-employee director is required to hold all shares issued pursuant to a Company stock award, after the sale of shares necessary to cover applicable taxes, until retirement or other termination of service as a director of the Company.

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