Stock-Based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

PNMR has various stock-based compensation programs, including stock options, restricted stock, and performance shares granted under the Performance Equity Plan (“PEP”). Although certain PNM and TNMP employees participate in the PNMR plans, PNM and TNMP do not have separate employee stock-based compensation plans. The Company has not awarded stock options since 2010 and all employee stock options expired or were exercised in February 2020. Certain restricted stock awards are subject to achieving performance or market targets. Other awards of restricted stock are only subject to time vesting requirements.

Performance Equity Plan

The PEP provides for the granting of non-qualified stock options, restricted stock rights, performance shares, performance units, and stock appreciation rights to officers, key employees, and non-employee members of the Board. Restricted stock under the PEP refers to awards of stock subject to vesting, performance, or market conditions rather than to shares with contractual post-vesting restrictions. Generally, the awards vest ratably over three years from the grant date of the award. However, awards with performance or market conditions vest upon satisfaction of those conditions. In addition, plan provisions provide that upon retirement, participants become 100% vested in certain stock awards. The vesting period for awards of restricted stock to non-employee members of the Board is one year. The total number of shares of PNMR common

stock subject to all awards under the PEP, as approved by PNMR’s shareholders in May 2014, may not exceed 13.5 million shares, subject to adjustment and certain share counting rules set forth in the PEP. This current share pool is charged five shares for each share subject to restricted stock or other full value award.

Source of Shares

The source of shares for exercised stock options and vested restricted stock is shares acquired on the open market by an independent agent, rather than newly issued shares.

Accounting for Stock Awards

The stock-based compensation expense related to restricted stock awards without performance or market conditions to participants that are retirement eligible on the grant date is recognized immediately at the grant date and is not amortized. Compensation expense for other such awards is amortized to compensation expense over the shorter of the requisite vesting period or the period until the participant becomes retirement eligible. Compensation expense for performance-based shares is recognized ratably over the performance period as required service is provided and is adjusted periodically to reflect the level of achievement expected to be attained. Compensation expense related to market-based shares is recognized ratably over the measurement period, regardless of the actual level of achievement, provided the employees meet their service requirements.

Total compensation expense for stock-based payment arrangements recognized by PNMR for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 was $8.1 million, $6.4 million, and $7.1 million. Stock compensation expense of $5.5 million, $4.2 million, and $4.9 million was charged to PNM and $2.6 million, $2.2 million, and $2.2 million was charged to TNMP. At December 31, 2020, PNMR had unrecognized compensation expense related to stock awards of $4.0 million, which is expected to be recognized over an average of 1.52 years.

PNMR receives a tax deduction for certain stock option exercises during the period the options are exercised, generally for the excess of the price at which the options are sold over the exercise prices of the options, and a tax deduction for the value of restricted stock at the vesting date. All excess tax benefits and deficiencies are recorded to tax expense and classified as operating cash flows when used to reduce taxes payable.


	Year Ended December 31,
Excess Tax Benefits	2020		2019		2018
	(In thousands)
PNM	$	279	$	559	$	1,007
TNMP	112		236		377
PNMR	391		795		1,384

TNMP used excess tax benefits to reduce income taxes payable and the benefit was reflected in cash flows from operating activities. The benefit of excess tax benefits at PNM and PNMR will be reflected in operating cash flows when they reduce income taxes payable.

The grant date fair value for restricted stock and stock awards with Company internal performance targets is determined based on the market price of PNMR common stock on the date of the agreements reduced by the present value of future dividends that will not be received prior to vesting. The grant date fair value is applied to the total number of shares that are anticipated to vest, although the number of performance shares that ultimately vest cannot be determined until after the performance periods end. The grant date fair value of stock awards with market targets is determined using Monte Carlo simulation models, which provide grant date fair values that include an expectation of the number of shares to vest at the end of the measurement period.

The following table summarizes the weighted-average assumptions used to determine the awards grant date fair value:


	Year Ended December 31,
Restricted Shares and Performance-Based Shares	2020			2019			2018
Expected quarterly dividends per share	$	0.3075		$	0.2900		$	0.2650
Risk-free interest rate	0.72 %			2.47		%	2.38		%

Market-Based Shares
Dividend yield	2.51		%	2.59		%	2.96		%
Expected volatility	19.41		%	19.55		%	19.12		%
Risk-free interest rate	0.72		%	2.51		%	2.36		%

The following table summarizes activity in restricted stock awards, including performance-based and market-based shares, and stock options:


	Restricted Stock			Stock Options
	Shares	Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value		Shares	Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at December 31, 2019	161,542	$	38.21	2,000	$	12.22
Granted	246,029	36.73		—	—
Exercised	(238,054)	34.86		(2,000)	12.22
Forfeited	(1,456)	41.32		—	—

Outstanding at December 31, 2020	168,061	$	40.77	—	$	—

PNMR’s current stock-based compensation program provides for performance and market targets through 2022. In February 2019, the Board approved amendments to exclude certain impacts of the Tax Act on performance metrics for the performance periods ending in 2018 and 2019. These amendments did not impact the Company’s calculation of grant date fair values under the plans but did increase actual achievement levels for the performance period ending in 2018 from below “threshold” levels to below “target” levels and anticipated achievement levels for the performance period ending in 2019 from below “target” levels to the “maximum” levels. As a result of these amendments for the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded additional pre-tax expense of $1.0 million, of which $0.7 million was allocated to PNM and $0.3 million was allocated to TNMP. Included as granted and exercised in the table above are 47,279 previously awarded shares that were earned for the 2016 - 2018 performance measurement period and ratified by the Board in February 2019 (based upon achieving market targets at below “threshold” levels, weighted at 40%, and performance targets at above “target” levels, together weighted at 60%). Excluded from the above table are 122,277 previously awarded shares that were earned for the 2017 - 2019 performance measurement period and ratified by the Board in February 2020 (based upon achieving market and performance targets at near “maximum” levels). Also excluded from the table above are 150,543 and 142,080 shares for the three-year performance periods ending in 2020 and 2021 that will be awarded if all performance and market criteria are achieved at maximum levels and all executives remain eligible.

Effective as of January 1, 2015, the Company entered into a retention award agreement with its then Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer under which he would receive awards of restricted stock if PNMR met specified performance targets at the end of 2016 and 2017 and he remained an employee of the Company. The retention award was made under the PEP and was approved by the Board on December 9, 2014. The specified performance target was achieved at the end of 2016 and the Board ratified him receiving $100,000 of PNMR common stock in February 2017 based on a market per share value of $36.30 on the grant date of March 3, 2017, or 2,754 shares. Similarly, if PNMR achieved the specified performance target for the period from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2017, he was to receive $275,000 of PNMR common stock based on the market value per share on the grant date in early 2018. The specified performance target was achieved at the end of 2017 and the Board ratified him receiving $275,000 of PNMR common stock in February 2018 based on a market value per share of $35.85 on the grant date of March 2, 2018, or 7,670 shares.

In 2015, the Company entered into an additional retention award agreement with its Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer under which she would receive a total 53,859 shares of PNMR’s common stock if PNMR meets certain performance targets at the end of 2017 and 2019 and she remains an employee of the Company. The retention award was made under the PEP and was approved by the Board on February 26, 2015. The specified performance target was achieved at the end of 2017 and the Board ratified her receiving 17,953 shares in February 2018. The second portion of the 2015 agreement of

35,906 shares was achieved at the end of 2019 and the Board ratified her receiving the shares in February 2020. The above table does not include any restricted stock shares that remain unvested under this retention award agreement.

At December 31, 2019, the aggregate intrinsic value of stock options outstanding, all of which were exercisable, was less than $0.1 million. All the options were exercised or expired in February 2020.

The following table provides additional information concerning restricted stock activity, including performance-based and market-based shares, and stock options:


	Year Ended December 31,
Restricted Stock	2020		2019		2018
Weighted-average grant date fair value	$	36.73	$	37.92	$	29.65
Total fair value of restricted shares that vested (in thousands)	$	8,299	$	6,246	$	8,558

Stock Options


Total intrinsic value of options exercised (in thousands)	$	84	$	2,617	$	3,117