Share-based Compensation and Equity

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Share-based compensation expense was as follows:


For the years ended December 31,	2020		2019		2018
Continuing operations
Stock options, net of estimated forfeitures	$	1,291	$	3,101	$	(3,610)
Restricted stock awards	8,957		7,224		10,184


Total continuing operations	$	10,248	$	10,325	$	6,574

Discontinued operations
Share-based compensation expense for discontinued operations	3,050		2,669		4,217
Total continuing and discontinued operations	$	13,298	$	12,994	$	10,791

The negative stock options expense in 2018 relates to the reversal of expense for a change in estimate related to certain performance-based stock option awards where the performance target became improbable of achievement, as well as the correction of an immaterial error.

2007 Stock Incentive Plan

In August 2007, Laureate's Board of Directors (the Board) approved the Laureate Education, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (2007 Plan). The total shares authorized under the 2007 Plan were 9,232. Shares that were forfeited, terminated, canceled, allowed to expire unexercised, withheld to satisfy tax withholding, or repurchased were available for re-issuance. Any awards that were not vested upon termination of employment for any reason were forfeited. Upon voluntary or involuntary termination without cause (including death or disability), the grantee (or the estate) has a specified period of time after termination to exercise options vested on or prior to termination. The 2007 Plan’s restricted stock awards have a claw-back feature whereby all vested shares, or the gross proceeds from the sale of those shares, must be returned to Laureate for no consideration if the employee does not abide by the agreed-upon restrictive covenants such as covenants not to compete and covenants not to solicit. Stock option awards under the 2007 Plan have a contractual life of 10 years and were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of Laureate’s stock at the date of grant. As of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, all outstanding awards that were granted under the 2007 Plan are fully vested.

2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan

On June 13, 2013, the Board approved the Laureate Education, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (2013 Plan), as a successor plan to Laureate’s 2007 Plan. The 2013 Plan became effective in June 2013, following approval by the stockholders of Laureate. No awards have been made under the 2007 Plan since the 2013 Plan has been effective. Under the 2013 Plan, the Company may grant stock options, stock appreciation rights, unrestricted common stock or restricted stock (collectively, ‘‘stock awards’’), unrestricted stock units or restricted stock units, and other stock-based awards, to eligible individuals on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the 2013 Plan. As of the effective date, the total number of shares of common stock issuable under the 2013 Plan were 7,521, which is equal to the sum of (i) 7,074 shares plus (ii) 447 shares of common stock that were still available for issuance under Laureate’s 2007 Plan. In September 2015, the Board and Shareholders approved an amendment to increase the total number of shares of common stock issuable under the 2013 Plan by 1,219, and in December 2016, the Board and Shareholders approved an amendment to increase the total number of shares of common stock issuable under the 2013 Plan by 3,884. Shares that are forfeited, terminated, canceled, allowed to expire unexercised, withheld to satisfy tax withholding, or repurchased are available for re-issuance. Any awards that have not vested upon termination of employment for any reason are forfeited. Holders of restricted stock shall have all of the rights of a stockholder of common stock including, without limitation, the right to vote and the right to receive dividends. However, dividends declared payable on performance-based restricted stock shall be subjected to forfeiture at least until achievement of the applicable performance target related to such shares of restricted stock. Any accrued but unpaid dividends on unvested restricted stock shall be forfeited upon termination of employment. Holders of stock units do not have any rights of a stockholder of common stock and are not entitled

to receive dividends. All awards outstanding under the 2013 Plan terminate upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Laureate.

Stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock units granted under the 2013 Plan have provisions for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control of Laureate. As defined in the 2013 Plan, a change in control means the first of the following to occur: (i) a change in ownership of Laureate or Wengen or (ii) a change in the ownership of assets of Laureate. A change in ownership of Laureate or Wengen shall occur on the date that more than 50% of the total voting power of the capital stock of Laureate is sold or more than 50% of the partnership interests of Wengen is sold in a single or a series of related transactions. A change in the ownership of assets of Laureate would occur if 80% or more of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of Laureate are sold during a 12-month period. The gross fair market value of Laureate is determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets. Upon consummation of the change in control and an employee’s “qualifying termination” (as defined in the employee's award agreement): (a) those time-based stock options and stock appreciation rights that would have vested and become exercisable on or prior to the third anniversary of the effective time of change in control would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (b) those performance-based stock options and stock appreciation rights that would have vested and become exercisable had Laureate achieved the performance targets in the three fiscal years ending coincident with or immediately subsequent to the effective time of such change in control, excluding the portion of awards that would have vested only pursuant to any catch-up provisions, would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (c) those time-based restricted stock awards that would have become vested and free of forfeiture risk and lapse restriction on or prior to the third anniversary of the effective time of such change in control would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (d) those performance-based restricted stock awards that would have vested and become free of forfeiture risk and lapse restrictions had Laureate achieved the target performance in the three fiscal years ending coincident with or immediately subsequent to the effective time of such change in control would become fully vested and immediately exercisable; (e) those time-based restricted stock units that would have become vested or earned on or prior to the third anniversary of the effective time of such change in control would become vested and earned and be settled in cash or shares of common stock as promptly as practicable; and (f) those performance-based restricted stock units, performance shares and performance units that would have become vested or earned had Laureate achieved the target performance in the three fiscal years ending coincident with or immediately subsequent to the effective time of such change in control would become vested and earned and be settled in cash or shares of common stock as promptly as practicable. After giving effect to the foregoing change in control acceleration, any remaining unvested time-based and performance-based stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares and performance share units shall be forfeited for no consideration.

As discussed in Note 1, Description of Business, on January 27, 2020, the Company announced that it would explore strategic alternatives for each of its businesses to unlock shareholder value. Also on January 27, 2020, in connection with such announcement, the Company's Board of Directors determined that any outstanding awards under the 2007 Plan and the 2013 Plan that are held by a participant at the time that such participant is terminated without cause as of and following January 27, 2020 and before a divestiture, sale, spin-off, or any other similar corporate transaction involving the participant's employing entity will receive the same treatment that such awards would have received upon a qualifying termination on or following a change in control (i.e., accelerated vesting of unvested equity awards in accordance with the terms of such awards).

Stock Options Under 2013 Plan

Stock option awards under the 2013 Plan generally have a contractual term of 10 years and are granted with an exercise price equal to or greater than the fair market value of Laureate’s stock at the date of grant. These options typically vest over a period of five or three years. There were no stock options granted in 2020. Of the options granted in 2019 and 2018, 698 and 690, respectively, are Time Options and the remainder are Performance Options. The Performance Options granted under the 2013 Plan are eligible for vesting based on achieving annual pre-determined Equity Value performance targets or Adjusted EBITDA targets, as defined in the plan, and the continued service of the employee. Some of the performance-based awards include a catch-up provision, allowing the grantee to vest in any year in which a target is missed if a following year's target is achieved as long as the following year is within eight years from the grant date.

Compensation expense is recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period. For Time Options, expense is recognized ratably over the five-year or three-year vesting period. For Performance Options, expense is recognized under a graded expense attribution method, to the extent that it is probable that the stated annual earnings target will be achieved and options will vest for any year. We assess the probability of each option tranche vesting throughout the life of each grant.

Amendment to 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan

On June 19, 2017, the Board approved, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment and restatement of the 2013 Plan. Among other things, the amendment (i) increases the number of shares of Class A common stock that may be issued pursuant to awards under the 2013 Plan to 14,714; (ii) adds performance metrics, the ability to grant cash awards, and annual limits on grants, intended to qualify awards as performance-based awards that are not subject to certain limits on tax deductibility of compensation payable to certain executives; and (iii) extends the term of the 2013 Plan to June 18, 2027, the day before the 10th anniversary of the date of adoption of the amendment. On June 19, 2017, the holder of the majority of the voting power of the Company's outstanding stock (the Majority Holder) approved by written consent the amended and restated 2013 Plan and it became effective.

Stock Option Activity for 2007 and 2013 Plans

The following tables summarize the stock option activity and the assumptions used to record the related share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018:


	2020					2019					2018
	Options	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value		Options	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value		Options	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at January 1	5,388	$	18.18	$	3,396	9,020	$	18.79	$	744	9,903	$	19.30	$	—
Granted	—	—				698	14.99				717	14.27
Exercised	(860)	17.60		2,353		(1,569)	16.95		794		—	—		—
Forfeited or expired	(1,100)	19.66				(2,761)	20.06				(1,600)	19.92
Outstanding at December 31	3,428	17.85		159		5,388	18.18		3,396		9,020	18.79		744
Exercisable at December 31	3,292	17.97		159		4,846	18.50		2,136		7,878	19.11		265
Vested and expected to vest	3,426	17.85		159		5,274	18.20		3,344		8,990	18.80		722


	Options Outstanding		Options Exercisable		Assumption Range*
Exercise Prices	Number of Shares	Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (Years)	Number of Shares	Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (Years)	Risk-Free Interest Rate	Expected Terms in Years	Expected Volatility
Year Ended December 31, 2020
$13.97 - $15.55	748	6.84	625	6.58	1.99% - 3.05%	3.25 - 5.91	38.29% - 64.18%
$16.38 - $17.89	2,247	2.72	2,235	2.68	1.38% -2.34%	3.20 - 7.12	35.20% - 58.84%
$21.00	146	0.70	146	0.70	1.81%	4.00	57.79%
$22.88 - $31.92	287	0.76	287	0.76	0.73% - 2.86%	4.00 - 6.52	39.03% - 53.80%
Year Ended December 31, 2019
$13.97 - $15.55	944	7.89	524	7.06	1.81% - 3.05%	3.25 - 5.91	38.29% - 64.18%
$17.00 - $19.56	3,597	3.12	3,475	2.95	1.38% - 2.94%	2.60 - 10.00	35.20% - 58.84%
$21.00 - $21.52	330	1.09	330	1.09	0.68% - 2.61%	3.79 - 6.55	38.16% - 57.79%
$22.32 - $31.92	517	1.44	517	1.44	0.60% - 3.03%	3.18 - 6.52	36.93% - 53.80%
Year Ended December 31, 2018
$13.97 - $15.55	674	8.31	250	7.98	1.81% - 3.05%	3.25 - 5.91	49.98% - 64.18%
$17.00 - $19.56	5,730	3.69	5,013	3.50	0.49% - 2.94%	2.60 - 10.00	36.04% - 69.74%
$21.00 - $21.52	1,917	1.39	1,916	1.39	0.68% - 2.60%	2.92 - 6.52	38.16% - 69.74%
$22.32 - $31.92	699	2.53	699	2.53	0.60% - 2.93%	4.00 - 6.52	36.93% - 53.80%

* The expected dividend yield is zero for all options in all years.

The weighted-average estimated fair value of stock options granted was $0.00, $6.05 and $7.67 per share for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020, Laureate had $821 of unrecognized share-based compensation costs related to stock options outstanding. Of the total unrecognized cost, $821 relates to Time Options and $0 relates to Performance Options. The unrecognized Time Options expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average expense period of 0.1 years.

Non-Vested Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

The following table summarizes the non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock units activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018:


	2020			2019			2018
	Shares	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Shares	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Shares	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested at January 1	1,251	$	14.69	1,895	$	15.31	1,650	$	19.74
Granted	969	15.80		1,003	15.10		1,306	14.11
Vested	(861)	14.11		(765)	16.18		(853)	21.66
Forfeited	(359)	15.95		(882)	15.20		(208)	17.41
Non-vested at December 31	1,000	15.81		1,251	14.69		1,895	15.31

Restricted stock units granted under the 2013 Plan consist of time-based restricted stock units (RSU), performance-based restricted stock units (PSU) and market condition-based restricted stock units with various vesting periods over the next three to five years. PSUs are eligible to vest annually upon the Board's determination that the annual performance targets are met. The performance targets are the same as for Performance Options, as defined in the 2013 Plan, except for targets set for certain PSUs granted in 2016. The vesting percentage for those PSUs is based on LEI’s attainment of a performance level: threshold, target, maximum or a percentage between the “Threshold” and “Target; Maximum” which is determined by linear interpolation, provided that continued employment is required through the date the attainment of target is approved by the Compensation Committee. The PSUs granted from 2013 to February 2016 include a catch-up provision, allowing the grantee to vest in any year in which a target is missed if a following year's target is obtained as long as the following year is within eight years from the grant date. During the fourth quarter of 2017, Laureate granted a small number of restricted stock units where vesting is based on the fulfillment of both a service condition and the achievement of a Laureate stock price hurdle during the performance period, which is considered to be a market condition.

The fair value of the non-vested restricted stock awards in the table above is measured using the fair value of Laureate’s common stock on the date of grant or the most recent modification date, whichever is later.

As of December 31, 2020, unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards was $8,300. Of the total unrecognized cost, $5,331 relates to time-based RSUs, $2,967 relates to PSUs and $2 related to market-condition-based restricted stock units. This unrecognized expense for time-based restricted stock and restricted stock units will be recognized over a weighted-average expense period of 1.0 year.

Other Stockholders' Equity Transactions

Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock

In December 2016 and January 2017, the Company issued an aggregate of 400 shares of convertible redeemable preferred stock (the Series A Preferred Stock) for total gross proceeds of $400,000. The Series A Preferred Stock included a Beneficial Conversion Feature (BCF) that was contingent on a qualified IPO (as defined in the Certificate of Designations governing the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock), which was consummated on February 6, 2017. Accordingly, during the first quarter of 2017, the Company recorded the BCF at its estimated fair value as a reduction of the carrying value of the Series A Preferred Stock and an increase to Additional paid-in capital. The accretion of this BCF and dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock reduced net income available to common stockholders in the calculation of earnings per share, as shown in Note 15, Earnings (Loss) Per Share. The total BCF of $265,368 was accreted using a constant yield approach over a one-year period. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we recorded total accretion of the BCF and dividends of $61,974.

On April 23, 2018, all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Series A Preferred Stock were converted into 36,143 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.004 per share. This conversion was treated as a redemption for accounting purposes and resulted in an increase in Additional paid-in capital upon reclassification of the carrying value of the Series A Preferred Stock. A portion of the fair value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to redeem the Series A Preferred Stock was allocated to the BCF contained in the Series A Preferred Stock. The difference between the remaining fair value of the shares of Class A common stock issued, the carrying value of the Series A Preferred Stock and fair value of the embedded derivatives resulted in a gain of 74,110, which was recorded as Additional paid-in capital but included in income available to common stockholders in the calculation of earnings per share.

Secondary Offerings

In November 2018, Wengen, our controlling stockholder, converted 14,088 owned shares of the Company's Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock and sold the 14,088 shares of Class A common stock to the public at a price of $14.00 per share, prior to underwriting discounts and commissions. Wengen received all of the net proceeds from this offering and no shares of Class A common stock were sold by the Company. In the secondary offering, KKR Capital Markets, an affiliate of KKR who in turn is an affiliate of Wengen, bought approximately 757 shares of Class A common stock.

In June 2019, Wengen converted owned shares of the Company's Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock and sold a total of 10,955 shares of Class A common stock in a secondary offering at a price of $15.3032 per share. Wengen received all of the net proceeds from this offering and no shares of Class A common stock were sold by the Company.

In September 2019, Wengen converted owned shares of the Company's Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock and sold a total of 15,000 shares of Class A common stock in a secondary offering at a price of $16.85 per share, prior to underwriting discounts and commissions. Wengen received all of the net proceeds from this offering and no shares of Class A common stock were sold by the Company.

Stock Repurchase Program

On August 8, 2019, the Company announced that its board of directors had authorized a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $150,000 of the Company’s Class A common stock. In early October 2019, the Company's stock repurchases reached the authorized limit of $150,000. On October 14, 2019, the Company's board of directors approved the increase of its existing authorization to repurchase shares of the Company's Class A common stock by $150,000 for a total authorization (including the previously authorized repurchases) of up to $300,000 of the Company's Class A common stock. The Company’s repurchases were made in a block trade, as well as on the open market at prevailing market prices and pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 stock repurchase plan, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). In January 2020, the Company repurchased 1,619 shares of its outstanding Class A common stock for a total purchase price of $29,203 and reached the total authorized limit of $300,000.

On November 5, 2020, Laureate’s board of directors announced a new stock repurchase program to acquire up to $300,000 of the Company’s Class A common stock. The Company’s proposed repurchases may be made from time to time on the open market at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, in block trades and/or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. Repurchases may be effected pursuant to a trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act. The Company’s board of directors will review the share repurchase program periodically and may authorize adjustment of its terms and size or suspend or discontinue the program. The Company intends to finance the repurchases with free cash flow and excess cash and liquidity on-hand.