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Capital | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Equity [Abstract] |
Capital | Capital Shares and Units As of December 31, 2023, there were 162,061,947 shares of Class A common stock, 984,317 shares of Class B common stock and 107,900,200 operating partnership units outstanding. The controlling interest of 60.2% is owned by ESRT. The other 39.8% noncontrolling interest in the OP is diversified among various limited partners, some of whom include Company directors, senior management and employees. ESRT has two classes of common stock as a means to give its OP Unit holders voting rights in the public company that correspond to their economic interest in the combined entity. A one-time option was created at our formation transactions for any pre-IPO OP Unit holder to exchange one OP Unit out of every 50 OP Units they owned for one Class B share, and such Class B share carries 50 votes per share. Stock and Publicly Traded Operating Partnership Unit Repurchase Program ESRT's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of ESRT Class A common stock and the Operating Partnership’s Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 operating partnership units from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023. Upon expiration of this program, ESRT's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of ESRT's Class A common stock and our Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 operating partnership units during the period from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025. Under the program, ESRT may purchase ESRT Class A common stock and we may purchase our Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 operating partnership units in accordance with applicable securities laws from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases will be determined by ESRT and us at our discretion and will be subject to stock price, availability, trading volume, general market conditions, and applicable securities laws. The authorization does not obligate ESRT or us to acquire any particular amount of securities, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at ESRT's and our discretion without prior notice. At December 31, 2023, we had used approximately $103.3 million of the authorized repurchase amount for the 2022-2023 period. The following table summarizes our purchases of equity securities for the year ended December 31, 2023 under the previous repurchase program.
Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased |  | Average Price Paid Per Share |  | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plan |  | Maximum Approximate Dollar Value Available for Future Purchases
Year ended December 31, 2023 | 2,150,857 |  |  | $ | 6.09 |  |  | 2,150,857 |  |  | $500,000,000 |  | (a)
(a) Represents the new board authorization for the January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025 period. As of the date of this filing, we have used $0 of such $500 million authorization. Private Perpetual Preferred Units As of December 31, 2023, there were 4,664,038 Series 2019 Preferred Units ("Series 2019 Preferred Units") and 1,560,360 Series 2014 Private Perpetual Preferred Units ("Series 2014 Preferred Units"). The Series 2019 Preferred Units have a liquidation preference of $13.52 per unit and are entitled to receive cumulative preferential annual cash distributions of $0.70 per unit payable in arrears on a quarterly basis. The Series 2014 Preferred Units which have a liquidation preference of $16.62 per unit and are entitled to receive cumulative preferential annual cash distributions of $0.60 per unit payable in arrears on a quarterly basis. Both series are not redeemable at the option of the holders and are redeemable at our option only in the case of specific defined events. Distributions The following table summarizes the distributions paid on our operating partnership units for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
Record Date |  | Payment Date |  | Amount per Operating Partnership Unit
December 18, 2023 |  | December 29, 2023 |  | $0.035
September 15, 2023 |  | September 29, 2023 |  | $0.035
June 15, 2023 |  | June 30, 2023 |  | $0.035
March 15, 2023 |  | March 31, 2023 |  | $0.035
December 19, 2022 |  | December 31, 2022 |  | $0.035
September 15, 2022 |  | September 30, 2022 |  | $0.035
June 15, 2022 |  | June 30, 2022 |  | $0.035
March 15, 2022 |  | March 31, 2022 |  | $0.035
December 20, 2021 |  | December 31, 2021 |  | $0.035
September 15, 2021 |  | September 30, 2021 |  | $0.035
June 15, 2021 |  | June 30, 2021 |  | $0.035
Total distributions paid to OP unitholders and Preferred unitholders during 2023, 2022 and 2021 totaled $41.3 million, $42.8 million and $32.8 million, respectively. Incentive and Share-Based Compensation On May 16, 2019, the Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. Empire State Realty OP, L.P. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (“2019 Plan”) was approved by our shareholders. The 2019 Plan provides for grants to directors, employees and consultants of our Company and Operating Partnership, including options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance awards, dividend equivalents and other equity-based awards, and replaced the First Amended and Restated Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and Empire State Realty OP, L.P. 2013 Equity Incentive Plan ("2013 Plan", and collectively with the 2019 Plan, "the Plans"). The shares of Class A common stock underlying any awards under the 2019 Plan and the 2013 Plan that are forfeited, canceled or otherwise terminated, other than by exercise, will be added back to the shares of Class A common stock available for issuance under the 2019 Plan. Shares tendered or held back upon exercise of a stock option or settlement of an award under the 2019 Plan or the 2013 Plan to cover the exercise price or tax withholding and shares subject to a stock appreciation right that are not issued in connection with the stock settlement of the stock appreciation right upon exercise thereof, will not be added back to the shares of Class A common stock available for issuance under the 2019 Plan. In addition, shares of Class A common stock repurchased on the open market will not be added back to the shares of Class A common stock available for issuance under the 2019 Plan. An aggregate of approximately 11.0 million shares of our common stock was authorized for issuance under awards granted pursuant to the 2019 Plan, and as of December 31, 2023, approximately 4.2 million shares of common stock remain available for future issuance under the Plans. Long-term incentive plan ("LTIP") units are a special class of partnership interests in the Operating Partnership. Each LTIP unit awarded will be deemed equivalent to an award of one share of stock under the Plans, reducing the availability for other equity awards on a one-for-one basis. The vesting period for LTIP units, if any, will be determined at the time of issuance. Under the terms of the LTIP units, the Operating Partnership will revalue for tax purposes its assets upon the occurrence of certain specified events, and any increase in valuation from the time of one such event to the next such event will be allocated first to the holders of LTIP units to equalize the capital accounts of such holders with the capital accounts of OP unitholders. Subject to any agreed upon exceptions, once vested and having achieved parity with OP unitholders, LTIP units are convertible into OP Units in the Operating Partnership on a one-for-one basis. LTIP units subject to time-based vesting, whether vested or not, receive the same per unit distributions as OP Units, which equal per share dividends (both regular and special) on our common stock. Market and performance-based LTIPs receive 10% of such distributions currently, unless and until such LTIP units are earned based on performance, at which time they will receive the accrued and unpaid 90% and will commence receiving 100% of such distributions thereafter. In March 2023, we made grants of LTIP units to executive officers under the 2019 Plan, including a total of 552,412 LTIP units that are subject to time-based vesting, 834,456 LTIP units that are subject to market-based vesting and 679,969 units that are subject to performance-based vesting with fair market values of $3.2 million, $3.9 million and $3.9 million, respectively. In March 2023, we made grants of LTIP units and restricted stock to certain other employees under the 2019 Plan, including a total of 229,308 LTIP units and 370,465 shares of restricted stock that are subject to time-based vesting, 111,942 LTIP units that are subject to market-based vesting and 91,211 LTIP units that are subject to performance-based vesting, with fair market values of $1.5 million and $2.6 million, respectively, for the time-based vesting awards, $0.6 million for the market-based vesting awards and $0.6 million for the performance-based vesting awards. The awards subject to time-based vesting vest ratably over four years, subject generally to the grantee's continued employment, with the first installment vesting on January 1, 2024. The vesting of the LTIP units subject to market-based vesting is based on the achievement of relative total stockholder return hurdles over a three-year performance period, commencing on January 1, 2023. The vesting of the LTIP units subject to performance-based vesting is based on the achievement of (i) operational metrics over a one-year performance period, subject to a three-year absolute TSR modifier, and (ii) environmental, social and governance metrics over a three-year performance period, in each case, commencing on January 1, 2023. Following the completion of the respective performance periods, our Compensation and Human Capital Committee will determine the number of LTIP units to which the grantee is entitled based on our performance relative to the performance hurdles set forth in the LTIP unit award agreements the grantee entered in connection with the award grant. These LTIP units then vest in two equal installments, on January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2026, subject generally to the grantee's continued employment on those dates. In March 2023, we also made one-time additional grants of LTIP units to certain non-executive employees under the 2019 Plan. At such time, we granted to certain other employees a total of 152,542 LTIP units that are subject to time-based vesting, with a fair market value of $1.0 million that vest over four and five year periods. In 2023, our named executive officers could elect to receive their annual incentive bonus in any combination of (i) cash or vested LTIPs at the face amount of such bonus or (ii) time-vesting LTIPs which would vest over three years, subject to continued employment, at a premium over such face amount (120% for awards granted in 2021, 2022, and 2023; 125% for years prior to 2021). In March 2023, we made grants of LTIP units to executive officers under the 2019 Plan in connection with the 2022 bonus election program. We granted to executive officers a total of 521,571 LTIP units that are subject to time-based vesting with a fair market value of $3.0 million. Of these LTIP units, 446,376 LTIP units vest ratably over three years from January 1, 2023, subject generally to the grantee's continued employment. The first installment vests on January 1, 2024, and the remainder will vest thereafter in two equal annual installments on January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026. We also granted to our retired general counsel 75,195 LTIP units that vested immediately on the grant date. Annually, we make grants of LTIP units to our non-employee directors under the 2019 Plan. In May 2023, each of our directors received 60% of their $200,000 annual base retainer in the form of equity vesting ratably over four years, and could elect to receive the remaining 40% of such base retainer in (i) cash at the face value of the award, (ii) immediately vesting equity at the face value of the award, or (iii) equity vesting ratably over three years at 120% of the face amount. Each director could elect to receive any equity portion of the base retainer in either (i) LTIP units or (ii) restricted shares of our Class A common stock. In accordance with each director's election, in May 2023, we granted a total of 237,856 LTIP units that are subject to time-based vesting with fair market values of $1.2 million. The LTIP units vest ratably over three or four years from the date of the grant, based on grantee election, subject generally to the director's continued service on ESRT's Board of Directors. During July 2023, we granted our two new directors, Christina Van Tassell and Hannah Yang, a total of 27,000 LTIP units which are subject to time-based vesting with a combined fair market value of $0.2 million. One-fourth of the units will vest on May 12, 2024, and the remainder shall vest in substantially equal installments on each subsequent anniversary for a period of three years thereafter. Share-based compensation for time-based equity awards is measured at the fair value of the award on the date of grant and recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the shorter of (i) the stated vesting period, which is generally three, four or five years, or (ii) the period from the date of grant to the date the employee becomes retirement eligible, which may occur upon grant. An employee is retirement eligible when the employee attains the (i) age of 65 for awards granted in 2020 and after, and age of 60 for awards granted before 2020 and (ii) the date on which the employee has first completed the requisite years of continuous service with us or our affiliates. Share-based compensation for market-based equity awards and performance-based equity awards is measured at the fair value of the award on the date of grant and recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over three or four years. Additionally, for the performance-based equity awards, we assess, at each reporting period, whether it is probable that the performance conditions will be satisfied. We recognize expense respective to the number of awards we expect to vest at the conclusion of the measurement period. Changes in estimate are accounted for in the period of change through a cumulative catch-up adjustment. Any forfeitures of share-based compensation awards are recognized as they occur. For the market-based LTIP units, the fair value of the awards was estimated using a Monte Carlo Simulation model and discounted for the restriction period during which the LTIP units cannot be redeemed or transferred and the uncertainty regarding if, and when, the book capital account of the LTIP units will equal that of the common units. Our stock price, along with the prices of the comparative indexes, is assumed to follow the Geometric Brownian Motion Process. Geometric Brownian Motion is a common assumption when modeling in financial markets, as it allows the modeled quantity (in this case the stock price) to vary randomly from its current value and take any value greater than zero. The volatilities of the returns on our stock price and the comparative indexes were estimated based on implied volatilities and historical volatilities using an appropriate look-back period. The expected growth rate of the stock prices over the performance period is determined with consideration of the risk-free rate as of the grant date. For LTIP unit awards that are time or performance based, the fair value of the awards was estimated based on the fair value of our stock at the grant date discounted for the restriction period during which the LTIP units cannot be redeemed or transferred and the uncertainty regarding if, and when, the book capital account of the LTIP units will equal that of the common units. For restricted stock awards, the fair value of the awards are based on the market price of ESRT stock at the grant date. LTIP units and ESRT restricted stock issued during the year ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were valued at $21.7 million, $22.4 million and $20.0 million, respectively. The weighted-average per unit or share fair value was $5.67, $7.21 and $8.52 for grants issued in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The fair value per unit or share granted in 2023 was estimated on the respective dates of grant using the following assumptions: an expected life from 2.0 to 5.3 years, a dividend rate of 1.7%, a risk-free interest rate from 4.4% to 5.0%, and an expected price volatility from 35.0% to 46.0%. The fair value per unit or share granted in 2022 was estimated on the respective dates of grant using the following assumptions: an expected life from 2.0 to 5.3 years, a dividend rate of 2.0%, a risk-free interest rate from 1.4% to 2.0%, and an expected price volatility from 37.0% to 53.0%. The fair value per unit or share granted in 2021 was estimated on the respective dates of grant using the following assumptions: an expected life from 2.0 to 5.3 years, a dividend rate of 2.60%, a risk-free interest rate from 0.12% to 0.32%, and an expected price volatility from 36.0% to 53.0%. No other stock options, dividend equivalents, or stock appreciation rights were issued or outstanding in 2023, 2022 and 2021. The following is a summary of ESRT restricted stock and LTIP unit activity for the year ended December 31, 2023:
| ESRT Restricted Stock |  | Time-based LTIPs |  | Market-based LTIPs |  | Performance-based LTIPs |  | Weighted Average Grant Fair Value
Unvested balance at December 31, 2022 | 359,293 |  |  | 2,713,522 |  |  | 4,070,537 |  |  | 510,989 |  |  | $ | 6.69 |
Vested | (121,128) |  |  | (1,148,987) |  |  | (582,800) |  |  | (2,011) |  |  | 7.17 |
Granted | 370,465 |  |  | 1,733,015 |  |  | 946,398 |  |  | 771,180 |  |  | 5.67 |
Forfeited or unearned | (10,341) |  |  | — |  |  | (1,695,323) |  |  | (3,795) |  |  | 4.30 |
Unvested balance at December 31, 2023 | 598,289 |  |  | 3,297,550 |  |  | 2,738,812 |  |  | 1,276,363 |  |  | $ | 6.60 |
The total fair value of LTIP units and restricted stock that vested during 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $13.3 million, $14.1 million and $12.3 million, respectively. The time-based LTIPs and restricted stock awards are treated for accounting purposes as immediately vested upon the later of (i) the date the grantee attains the age of 60 or 65, as applicable, and (ii) the date on which grantee has first completed the requisite years of continuous service with our Company or its affiliates. For award agreements that qualify, we recognize noncash compensation expense on the grant date for the time-based awards and ratably over the vesting period for the market-based and performance-based awards, and accordingly, we recognized $2.8 million, $2.3 million and $1.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Unrecognized compensation expense was $3.2 million at December 31, 2023, which will be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.4 years. For the remainder of the LTIP unit awards, we recognized noncash compensation expense ratably over the vesting period, and accordingly, we recognized $17.2 million, $18.7 million and $19.0 million in noncash compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Unrecognized compensation expense was $24.1 million at December 31, 2023, which will be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.4 years. Earnings Per Unit Earnings per unit is calculated by dividing the net income attributable to common unitholders by the weighted average number of units outstanding during the respective period. Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends, whether paid or unpaid, are accounted for as participating securities. Share-based payment awards are included in the calculation of diluted income using the treasury stock method if dilutive. Earnings per unit for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 is computed as follows (amounts in thousands, except per share amounts):
| For the Year Ended December 31,
| 2023 |  | 2022 |  | 2021
Numerator: |  |  |  |  |
Net income (loss) | $ | 84,407 |  |  | $ | 63,212 |  |  | $ | (13,037) |
Private perpetual preferred unit distributions | (4,201) |  |  | (4,201) |  |  | (4,201) |
Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests in other partnerships | (68) |  |  | 243 |  |  | — |
Earnings allocated to unvested shares | — |  |  | — |  |  | (340) |
Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders - basic and diluted | $ | 80,138 |  |  | $ | 59,254 |  |  | $ | (17,578) |
Denominator: |  |  |  |  |
Weighted average units outstanding - basic | 263,226 |  |  | 268,337 |  |  | 277,420 |
Effect of dilutive securities: |  |  |  |  |
Stock-based compensation plans | 2,407 |  |  | 1,611 |  |  | — |
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted | 265,633 |  |  | 269,948 |  |  | 277,420 |
Earnings per unit - basic and diluted | $ | 0.30 |  |  | $ | 0.22 |  |  | $ | (0.06) |
There were zero antidilutive shares for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. There were 1,052,390 antidilutive shares for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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