On February 12, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a $1.00 per common share special cash dividend, which was paid on April 3, 2018 to shareholders of record on March 6, 2018.

The Company has stock awards outstanding under two stock incentive plans: the Company’s 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan and 2010 Stock Incentive Plan. The Company accounts for its stock based compensation plans using the fair-value based method for costs related to stock based payments, including stock options and restricted share units (“RSUs”). During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company issued 96,828 RSUs, subject to service-based time vesting, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $27.31 per share, measured based on the closing fair market value of the Company’s stock on the date of grant. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company issued 83,168 RSUs, subject to service-based time vesting, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $24.70 per share, measured based on the closing fair market value of the Company’s stock on the date of grant.

Total stock based compensation expense recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, which is recorded within continuing operations in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income, is as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)	$	13	$	10	$	684	$	28
Product development		77		72		895		217
Sales and marketing		57		50		575		132
Other general and administrative		422		327		1,489		929
Total stock based compensation expense	$	569	$	459	$	3,643	$	1,306

During June 2019, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert A. Frist, Jr., contributed 78,520 of his personally owned shares of HealthStream, Inc. common stock (valued at $2.0 million) to the Company, without any consideration paid to him, for the benefit of the Company’s employees. In connection therewith, effective June 26, 2019 the Company approved the award of 78,520 fully vested shares of common stock to approximately 820 employees of the Company under the HealthStream, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan. These shares were issued in July 2019. As required by ASC Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation, the Company recognized $2.0 million of stock based compensation expense for these stock awards during the three months ended June 30, 2019 based on the closing fair market value of the Company’s stock on the date of the Company’s approval of these grants. Total payments related to the employees’ tax obligations to taxing authorities for these stock awards were $0.6 million and are reflected as a financing activity within the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. In addition, the employer taxes and expenses associated with these grants were $0.2 million and were recorded as an expense during June 2019. Mr. Frist contributed an additional 7,852 of his personally owned shares to cover these costs. The receipt of shares from Mr. Frist and in connection with the withholding of shares as set forth above are presented on the Company’s Statement of Shareholders’ Equity in a similar manner as a share repurchase (i.e., reduction of outstanding shares).