As of September 30, 2024, the Company had four stock-based compensation plans, which are described more fully in Note 16 – Stockholders' Equity - Stock-Based Compensation Plans of the Company's audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 contained in the Company’s Form 10-K.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company issued options to purchase 35,000 shares of common stock to certain of the Company’s employees. During the same period, the Company canceled 12,750 options to purchase common stock as a result of employee resignations.

The following summarizes the changes in common stock options for the nine months ended September 30, 2024:


	Options			Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)
Outstanding as of December 31, 2023		2,265,350		$	1.71		6.8	$	907
Granted		35,000		$	2.70
Exercised		(13,750	)	$	1.02
Forfeited		(12,750	)	$	1.87
Outstanding as of September 30, 2024		2,273,850		$	1.73		6.1	$	897

Options exercisable as of September 30, 2024		1,626,600		$	1.42		5.3	$	879

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense related to common stock options of $0.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and $0.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. As of September 30, 2024, there was approximately $1.0 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested common stock options outstanding, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years.

Restricted stock awards represent a right to receive shares of common stock at a future date determined in accordance with the participant’s award agreement. There is no exercise price and no monetary payment required for receipt of restricted stock awards or the shares issued in settlement of the award. Instead, consideration is furnished in the form of the participant’s services to the Company. Compensation cost for these awards is based on the fair value of the shares of common stock on the date of grant and recognized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.

On March 7, 2024, the Company granted 128,044 shares of Company restricted common stock to employees under the 2022 Heritage Global Inc. Equity Incentive Plan. The restricted stock shares vest on March 7, 2025.

On March 7, 2024, the Company granted 75,000 shares of Company restricted common stock to non-executive directors under the 2022 Heritage Global Inc. Equity Incentive Plan. The restricted stock shares vest on March 7, 2025.

The Company determined the fair value of the shares awarded by using the closing price of our common stock as of the grant date. Stock-based compensation expense related to the restricted stock awards was approximately $0.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and $0.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The unrecognized stock-based compensation expense as of September 30, 2024 was approximately $0.3 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.4 years.