Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Employee Benefit Plans

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Employee Benefit Plans
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Benefit Plans
Employee Benefit Plans

The Company utilizes various forms of incentive compensation designed to align the interest of the executives and employees with those of its stockholders. Tabular disclosures related to the share-based awards are presented in Note 9. The narrative that follows provides a brief description of each plan, summarizes the overall status of each plan and discusses current year awards under each plan:

Savings and Protection Plan (“401(k) Plan”)

The 401(k) Plan provides employees with the option to defer receipt of a portion of their compensation, and the Company may, at its discretion, match a portion of the employee’s deferral with cash. The Company may also elect, at its discretion, to contribute a non-matching amount in cash and Company common stock to employees. The amounts held under the 401(k) Plan are invested in various funds maintained by a third party in accordance with the directions of each employee. An employee is fully vested, including Company discretionary contributions, immediately upon participation in the 401(k) Plan. The total amounts contributed by the Company, including the value of the common stock contributed, were $1,292$1,018 and $999 in the years 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”)

The 2011 Plan, which became effective May 12, 2011 following shareholder approval, authorized and reserved for issuance 2,300,000 shares of common stock, which may be issued upon exercise of vested stock options and/or the vesting of any other share-based equity award that is granted under this plan. The 2011 Plan is the Company’s only active plan, and included a provision at inception whereby all remaining, un-issued and authorized shares from the Company’s previous share-based incentive plans became issuable under the 2011 Plan. This transfer provision resulted in the transfer of an additional 841,000 shares into the plan, increasing the quantity authorized and reserved for issuance under the 2011 Plan to 3,141,000 at the inception of the 2011 Plan. Another provision provided that shares, which would otherwise become available for issuance under the previous plans as a result of vesting and/or forfeiture of any equity awards existing as of May 12, 2012, would also increase the authorized shares available to the 2011 Plan.

At the 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Company’s shareholders approved the First Amendment to the Callon Petroleum Company 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “First Amendment”), which provided for (i) an increase in the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for grant under the Plan by 2,000,000 shares from 2,300,000 shares to 4,300,000 shares, (ii) the adoption of a “double trigger” meaning that, in the event of a Company change in control, early vesting or payment occurs only if a change in control occurs and the executive’s employment is terminated or constructively terminated, and (iii) the elimination of the adding back of terminated options and stock appreciation rights shares for future grants. The First Amendment was made effective as of May 14, 2015. Including the transfer provision mentioned above, the quantity authorized and reserved for issuance under the 2011 Plan is 5,141,000 as of the effective date of the First Amendment. As of December 31, 2017, the 2011 Plan had 1,338,356 shares remaining and eligible for future issuance.

RSU equity awards. RSU equity awards issued under the 2011 Plan may be subject to various vesting, accelerated vesting, and forfeiture provisions upon the occurrence of certain events. RSU equity awards under the 2011 Plan generally vest over time but may also be subject to attaining a specified performance metrics and may vest immediately or cliff vest at a specified date. The Company will recognize expense on the grant date for all immediately vesting awards, while it will recognize expense ratably over the requisite service (i.e. vesting) period for both cliff and ratably vesting awards. 

For market-based RSU equity awards, the Company recognizes expense based on the fair value of the awards at the grant date. Awards with a market-based provision do not allow for the reversal of previously recognized expense, even if the market metric is not achieved and no shares ultimately vest or are awarded. Market-based RSU equity awards that vest are based on a calculation that compares the Company’s total shareholder return to the same calculated return of a group of peer companies as selected by the Company, and the number of units that will vest can range between 0% and 200% of the base units awarded.

Cash-settled RSU awards. Certain of the Company’s RSU awards require cash settlement. Cash-settled RSU awards are accounted for as liabilities as the Company is contractually obligated to settle these awards in cash. Changes in the fair value of cash-settleable awards are recorded as adjustments to compensation expense.

A significant portion of the Company’s cash-settled RSU awards include a market-based vesting condition that determines the actual number of units that will ultimately vest. The number of RSUs that vest is based on a calculation that compares the Company’s total shareholder return to the same calculated return of a group of peer companies as selected by the Company, and the number of units that will vest can range between 0% and 200% of the base units awarded. The fair value of the Company’s market-based RSU awards is calculated using a Monte Carlo valuation model, which considers such inputs as the Company’s and its peer group’s stock prices, a risk-free interest rate, and an estimated volatility for the Company and its peer group.