8. STOCK-BASED INCENTIVE PLANS

Restricted Stock

At the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders held on April 7, 2016, the Company’s stockholders approved the Natural Health Trends Corp. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan”) to replace its 2007 Equity Incentive Plan. The 2016 Plan allows for the grant of various equity awards including incentive stock options, non-statutory options, stock, stock units, stock appreciation rights and other similar equity-based awards to the Company’s employees, officers, non-employee directors, contractors, consultants and advisors of the Company. Up to 2,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (subject to adjustment under certain circumstances) may be issued pursuant to awards granted. At September 30, 2023, 1,125,349 shares remained available for issuance under the 2016 Plan.

On February 6, 2023, the Company granted 97,900 shares of restricted common stock to certain of its employees. The shares vest in equal parts on a quarterly basis over the next three years and are subject to forfeiture in the event of an employee's termination of service to the Company under specified circumstances.

Share-based compensation expense of $38,000 and $123,000 was recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, total unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to non-vested restricted stock was $333,000, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.2 years.

Phantom Equity

On  March 15, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved and adopted a Phantom Equity Plan (the “Phantom Plan”). Under the terms of the Phantom Plan, the Board of Directors' Compensation Committee  may grant to the Company’s employees, officers, directors, contractors, consultants, or advisors awards of phantom shares entitling grantees the right to receive a cash payment equal to the fair market value of an equal number of shares of the Company’s common stock upon the close of a vesting period, subject to any maximum payment value that the Compensation Committee  may set. The vesting of phantom shares is subject to such vesting conditions as the Compensation Committee  may specify in a grantee’s award agreement. Grantees of phantom shares shall not by virtue of their receipt of phantom shares have any ownership rights in shares of the Company’s common stock. The Phantom Plan shall continue for a period of ten years, after which no further phantom shares  may be awarded (although any phantom shares awarded prior to the expiration of such 10-year period shall be unaffected by the termination of the Phantom Plan).

Also on  March 15, 2021, awards for 223,307 phantom shares were granted to the Company’s employees and its non-employee directors.  The phantom shares vested in eight equal three-month vesting increments, subject to the satisfaction of both a time-based vesting condition and a performance vesting condition. Both of these vesting conditions were deemed satisfied on the grant date for the initial vesting increment, and were satisfied for each of the following three vesting periods in 2021 and the first vesting period in 2022. The time-based vesting condition was also satisfied for the final three vesting periods in 2022. In order for the time-based vesting condition to be satisfied for each vesting period, the grantee must have remained continuously employed by, or be otherwise continuously providing services to, the Company through the end of the vesting period, and in order for the performance vesting condition to be satisfied for each performance period, the performance criteria designated by the Compensation Committee must have been satisfied. The initial performance vesting condition to be applied to measure performance for the period between  March 15, 2021 and  June 15, 2021 was designated by the Compensation Committee on or before  April 14, 2021, and applied to all future performance periods unless the Compensation Committee elected to change the performance vesting condition on a prospective basis. Future changes to the performance vesting condition must have been made on or before the fifteenth day of any future performance period. If either vesting condition was not satisfied for a vesting date, then the phantom shares scheduled to vest on such date would be forfeited. These phantom shares were subject to a maximum payment value of $12.00 per phantom share. An additional award with similar vesting conditions for 9,074 phantom shares was granted on  May 14, 2021 to the Company's new non-employee director, while unvested 9,074 phantom shares granted to the Company's departing non-employee director were forfeited on or about the same date. On each of May 23, 2022, August 31, 2022, and November 25, 2022 the Compensation Committee determined to amend the outstanding awards to provide that the performance criteria shall be deemed satisfied for the three-month performance periods relating to the  June 15, 2022, September 15, 2022 and December 15, 2022 vesting dates, respectively. In making its determination, the Compensation Committee noted that the fact that the performance criteria were not achieved for the relevant performance periods was due to extraordinary business circumstances in China that were clearly beyond the Company’s control. The phantom shares awarded in 2021 are now fully vested.

On February 7, 2023, the Company granted 212,937 phantom shares to certain of the Company’s employees and its non-employee directors. The phantom shares vest in eight equal three-month vesting increments, subject to the satisfaction of both a time-based vesting condition and a performance vesting condition. Both of these vesting conditions were deemed satisfied on the grant date for the initial vesting increment. In order for the time-based vesting condition to be satisfied for each vesting period, the grantee must remain continuously employed by, or be otherwise continuously providing services to, the Company through the end of the vesting period, and in order for the performance vesting condition to be satisfied for each performance period, the performance criteria designated by the Compensation Committee must be satisfied. The initial performance vesting condition will be designated by the Compensation Committee and will apply to all future performance periods, unless the Compensation Committee elects to change the performance vesting condition on a prospective basis. Future changes to the performance vesting condition must be made on or before the fifteenth day of any future performance period. If either vesting condition is not satisfied for a vesting date, then the phantom shares scheduled to vest on such date will be forfeited. These phantom shares are subject to a maximum payment value of $12.00 per phantom share.

Awards totaling 26,617 and 27,913 phantom shares vested during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, resulting in compensation expense of $144,000 and $126,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to their cash settlement. Awards totaling 79,851 and 83,739 phantom shares vested during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, resulting in compensation expense of $404,000 and $475,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to their cash settlement.