NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON
JUNE 7, 2017
To the Stockholders of Diamondback Energy, Inc.:
The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Diamondback Energy, Inc. will be held on
June 7, 2017
at
11:30
a.m., local time, at One Park Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102, for the following purposes:
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To elect five directors to serve until the Company’s
2018
Annual Meeting of Stockholders;
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To hold an advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation;
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To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2017
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To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.
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We are providing access to our proxy materials, including this proxy statement and our
2016
Annual Report to Stockholders, over the Internet. As a result, we are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of a paper copy of our proxy materials. The notice contains instructions on how to access those proxy materials over the Internet, as well as instructions on how to request a paper or email copy of our proxy materials. Those stockholders who request a paper copy of our proxy materials as provided in the Notice of Internet Availability will receive such proxy materials by mail. This electronic distribution process reduces the environmental impact and lowers the costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials.
Your vote is important. Please carefully consider the proposals and vote in one of these ways:
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Follow the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or the proxy card to vote through the Internet;
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Follow the instructions on the proxy card to vote by phone;
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If you request to receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, mark, sign, date and promptly return the proxy card in the postage-paid envelope; or
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Submit a ballot at the Annual Meeting.
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Only stockholders of record at the close of business on
April 17, 2017
or their proxy holders may vote at the meeting.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON
JUNE 7, 2017
. This proxy statement and the Company’s
2016
Annual Report to Stockholders are available at www.envisionreports.com/FANG.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
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/s/ Randall J. Holder
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Randall J. Holder
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Executive Vice President, General Counsel and
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Secretary
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The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials is first being mailed to stockholders on
April 28, 2017
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the Annual Meeting
Who is soliciting my vote?
The board of directors of Diamondback Energy, Inc., which we refer to as “Diamondback,” the “Company” and “we” in this proxy statement, is soliciting your vote at the
2017
Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
What am I voting on?
You are voting on:
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The election of directors (
see Proposal 1 beginning on page
5
);
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The approval, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers as reported in this proxy statement (
see Proposal 2 on page
49
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The ratification of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent auditors for
2017
(
see Proposal 3 beginning on page
50
); and
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Any other business properly coming before the meeting.
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How does the board of directors recommend that I vote my shares?
Unless you give other instructions on your proxy, the persons named as proxy holders on the proxy or proxy card will vote in accordance with the recommendations of our board of directors. The board of directors’ recommendation can be found with the description of each item in this proxy statement. In summary, the board of directors recommends a vote:
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FOR the proposal to elect nominated directors;
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FOR the proposal to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers as reported in this proxy statement;
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FOR the proposal to ratify Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent auditors for
2017
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Who is entitled to vote?
You may vote if you were the record owner of our common stock as of the close of business on
April 17, 2017
. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote. As of
April 17, 2017
, we had
98,128,043
shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. There is no cumulative voting.
How many votes must be present to hold the meeting?
Your shares are counted as present at the Annual Meeting if you attend the meeting and vote in person or if you properly grant your proxy by telephone, Internet or mail. In order for us to hold our meeting, holders of a majority of the voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock as of the close of business on
April 17, 2017
must be present in person or by proxy at the meeting. This is referred to as a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum at the meeting.
What is a broker non-vote?
If a broker does not have discretion to vote shares held in street name on a particular proposal and does not receive instructions from the beneficial owner on how to vote those shares, the broker may not vote on that proposal. This is known as a
broker non-vote
. No broker may vote your shares without your specific instructions on any of the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting other than the ratification of our independent auditors.
How many votes are needed to approve each of the proposals?
The five nominees for election as directors at the Annual Meeting who receive the highest number of “FOR” votes will be elected as directors. This is called plurality voting. Unless you indicate otherwise, the persons named as your proxies will vote your shares FOR all the nominees for director named in Proposal 1.
Proposals 2 and 3 require the affirmative “FOR” vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon.
Except with respect to the proposal to ratify our independent auditors, where broker non-votes will be counted, only votes for or against these proposals will be counted as votes cast and abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted for voting purposes.
How do I vote?
You can vote either
in person
at the meeting or
by proxy
without attending the meeting.
To vote by proxy, you may vote by telephone or through the Internet by following the instructions included on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or proxy card, or, if you request to receive a paper copy of the proxy card, by returning a signed, dated and marked proxy card. If you are a registered holder or hold your shares in street name, votes submitted by Internet or telephone must be received by
1:00
a.m. central time on
June 7, 2017
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Even if you plan to attend the meeting, we encourage you to vote your shares by proxy. If you plan to vote in person at the Annual Meeting, and you hold your stock in street name, you must obtain a proxy from your broker and bring that proxy to the meeting.
Can I change my vote?
Yes. You can change or revoke your vote at any time before the polls close at the Annual Meeting. You can do this by:
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Submitting another valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it to us prior to the meeting;
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Sending our Corporate Secretary a written document revoking your earlier proxy; or
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Voting again at the meeting.
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However, if your shares are held in street name by a broker or other nominee, you must contact your broker or such other nominee to revoke your proxy.
Who counts the votes?
We have hired Computershare Trust Company, N.A., our transfer agent, to count the votes represented by proxies cast by telephone, Internet, mail or ballot. Employees of Computershare Trust Company, N.A. will act as inspectors of election.
Will my vote be confidential?
Yes. As a matter of Company policy, proxies, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are treated as confidential. Only the tabulation agent and the inspectors of election have access to your vote. Directors and employees of the Company may see your vote only if there is a contested proxy solicitation, as required by law or in certain other special circumstances.
Will my shares be voted if I don’t provide my proxy and don’t attend the Annual Meeting?
If you do not provide a proxy or vote your shares held in your name, your shares will not be voted.
If you hold your shares in street name, your broker may be able to vote your shares for certain “routine” matters even if you do not provide the broker with voting instructions. The ratification of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent auditors for
2017
is considered routine. For matters not considered “routine,” if you do not give your broker instructions on how to vote your shares, the broker may not vote on that proposal. This is a broker non-vote.
The proposals to elect directors and to approve, on an advisory basis, the Company’s executive compensation are not considered routine. As a result, no broker may vote your shares on these proposals without your specific instructions.
How are votes counted?
In the election of directors contemplated by Proposal 1, you may vote “FOR” all of the nominees or your vote may be “WITHHELD” with respect to one or more of the nominees. For Proposal 2 and 3 you may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN.”
What if I submit my proxy but don’t indicate my vote on the proposals?
If you submit a proxy by telephone or Internet, or if you request a paper copy of our proxy materials and return a signed proxy card by mail, in each case without indicating your vote, your shares will be voted FOR the director nominees listed on the card, FOR approving, on an advisory basis, the Company’s executive compensation as described in this proxy statement and FOR the ratification of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent auditors for
2017
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Could other matters be decided at the Annual Meeting?
We have not received any stockholder proposals and are not aware of any other matters that will be considered at the Annual Meeting.
If any other matters arise at the Annual Meeting, the persons named in your proxies will vote in accordance with their best judgment.
Who can attend the meeting?
The Annual Meeting is open to all holders of our common stock.
What do I need to bring to attend the Annual Meeting?
You will need proof of ownership of our common stock to enter the meeting. If your shares are in the name of your broker or bank or other nominee, you will need to bring evidence of your stock ownership, such as your most recent brokerage statement. All stockholders will be required to present valid picture identification. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE VALID PICTURE IDENTIFICATION AND PROOF THAT YOU OWN SHARES OF OUR STOCK, YOU MAY NOT BE ADMITTED INTO THE MEETING.
What are the directions to the Annual Meeting location?
The Annual Meeting will be held at One Park Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. From I-44, take I-40 east approximately 3 miles and exit 150A to Shields Boulevard. Turn left (north) on South Shields Boulevard (after approximately 0.4 miles South Shields Boulevard turns into S E.K. Gaylord Boulevard) and travel approximately 0.8 miles. From S E.K. Gaylord Boulevard, turn left (west) on W Main St. Continue on W Main St. approximately 0.1 miles and take a right (north) on N Broadway Ave and then right (north) on Park Ave. One Park Avenue is located at the intersection of North Broadway Avenue and Park Avenue. Please note that there may be construction along this route and it is subject to detours.
How can I access the Company’s proxy materials and annual report electronically?
This proxy statement and the Company’s
2016
Annual Report to Stockholders are available at www.envisionreports.com/FANG.
Why did I receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of a paper copy of the proxy materials?
We are providing access to our proxy materials, including this proxy statement and our
2016
Annual Report to Stockholders, over the Internet in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. As a result, we are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of a paper copy of our proxy materials. Your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials over the Internet, as well as instructions on how to request a paper copy of our proxy materials by mail.
Our proxy materials are also available at www.envisionreports.com/FANG.
How can I request a full set of proxy materials?
You may request, without charge, a full set of our proxy materials, including our
2016
Annual Report to Stockholders, for one year following the annual meeting of stockholders. If a broker or other nominee holds your shares of record, you may request a full set of our proxy materials by following the instructions contained in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials that you received.
Board of Directors Information
What is the makeup of the board of directors and how often are the members elected?
Our board of directors consists of five members who are elected annually. The majority of these directors are independent under the Nasdaq listing standards.
What if a nominee is unable or unwilling to serve?
That is not expected to occur. If it does, shares represented by proxies will be voted for a substitute nominated by the board of directors.
How are directors compensated?
Members of our board of directors who are also officers or employees of the Company do not receive compensation for their services as directors.
Cash Compensation
During
2016
, non-employee directors of the Company received
$47,500
in cash plus additional annual payments of
$15,000
for the chairperson of the audit committee and
$10,000
for each other member of the audit committee and
$10,000
for the chairperson of all other committees and
$5,000
for each other member of each other committee, with such amounts paid in quarterly installments. Additionally, each director received
$1,000
for each board or committee meeting the director attends in person, and
$500
for each board or committee meeting the director attends telephonically.
No changes have been made to our director cash compensation in
2017
to date
.
Equity Compensation
From time to time, we provide our non-employee directors with equity compensation under our equity incentive plan, as additional compensation and incentive. Our current non-employee directors are Steven E. West, Michael P. Cross, David L. Houston and Mark L. Plaumann. In August 2015, each non-employee director was granted 1,578 restricted stock units which vest in three installments of 526 restricted stock units, the first two of which vested on August 25, 2015 and July 1, 2016, respectively, with the vesting of the remaining equal installment occurring on July 1, 2017. In August 2016, each non-employee director was granted 1,359 restricted stock units which vest in three installments of 453 restricted stock units, the first of which vested on August 28, 2016, and the vesting of the remaining two equal installments occurring on July 1, 2017 and 2018, respectively. No equity awards have been granted to our non-employee directors during
2017
to date. Further details regarding our director compensation in
2016
are set forth under the heading “Compensation Tables—Director Compensation” below.
Insurance and Indemnification
We provide liability insurance for our directors and executive officers at a current annual premium of approximately
$346,632
. We are also party to indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers. In addition, our certificate of incorporation sets forth limitations on our directors’ liability to our stockholders. Further, our bylaws contain indemnification and advancement of expenses provisions for the benefit of our directors and officers.
How often did the board of directors meet in
2016
?
Our board of directors met
eleven
(
11
) times, in person or telephonically, in
2016
. In addition to these meetings, the board of directors adopted resolutions by unanimous written consent. Each director attended at least
90%
of the meetings of the board of directors and the meetings of the committees on which he served.
Election of Directors and Director Biographies
(Proposal 1 on the Proxy Card)
Who are this year’s nominees?
The directors standing for election this year to hold office until the
2018
Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until each such director’s successor is elected are:
STEVEN E. WEST, age
56
.
Mr. West has served as a director of the Company since December 2011 and Chairman of the Board since October 2012. Mr. West served as our Chief Executive Officer from January 2009 to December 2011. From January 2011 until December 2016, Mr. West was a partner at Wexford Capital LP, or Wexford Capital, focusing on Wexford Capital’s private equity energy investments. From August 2006 until December 2010, Mr. West served as senior portfolio advisor at Wexford Capital. From August 2003 until August 2006, Mr. West was the Chief Financial Officer of Sunterra Corporation, a former Wexford Capital portfolio company. From December 1993 until July 2003, Mr. West held senior financial positions at Coast Asset Management and IndyMac Bank. Prior to that, Mr. West worked at First Nationwide Bank, Lehman Brothers and Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co., the predecessor of KPMG LLP. Since February 2014, Mr. West has also served as a director and Executive Chairman of the general partner of Viper Energy Partners LP, our publicly traded subsidiary, which we refer to as Viper. Mr. West holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Chico. We believe Mr. West’s background in finance, accounting and private equity energy investments, as well as his executive management skills developed as part of his career with Wexford Capital, its portfolio companies and other financial institutions qualify him to serve on our board of directors.
TRAVIS D. STICE, age
55
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Mr. Stice has served as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2012 and as a director of the Company since November 2012. Mr. Stice has also served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of the general partner of Viper since February 2014.
Prior to his current positions with us, he served as our President and Chief Operating Officer from April 2011 to January 2012. From November 2010 to April 2011, Mr. Stice served as a Production Manager of Apache Corporation, an oil and gas exploration company. He served as a Vice President of Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Inc. from September 2008 to September 2010. Prior to that, Mr. Stice held a series of positions of increasing responsibilities at Burlington Resources until Burlington Resources' acquisition by ConocoPhillips in March 2006. He started his career with Mobil Oil in 1985. Mr. Stice has over 26 years of industry experience in production operations, reservoir engineering, production engineering and unconventional oil and gas exploration and over 20 years of management experience. Mr. Stice graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering. Mr. Stice is a registered engineer in the State of Texas, and is a 26-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. We believe that Mr. Stice’s leadership within the Company, his management experience and his knowledge of the critical internal and external challenges facing the Company and the oil and natural gas industry as a whole qualify him for service on our board of directors.
MICHAEL P. CROSS, age
65
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Mr. Cross has served as a director of the Company since October 2012. Mr. Cross is owner of Michael P. Cross, Inc., an independent oil and natural gas producer, and serves as its President, a position he has held since January 2007. Mr. Cross also currently serves as a director of Warren Equipment Company, a position he has held since 2002. Mr. Cross also served as a member of the executive committee of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board from February 2005 until March 2014, where he was a member of the executive committee from 2007 until 2014. Mr. Cross currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, a position he has held for over 17 years, and was inducted into its Wildcatters Hall of Honor. Mr. Cross served on the Board of Directors for OGE Enogex GP LLC from October 2007 to October 2008. Mr. Cross also served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Windsor Energy Resources, Inc. from December 2005 until December 2006. Mr. Cross served as President of Twister Gas Services, L.L.C., an oil and gas exploration, production and marketing company, from its inception in 1996 until June 2003 and served as President of its predecessor, Twister Transmission Company, from 1990 to 1996. Mr. Cross graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. We believe that Mr. Cross’s strong oil and gas background and executive management experience qualify him for service on our board of directors.
DAVID L. HOUSTON, age
64
.
Mr. Houston has served as a director of the Company since October 2012. Since 1991, Mr. Houston has been the principal of Houston Financial, a firm providing wealth management services with a focus on the energy sector. Since 2000, Mr. Houston has managed a mineral trust with approximately 9,200 net acres in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico, which includes responsibility for leasing and production matters. Mr. Houston served on the board of directors and executive committee of Deaconess Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from January 1993 until December 2008. Mr. Houston has served as a director of Gulfport Energy Corporation, or Gulfport, since July 1998, and has been Chairman of its Board since June 2013. Mr. Houston also serves on Gulfport's nominating and governance, audit and compensation committees. He also served as a director of Bronco Drilling Company from May 2005 until December 2010 and was a member of its audit committee. Mr. Houston received a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Oklahoma State University and a graduate degree in banking from Louisiana State University. We believe that Mr. Houston’s financial background and his executive management experience qualify him for service on our board of directors.
MARK L. PLAUMANN, age
61
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Mr. Plaumann has served as a director of the Company since October 2012. He is currently a Managing Member of Greyhawke Capital Advisors LLC, or Greyhawke, which he co-founded in 1998. Prior to founding Greyhawke, Mr. Plaumann was a Senior Vice President of Wexford Capital. Mr. Plaumann was formerly a Managing Director of Alvarez & Marsal, Inc. and the President of American Healthcare Management, Inc. He also was Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Plaumann served as a director and audit committee chairman for ICx Technologies, Inc. from 2006 until October 2010 and currently serves as a director and a member of the audit and compensation committees of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc., and a director of one private company. Mr. Plaumann served as a director, an audit committee chairman and a member of the conflicts committee of the general partner of Rhino Resource Partners LP, a coal operating company, from September 2010 until March 2016. Mr. Plaumann holds an M.B.A. and a B.A. in Business from the University of Central Florida. We believe that Mr. Plaumann’s service on the boards of other public companies and his executive management experience, including previous experience as chairman of audit committees, qualifies him for service on our board of directors.
What does the board of directors recommend?
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF THESE DIRECTORS
What are the committees of the Board?
Our board of directors has the following committees:
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Committee
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Members
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Principal Functions
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Number of Meetings in 2016
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Audit
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Mark L. Plaumann*
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Reviews and discusses with management and the independent auditors the integrity of our accounting policies, internal controls, financial statements, accounting and auditing processes and risk management compliance.
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Five (5)
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Michael P. Cross
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David L. Houston
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Monitors and oversees our accounting, auditing and financial reporting processes generally, including the qualifications, independence and performance of the independent auditor.
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Monitors our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
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Establishes procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.
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Reviews and approves related party transactions.
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Appoints, determines compensation, evaluates and terminates our independent auditors.
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Pre-approves audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by the independent auditors.
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Prepares the report required by the SEC for the inclusion in our annual proxy statement.
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Reviews and reassesses the adequacy of the audit committee charter on a periodic basis.
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Inform our independent auditors of the audit committee's understanding of significant relationships and transactions with related parties and review and discuss with our independent auditors the auditors' evaluation of our identification of, accounting for and disclosure of our relationships and transactions with related parties, including any significant matters arising from the audit regarding our relationships and transactions with related parties.
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Conducts a periodic performance evaluation of the committee.
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Compensation
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Michael P. Cross*
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Oversees and administers our executive compensation policies, plans and practices and evaluates their impact on risk and risk management.
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Four (4)
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David L. Houston
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Mark L. Plaumann
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Committee
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Members
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Principal Functions
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Number of Meetings in 2016
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Reviews and makes recommendations to the board of directors with respect to compensation plans and policies for employees generally.
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Discharges the board of directors’ responsibilities relating to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers.
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Where appropriate or required, makes recommendations to our stockholders with respect to incentive compensation and equity-based plans.
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Reviews, approves and administers our Executive Annual Incentive Compensation Plan, including the establishment of performance criteria and targets and awards under such plan.
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Reviews, approves and administers our equity-based compensation plans, including the grants of stock options, restricted stock units and other equity awards under such plans.
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Makes recommendations to the board with respect to director compensation.
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Determines any stock ownership guidelines for our chief executive officer and other executive officers and directors.
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Conducts a periodic performance evaluation of the committee.
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Reviews disclosure related to executive compensation in our proxy statement.
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Reviews and reassesses the adequacy of the compensation committee charter.
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Advise the board of directors regarding the stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation and golden parachutes, including the frequency of such votes.
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Reviews and considers the stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation when determining policies and making decisions on executive compensation.
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Has the sole authority to appoint, compensate and oversee work of any compensation consultant and other advisors with respect to executive compensation and assistance with other charter responsibilities and determines any conflict of interest with such compensation consultant.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance
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David L. Houston*
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Assists the board of directors in developing criteria for, identifying and evaluating individuals qualified to serve as members of our board of directors.
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One (1)
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Michael P. Cross
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Mark L. Plaumann
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Identifies and recommends director candidates to the board of directors to be submitted for election at the Annual Meeting and to fill any vacancies on the board of directors.
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Evaluates candidates for board of directors membership, including those recommended by stockholders of the Company.
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Periodically reviews and makes recommendations regarding the composition and size of the board of directors and each of its committees.
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Conducts a periodic performance evaluation of the committee.
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Reviews and reassesses the adequacy of the nominating and corporate governance committee charter and recommends any proposed changes to the board of directors for approval.
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*Committee Chairperson.
Do the committees have written charters?
Yes. The charters for our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee can be found on our website at
www.diamondbackenergy.com
under the “Investors—Corporate Governance” caption. You may also obtain copies of these charters, as well as our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is described below, at no charge to you, by writing to Corporate Secretary, Diamondback Energy, Inc. 9400 N. Broadway Extension, Suite 700, Oklahoma City, OK 73114.
Corporate Governance Matters and Communications with the Board
Who are our independent directors?
Our board of directors has determined that David L. Houston, Michael P. Cross and Mark L. Plaumann meet the standards regarding independence set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards and are free of any relationship which, in the opinion of our board of directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out their responsibilities as directors of the Company.
Our board of directors has determined that each member of the audit committee is independent for purposes of serving on such committee under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable federal law. In addition, our board of directors has determined that each current member of the audit committee is financially literate under the Nasdaq listing standards and that Mark L. Plaumann qualifies as the “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K.
Our board of directors has also determined that each member of the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee meets the independence requirements applicable to those committees under the Nasdaq rules. In addition, our board of directors determined that each member of our compensation committee is an “outside director” in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and a “non-employee director” in accordance with Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Do our non-management directors meet separately without management?
Our non-management directors have the opportunity to meet in an executive session following each regularly scheduled meeting of the board of directors and its committees. Our non-management directors met in an executive session on
four
(
4
) occasions in
2016
.
How can I communicate with the board of directors?
Individuals may communicate with our board of directors or individual directors by writing to Corporate Secretary, Diamondback Energy, Inc., 9400 N. Broadway Extension, Suite 700, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73114. Our Corporate Secretary will review all such correspondence and forward to our board of directors a summary of all such correspondence and copies of all correspondence that, in the opinion of our Corporate Secretary, relates to the functions of our board of directors or the compensation committee thereof or that he otherwise determines requires their attention. Directors may review a log of all such correspondence received by us and request copies. Concerns relating to accounting, internal control over financial reporting or auditing matters will be immediately brought to the attention of the chairman of the audit committee and handled in accordance with the audit committee procedures established with respect to such matters.
Do directors attend the Annual Meeting?
Recognizing that director attendance at our Annual Meeting can provide our stockholders with an opportunity to communicate with directors about issues affecting the Company, we actively encourage our directors to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. All of our directors attended our
2016
Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics designed to help directors and employees resolve ethical issues. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to all directors and employees, including the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, principal accounting officer and controller and persons performing similar functions. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics covers various topics including, but not limited to, conflicts of interest, fair dealing, discrimination and harassment, confidentiality, compliance procedures and employee complaint procedures. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is posted on our website under the “Investors—Corporate Governance” caption.
Nominating Process For Directors, Director Qualifications and Review of Director Nominees
The nominating and corporate governance committee is comprised of
three
non-employee directors, all of whom are independent under Nasdaq listing standards. As provided by the nominating and corporate governance committee’s charter, our nominating and corporate governance committee identifies, evaluates and recommends to our board of directors candidates with the goal of creating a balance of knowledge, experience and diversity. Generally, the committee identifies candidates through the personal, business and organizational contacts of the directors and management.
Potential directors should possess the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, and be committed to representing the interests of our stockholders. In addition to reviewing a candidate’s background and accomplishments, candidates for director nominees are reviewed in the context of the current composition of our board of directors and the evolving needs of our stockholders’ businesses. It is the policy of our board of directors that at all times at least a majority of its members meets the standards of independence promulgated by Nasdaq and the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and that all members reflect a range of talents, experience, skills and expertise, particularly in the areas of accounting and finance, management, leadership and oil and gas related industries sufficient to provide sound and prudent guidance with respect to our operations and stockholders’ interests. In addition to the foregoing factors, our nominating and corporate governance committee considers diversity in its evaluation of candidates for board membership. Although our board of directors does not have a formal diversity policy, our board believes that diversity with respect to viewpoint, skills and experience should be an important factor in board composition. Our nominating and corporate governance committee ensures that diversity considerations are discussed in connection with each potential nominee, as well as on a periodic basis in connection with its periodic review of the composition of the board and the size of the board as a whole.
We also require that the members of our board of directors be able to dedicate the time and resources sufficient to ensure the diligent performance of their duties on our behalf, including attending all meetings of the board of directors and applicable committee meetings. In accordance with its charter, our nominating and corporate governance committee periodically reviews the criteria for the selection of directors to serve on our board and recommends any proposed changes to our board of directors for approval.
Our board of directors will consider stockholder nominations for director candidates upon written submission of such recommendation to our Corporate Secretary along with, among other things, the nominee’s qualifications and certain biographical information regarding the nominee, such nominee’s written consent to serving as a director if elected and being named in the proxy or information statement and certain information regarding the status of the stockholder submitting the recommendation, all in the manner required by our amended and restated bylaws and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. Following verification of the stockholder status of persons proposing candidates, recommendations will be aggregated and considered by our board of directors at a regularly scheduled or special meeting. If any materials are provided by a stockholder in connection with the nomination of a director candidate, such materials will be forwarded to our board of directors.
Our board of directors may also review materials provided by professional search firms or other parties in connection with a nominee who is not proposed by a stockholder. In evaluating such nominations, our board of directors will seek to achieve a balance of knowledge, experience and capability on the board. Our board of directors uses the same criteria for evaluating candidates nominated by stockholders as it does for those proposed by current board members, professional search firms and other persons. After completing its evaluation, our board of directors approves the final slate of director nominees.
Our nominating and corporate governance committee approved the director nominees submitted for election at this Annual Meeting. Each nominee is a current board member and brings a strong and unique background and set of skills to our board of directors, giving our board of directors as a whole competence and experience in a variety of areas, including corporate governance and board service, executive management, oil and natural gas industry, accounting and finance and risk assessment and management. Specifically, in nominating the current board members for re-election at this Annual Meeting, our nominating and corporate governance committee considered such directors’ past service on our board and the information discussed in each of the directors’ individual biographies set forth beginning on page
5
above.
Director Leadership Structure
The positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are held by two different individuals. Separating these positions allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business and operations, while allowing our Chairman of the Board to lead the board in its fundamental role of providing advice to and oversight of management. The Chairman of the Board provides leadership to our board of directors and works with the board of directors to define its structure and activities in the fulfillment of its responsibilities. The Chairman of the Board sets the board agendas, with the input from other members of the board and our management, facilitates communications among and information flow to directors, has the power to call special meetings of our board of directors and stockholders and presides at meetings of our board of directors and stockholders. The Chairman of the Board also advises and counsels our Chief Executive Officer and other officers.
We believe that our directors bring a broad range of leadership experience to the boardroom and regularly contribute to the thoughtful discussion involved in effectively overseeing the business and affairs of the Company. We believe that the atmosphere of our board is collegial, that all board members are well engaged in their responsibilities, and that all board members express their views and consider the opinions expressed by other directors.
Three
of the
five
directors on our board are independent under the Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules, and Mr. Houston has been appointed as the lead director among our independent directors. In such capacity, Mr. Houston’s duties include presiding at all meetings of the board at which the Chairman of the Board is not present, including executive sessions of the independent directors, and serving as a liaison between the Chairman of the Board and the independent directors. We believe that all of our independent directors have demonstrated leadership in business enterprises and are familiar with board processes. Our independent directors are involved in the leadership structure of our board by serving on our audit, nominating and compensation committees, each having a separate independent chairperson. Specifically, the chair of our audit committee oversees the accounting and financial reporting processes, as well as compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The chair of our compensation committee oversees the annual performance evaluation of our Chief Executive Officer and our compensation policies and practices and their impact on risk and risk management. The chair of our nominating and corporate governance committee monitors matters such as the composition of the board and its committees, board performance and best practices in corporate governance. As such, each committee chair provides independent leadership for purposes of many important functions delegated by our board of directors to such committee.
Board of Director’s Role in Risk Oversight
As an exploration and production company, we face a number of risks, including risks associated with supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, volatility of oil and natural gas prices, exploring for, developing, producing and delivering oil and natural gas, declining production, environmental and other government regulations and taxes, weather conditions, including hurricanes, that can affect oil and natural gas operations over a wide area, adequacy of our insurance coverage, political instability or armed conflict in oil and natural gas producing regions and overall economic environment. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks we face as a company, while our board of directors, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. In its risk oversight role, our board of directors has the responsibility to satisfy itself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are adequate and functioning as designed.
Our board of directors believes that full and open communication between management and the board of directors is essential for effective risk management and oversight. Our Chairman of the Board meets
regularly with our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer to discuss strategy and risks facing the Company. Our executive officers regularly attend the board meetings and are available to address any questions or concerns raised by the board on risk management-related and any other matters. Other members of our management team periodically attend the board meetings or are otherwise available to confer with the board to the extent their expertise is required to address risk management matters. Periodically, our board of directors receives presentations from senior management on strategic matters involving our operations. During such meetings, our board of directors also discusses strategies, key challenges, and risks and opportunities for the Company with senior management.
While our board of directors is ultimately responsible for risk oversight at the Company, the board's three committees assist the board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. The audit committee assists the board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to risk management in the areas of financial reporting, internal controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and discusses policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The compensation committee assists the board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks arising from our compensation policies and programs. The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks associated with board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our directors and executive officers, and corporate governance.
Executive Compensation Policy and Objectives
Our general compensation policy is guided by several key principles:
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•
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designing competitive total compensation programs to enhance our ability to attract and retain knowledgeable and experienced senior management level employees;
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•
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motivating employees to deliver outstanding financial performance and meet or exceed general and specific business, operational and individual objectives;
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•
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setting compensation and incentive levels relevant to the market in which the employee provides service;
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•
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providing a meaningful performance-based compensation incentive, based on the performance of the individual and the financial performance of the Company to assure an alignment of interests between our senior management-level employees and our stockholders; and
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•
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providing a meaningful portion of the total compensation to our named executive officers in equity, thus assuring an alignment of interests between our senior management level employees and our stockholders.
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Our compensation committee determines, subject to the terms of the employment agreements with our named executive officers, the mix of compensation, both among short-term and long-term compensation and cash and non-cash compensation, to establish structures that it believes are appropriate for each of our named executive officers. In making compensation decisions with respect to each element of compensation, the compensation committee considers numerous factors, including:
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•
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aligning the compensation of our executives with the performance of the Company on both a short-term and long-term basis;
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•
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achievement of individual and company performance goals and other expectations relating to the position;
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•
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comparison to other executives within the Company having similar levels of expertise and experience and the uniqueness of the individual’s industry skills;
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•
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the individual’s particular background and circumstances, including training and prior relevant work experience;
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•
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the individual’s role with us and the compensation paid to similar persons at comparable companies; and
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•
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the demand for individuals with the individual’s specific expertise and experience.
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The compensation committee seeks to provide a total compensation package to our named executive officers designed to drive performance and reward contributions in support of our business strategies and to attract, motivate and retain high quality talent with the skills and competencies required by us. The compensation committee also seeks to balance these goals by designing our compensation policies and programs to encourage and reward prudent business judgment over the long term by structuring long-term awards as both time-vesting and performance-based and setting meaningful performance criteria and targets, while also offering a competitive base salary component of executive compensation. The compensation committee believes that this combination should avoid encouraging management-level employees to engage in excessive risk-taking, while at the same time promoting performance and retention. In structuring our compensation policies and programs, the compensation committee also takes into consideration the compensation practices of our peer companies and may also review compensation data from the oil and natural gas industry in general. The compensation committee also may review any relevant compensation surveys and consult with compensation consultants with respect to determining any changes in the compensation for our named executive officers, subject to their respective employment agreements. The compensation committee also takes into consideration recommendations from our Chief Executive Officer with respect to our other named executive officers’ compensation.
Highlights of Company Performance in
2016
Operational and Financial Performance
During
2016
, we achieved the following financial and operational metrics, in each case, as compared to 2015:
|
|
•
|
our production volumes
increased
30%
;
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•
|
our total proved reserves
increased
31%
;
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•
|
our proved developed reserves
increased
29%
;
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•
|
continuous improvement in our expense structure, with lease operating expense, or LOE, averaging
$5.23
per barrel of oil equivalent, or BOE, in
2016
,
down
24%
from
$6.84
per BOE in
2015
;
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•
|
peer leading cash margins, with cash operating costs per BOE down by 18% and average costs for a 7,500 foot lateral well down by 13%;
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•
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an undrawn revolving credit facility at year-end 2016, with available borrowing capacity of $500.0 million; and
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•
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financed over $3.0 billion of accretive acquisitions through debt and equity transactions and cash on hand.
|
2016 Acquisitions
During 2016, we entered into several significant acquisition transactions to continue building our inventory of horizontal drilling opportunities. On December 13, 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement with Brigham Resources Operating, LLC and Brigham Resources Midstream, LLC to acquire approximately 93,761 gross (76,319 net) leasehold acres and related assets in the Delaware Basin for an aggregate purchase price of $2.55 billion, consisting of $1.62 billion in cash and 7.69 million shares of the Company’s common stock. This acquisition was completed in February 2017.
On September 1, 2016, we acquired leasehold interests and related assets in the Southern Delaware Basin for an aggregate purchase price of $558.5 million. This transaction included approximately 26,797 gross (19,262 net) acres primarily in Reeves and Ward counties.
Shareholder Value Creation and Total Shareholder Return
Since our initial public offering in October of 2012, our executive management has been focused not only on achieving peer-leading operational performance in the Permian Basin, but also on creating superior stockholder value.
Further, our cumulative total stockholder return was not only consistently and substantially above our 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 proxy peer groups, but also consistently and substantially above the applicable industry index and S&P 500 index in each year following our initial public offering. The following performance graph compares our cumulative total stockholder return from the first trading date following our IPO through
December 31, 2016
, with the average performance of our four proxy peer groups identified below under “Compensation Decisions for
2016
and Changes in Compensation for
2017
,” the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index, a broad market index, or the S&P 500 Index, and the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration and Production ETF, or XOP Index. The graph assumes an investment of $100 on such date, and that all dividends were reinvested and are weighted on a market capitalization basis.
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Date
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S&P 500
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XOP
|
|
Diamondback Energy Inc.
|
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2013 Proxy Peer Group
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2014 Proxy Peer Group
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2015 Proxy Peer Group
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2016 Proxy Peer Group
|
10/12/2012
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$100.00
|
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$100.00
|
|
$100.00
|
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$100.00
|
|
$100.00
|
|
$100.00
|
|
$100.00
|
12/31/2012
|
|
$100.36
|
|
$97.32
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|
$109.26
|
|
$92.48
|
|
$92.86
|
|
$93.63
|
|
$90.18
|
3/28/2013
|
|
$111.01
|
|
$108.85
|
|
$153.37
|
|
$108.03
|
|
$108.56
|
|
$111.39
|
|
$102.91
|
6/28/2013
|
|
$114.23
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|
$104.70
|
|
$190.40
|
|
$102.05
|
|
$102.01
|
|
$115.27
|
|
$104.94
|
9/30/2013
|
|
$120.23
|
|
$118.50
|
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$243.66
|
|
$136.31
|
|
$134.12
|
|
$154.00
|
|
$133.25
|
12/31/2013
|
|
$132.85
|
|
$123.32
|
|
$302.18
|
|
$135.79
|
|
$134.01
|
|
$157.33
|
|
$142.09
|
3/31/2014
|
|
$135.25
|
|
$129.26
|
|
$384.63
|
|
$150.18
|
|
$146.94
|
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$179.35
|
|
$157.75
|
6/30/2014
|
|
$142.33
|
|
$148.07
|
|
$507.43
|
|
$178.35
|
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$169.81
|
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$204.97
|
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$181.41
|
9/30/2014
|
|
$143.94
|
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$123.86
|
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$427.31
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$145.90
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$132.78
|
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$171.33
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$150.27
|
12/31/2014
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$151.03
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$86.13
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$341.60
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$82.73
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$83.62
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$122.26
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$110.61
|
3/31/2015
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$152.46
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$92.96
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$439.09
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$90.52
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$89.48
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$132.88
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$122.09
|
6/30/2015
|
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$152.89
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$83.97
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$430.74
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$87.92
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$89.33
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$135.67
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$125.32
|
9/30/2015
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$143.04
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$59.10
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$369.14
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$60.45
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$64.24
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$101.13
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$97.86
|
12/31/2015
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$153.10
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$54.38
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$382.29
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$56.68
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$63.23
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$96.58
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$92.07
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3/31/2016
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$144.18
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$54.62
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$441.03
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$55.03
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$64.50
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$97.92
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$96.90
|
6/30/2016
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$146.92
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$62.64
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$521.20
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$70.72
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$82.21
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$115.40
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$118.05
|
9/30/2016
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$151.78
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$69.21
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$551.66
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$94.17
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$106.15
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$139.43
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$144.29
|
12/31/2016
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$156.72
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$74.54
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$577.49
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$108.02
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$121.57
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$147.73
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$147.94
|
Compensation Decisions for
2016
and Changes in Compensation for
2017
During
2016
, our named executive officers’ compensation was set in their employment agreements, subject to any salary adjustments by the compensation committee.
During
2016
, the principal elements of compensation for our named executive officers contemplated by their respective employment agreements were:
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•
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performance-based annual incentive bonus award under
our Annual Incentive Plan (defined below);
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•
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performance-based equity awards granted to our named executive officers in January
2016
, subject to attainment of certain performance goals established by our compensation committee, based on our total stockholder return relative to our proxy peer group during the applicable performance periods and continuous service requirements;
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•
|
time vesting equity awards granted to our named executive officers in January 2016, vesting in three approximately equal annual installments, with the first installment vesting on the date of grant and the remaining installments vesting on January 2 of each subsequent year; and
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•
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health insurance, life and disability insurance and 401(k) plan benefits available to all of our other employees.
|
Stockholder Outreach and
2016
“Say On Pay” Advisory Vote
The compensation committee values the insight we glean from our stockholder outreach and from our annual say-on pay advisory vote on executive compensation. In
2016
, approximately
95%
support by the stockholders of the total votes cast were in favor of our say-on-pay proposal. Although this vote demonstrates strong approval of our executive compensation programs, the compensation committee continues to carefully review our executive pay programs and focus on emphasizing pay for performance in making annual compensation decisions. Historically, our management has undertaken stockholder engagement efforts to ensure on-going stockholder support.
During
2016
, we continued our outreach efforts to stockholders and solicited feedback on our executive compensation programs, corporate governance, corporate responsibility and other important issues during investor presentation events and earnings and other
investor calls. Our management, board of directors and appropriate committees discussed this constructive feedback and it was used to further strengthen our compensation programs, improve our disclosure practices and address other governance matters.
2016
Executive Compensation Analysis and Compensation Decisions for
2017
In the fall of 2015, the compensation committee retained Aon Hewitt to conduct a competitive review of compensation practices for our executive officers, including our named executive officers, and to assist the compensation committee in establishing marketplace compensation levels for such executives in
2016
. The compensation committee considered any potential conflicts of interest with the compensation consultant and determined that there were no such conflicts of interest. In October 2015, the compensation committee met to consider the compensation analysis to be prepared by Aon Hewitt, which discussion also included, among other things, historical levels of executive equity awards, retention of executives and future growth plans for the Company. The compensation committee considered potential changes to the companies to be included in the peer group and expressed a desire to consider compensation levels at larger companies that may compete for the same executive talent as the Company. In connection with the foregoing, Aon Hewitt prepared its 2015 executive compensation analysis, dated November 24, 2015, which we refer to as the November 2015 Hewitt study. The November 2015 Hewitt study was based on the information available to Aon Hewitt from its Oil & Gas Industry compensation surveys of oil and gas companies of similar size (measured by annual revenue), which we refer to herein as the survey peer group companies, and the review of compensation practices in our peer group companies, based on such companies’ proxy statements filed in 2015, which we refer to herein as our proxy peer group companies. Our proxy peer group used in the November 2015 Hewitt study consisted of the following 13 companies: Cimarex Energy Company, Newfield Exploration Company, Energen Corporation, Laredo Petroleum, Inc., Carizzo Oil & Gas Inc., Gulfport Energy Corporation, Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc., PDC Energy, Inc., Clayton Williams Energy Inc., Matador Resources Company, Parsley Energy, Inc., RSP Permian, Inc. and Triangle Petroleum Corporation.
In its report, the compensation consultant provided competitive data for similarly situated executives at both the survey peer group and the proxy peer group companies, focusing on the following elements of compensation: (i) the annual base salary; (ii) the target annual cash incentive bonus, assuming target performance is achieved; (iii) the total target annual cash compensation consisting of the two elements referenced above; (iv) the value of long-term incentive awards as of the date of grant; and (v) the total direct compensation, consisting of the total target annual cash compensation and the value of long-term incentive awards as of the date of grant. The compensation consultant also analyzed how these elements of compensation compare to elements of compensation afforded to our executive officers, including the named executive officers.
In its analysis, the compensation consultant determined that (i) the 2015 target total direct compensation for our named executive officers was generally between the median and the 75
th
percentile of our survey peer group and competitive with the 75
th
percentile of the proxy peer group, (ii) the 2015 annual base salary was generally competitive with the median of both the survey peer group and the proxy peer group and (iii) the 2015 target total annual compensation was generally competitive with the median of both the survey peer group and the proxy peer group. The compensation consultant also determined that the 2015 long-term incentive awards granted to each of our named executive officers were generally competitive with the 75
th
percentile of both our survey peer group and our proxy peer group.
In January 2016, the compensation committee met again to consider aspects of executive compensation, including, among other things, base salary increases and equity awards with respect to long-term incentive compensation for the named executive officers for 2016. During the January 2016 meeting, the compensation committee considered, among other things, the Company’s strong 2015 and multiple years of proven performance, the performance of each executive, the recommendations from our Chief Executive Officer with respect to changes in compensation for 2016 for our named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer enterprise value creation, total stockholder return, compensation alignment with future performance and stockholder value creation, individual contribution, executive retention considerations in light of recruitment efforts by peer and private equity companies, our focus on performance-qualified awards, and market data and competitive analysis provided by the compensation consultant in the November 2015 Hewitt study. The 2016 equity awards to our named executive officers were granted at increased levels as compared to the 2015 equity grants, as part of the implementation of the plan to transition a larger portion of our named executive officers' compensation to qualified performance-based compensation, driven by pre-established Company performance goals and therefore, at risk. The one-time higher 2016 awards were also driven by the compensation committee's determination to reward our named executive officers for increased total stockholder return achieved in 2015 and their individual contributions to the Company's performance, increase retention in light of recruitment efforts by peer and private equity companies and provide increased long-term incentive in light of the expiration of the options received by such named executive officers in connection with our initial public offering. No particular benchmark targets were used in determining compensation for our named executive officers for 2016 and the compensation consultant’s analysis of the compensation data from both the survey peer group and the proxy peer group was used only as guidance. The compensation committee also discussed, in his absence, the performance of our Chief Executive Officer.
Based on the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer for our other named executive officers, and taking into account the November 2015 Hewitt study, the compensation committee determined that, consistent with its past practices in setting compensation,
a material amount of executive compensation in 2016 should be tied to performance, and a significant portion of the total prospective compensation of each named executive officer should be tied to measurable financial and operational objectives. These include performance criteria relative to our peer group. During periods when performance meets or exceeds established objectives, our named executive officers should be paid at or above targeted levels, respectively. When our performance does not meet key objectives and falls below the threshold, no qualified performance-based payments should be made to such executive officers.
Based on the foregoing, in early 2016, the compensation committee increased annual base salaries for Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar to $380,000, $510,000, $500,000 and $425,000, respectively, effective January 1, 2016. The compensation committee determined that Mr. Stice’s then current annual base salary was consistent with the annual base salaries of similarly situated executives at the peer group companies and left it at $830,000 for 2016. During the meeting, the compensation committee also set the annual incentive bonus targets for 2016 for Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar at 100%, 80%, 90%, 80% and 80% of their annual base salary, respectively, leaving such targets for these named executive officers at prior levels. Further, the compensation committee determined to grant both performance-based and time-vesting restricted stock unit awards to our named executive officers. For a discussion of these equity awards, see “Executive Compensation Program Elements-Long Term Equity Incentive Compensation-2016 Performance-Based and Time-Vesting Awards.”
In the fall of 2016, the compensation committee again retained Aon Hewitt to conduct a competitive review of compensation practices for certain executive officers, including our named executive officers, and to establish marketplace compensation levels for such executives. The compensation committee considered any potential conflicts of interest with the compensation consultant and determined that there were no such conflicts of interest. The compensation committee considered changes to the companies to be included in the peer group that would serve as reference for making compensation decisions for 2017, primarily based on industry segment, annual revenue and market capitalization and discussed such considerations with management and the compensation consultant. Aon Hewitt prepared its executive compensation analysis, dated January 26, 2017, which we refer to as the January 2017 Hewitt study, based on the information available to it from its Oil & Gas Industry compensation surveys of oil and gas companies of similar size (measured by annual revenue) and market capitalization, which we refer to herein as the survey peer group companies, and the review of compensation practices in our peer group companies determined in consultation with the compensation committee and management, based on such companies’ proxy statements filed in 2016, which we refer to herein as our proxy peer group companies. Our proxy peer group used in the January 2017 Hewitt study consisted of the following 18 companies: Callon Petroleum Company, Carizzo Oil & Gas Inc., Cimarex Energy Company, Clayton Williams Energy Inc., Concho Resources Inc., Energen Corporation, Gulfport Energy Corporation, Laredo Petroleum, Inc., Matador Resources Company, Newfield Exploration Company, Parsley Energy, Inc., PDC Energy, Inc., QEP Resources, Inc., Range Resources Corporation, Rice Energy Inc., RSP Permian, Inc., SM Energy Company and WPX Energy, Inc.
In the January 2017 Hewitt study, the compensation consultant provided competitive data for similarly situated executives at both the survey peer group and the proxy peer group companies, focusing on the following elements of compensation: (i) the annual base salary; (ii) the target annual cash incentive bonus, assuming target performance is achieved; (iii) the total target annual cash compensation consisting of the two elements referenced above; (iv) the value of long-term incentive awards as of the date of grant; and (v) the total direct compensation, consisting of the total target annual cash compensation and the value of long-term incentive awards as of the date of grant. The compensation consultant also analyzed how these elements of compensation compare to elements of compensation afforded to our executive officers, including the named executive officers.
In the January 2017 Hewitt study, the compensation consultant determined that (i) the 2016 target total direct compensation for our named executive officers was generally above the 75
th
percentile of both our survey peer group and our proxy peer group, (ii) the 2016 annual base salary was generally competitive with the median of the survey peer group and the 75
th
percentile of the proxy peer group and (iii) the 2016 target total annual compensation was generally competitive with the median of the survey peer group and the 75th percentile of the proxy peer group. The compensation consultant also determined that the 2016 long-term incentive awards granted to each of our named executive officers were generally above the 75
th
percentile of both our survey peer group and our proxy peer group.
At the end of January of 2017, the compensation committee met to consider, among other things, the January 2017 Hewitt study, the Company’s 2016 and multi-year performance, our executives’ individual contributions to such performance, executive promotions, aspects of executive compensation in general and, with respect to our named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations. Our Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations to the compensation committee related to such other executive officers’ promotions, annual base salaries for 2017, annual incentive compensation plan target award percentages and long-term incentive awards under the 2016 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the Equity Incentive Plan. The compensation committee and our Chief Executive Officer discussed compensation alignment with future performance and stockholder value creation, individual performance of our named executive officers (other than our Chief Executive Officer), retention considerations in light of recruitment efforts by peer and private equity companies, our focus on performance-qualified equity awards, and market data and competitive analysis provided by the compensation consultant in the January 2017 Hewitt study. The compensation committee also discussed, in his absence, our Chief Executive Officer’s individual performance and compensation. At the January 2017
meeting, the compensation committee took this information under advisement and did not make any changes to the executive compensation at that time.
In mid-February 2017, following the issuance of our earnings release reporting our financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2016, the compensation committee met again to review our Company’s 2016 and multi-year performance and the performance of each of our executive officers, including our named executive officers, and reviewed elements of their compensation in light of these factors and the January 2017 Hewitt study. The compensation committee also considered (i) the Company’s 2016 performance goals pre-established under our Annual Executive Incentive Plan and (ii) the pre-established Total Stockholder Return percentile performance goals under the performance-based equity awards granted in January 2015 for the multi-year performance period ended December 31, 2016 and determined that such performance goals were met for both 2016 annual incentive cash awards and the 2015 performance-based equity awards at the levels discussed under “Executive Compensation Program Elements- Performance-Based Annual Incentive Bonus-2016 Performance Bonus” and “Executive Compensation Program Elements-Long Term Equity Incentive Compensation-Satisfaction of Performance Targets for 2015 Performance-Based Awards” below.
The following charts reflect key financial metrics and our performance relative to such metrics considered by the compensation committee when analyzing our Company performance for 2016 (as compared to 2015) and making compensation decisions for 2017.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30%
Increase
in
Production
|
|
31%
Increase
in
Proved Reserves
|
|
24%
Decrease
in
LOE
|
|
18%
Decrease
in Cash Operating Costs per
BOE
|
|
Zero
Drawn on Revolver at
Year-End 2016
|
|
>$3.0 billion
in
Accretive Acquisitions
Financed
|
Further, based on the considerations discussed above with respect to our Company performance, our executive officers’ individual contributions to such performance and input received from our Chief Executive Officer, the compensation committee recommended to our board of directors, and acting upon such recommendation, our board of directors promoted Michael L. Hollis as our President and Chief Operating Officer and promoted our other named executive officers to Executive Vice Presidents, while retaining their other then-current titles. The compensation committee then set the compensation of our named executive officers for 2017. In setting compensation for 2017, the compensation committee was guided by the goal that, consistent with our prior practices, a material amount of executive compensation in 2017 should be tied to performance, and a significant portion of the total prospective compensation of each named executive officer should be tied to measurable financial and operational objectives. These include performance criteria relative to our peer group. During periods when performance meets or exceeds established objectives, our named executive officers should be paid at or above targeted levels, respectively. When our performance does not meet key objectives and falls below the threshold, no qualified performance-based payments should be made to such executive officers.
Based on the foregoing considerations, during the February 2017 meeting, the compensation committee increased annual base salaries for Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar to $850,000, $410,000, $590,000, $560,000 and $475,000, respectively, effective January 1, 2017. During the meeting, the compensation committee also set the annual incentive bonus targets for 2017 for Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar at 100%, 80%, 90%, 80% and 80% of their annual base salary, respectively, leaving such targets for these named executive officers at prior levels. Further, the compensation committee determined to grant both performance-based and time-vesting restricted stock unit awards to our named executive officers, giving more weight to performance-based awards. In setting 2017 performance-based and time-vesting restricted stock unit awards, the compensation committee determined to grant such awards at lower levels than the awards granted to such named executive officers in 2016, taking into account, among other considerations discussed above, the fact that the 2016 awards were granted at increased levels as part of the implementation of the plan to transition a larger portion of our named executive officers’ compensation to qualified performance-based compensation, driven by pre-established Company performance goals and, therefore, at risk. Consistent with the compensation committee’s focus on enhancing the performance component of our executive compensation, the 2017 performance-based award granted to each named executive officer represented two thirds of the total 2017 equity award, with the time-vesting component of such award representing only one third of the total 2017 equity award.
Executive Compensation Program Elements
Subject to the terms of the employment agreements with our named executive officers, our compensation committee determines the mix of compensation, both among short-term and long-term compensation and cash and non-cash compensation, to establish structures that it believes are appropriate for each of our named executive officers. While emphasizing pay for performance, the compensation committee believes that the mix of base salary, annual incentive bonus awards based on pre-established financial and operational
performance targets, performance-weighted equity awards, existing equity awards under their employment agreements, and the other benefits that are or will be available to our named executive officers will accomplish our overall compensation objectives. We believe that these elements of compensation create competitive compensation opportunities to align and drive executive performance in support of our business strategies and to attract, motivate and retain high quality talent with the skills and competencies required by us.
Pay for Performance Driven Compensation Structure
As illustrated below, the total direct compensation of our named executive officers is heavily weighted towards variable, at-risk compensation that is tied to performance. Our Chief Executive Officer pay mix in 2016 was 96% aligned with our stockholders and our other named executive officers’ average pay mix was 91% aligned with our stockholders. The performance component of our Chief Executive Officer’s and our other named executive officers’ pay mix represented 70% and 69%, respectively, of such executive officers total direct compensation.
The following describes each element of our executive compensation program, which we use to meet our compensation objectives discussed above.
Base Salary
Our named executive officers’ base salaries are established in their respective employment agreements. Subject to the terms of the applicable employment agreements, as they may be amended or amended and restated from time to time, the compensation committee may increase base salaries to align such salaries with market levels for comparable positions in other companies in our industry if we identify significant market changes. Additionally, the compensation committee may increase base salaries as warranted throughout the year for promotions or other changes in the scope or breadth of an executive’s role or responsibilities. The compensation committee may also evaluate our named executive officers’ salaries together with other components of their compensation to ensure that the executive’s total compensation is in line with our overall compensation philosophy and market practices in our peer group or our industry in general. Pursuant to the employment agreements with the named executive officers, the base salaries of such named executive officers can be increased from time to time by the compensation committee, but cannot be decreased. See “Compensation Decisions for
2016
and Changes in Compensation for
2017
”
for a discussion of considerations involved in the determination of our named executive’s base salaries.
Performance-Based Annual Incentive Bonus
2016
Performance Bonus
. Performance bonuses to our named executive officers are granted under our 2014 Annual Incentive Plan, referred to herein as the Annual Incentive Plan or the 2014 Plan. The Annual Incentive Plan was approved by our board of directors on April 2, 2014, which was then approved by our stockholders at the 2014 Annual Meeting. The Annual Incentive Plan is designed to provide an incentive to executive officers and other selected employees of the Company to contribute to the growth, profitability and increased value of the Company by providing cash incentive compensation that qualifies as “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Annual Incentive Plan focuses on achievement of certain annual objectives and goals, as determined by the compensation committee at the beginning of each calendar year, and provides that the participants may earn a pre-determined percentage of their respective base salaries for the achievement of such specified goals. Under the Annual Incentive Plan, the payout opportunity may be contingent upon meeting the threshold performance levels (with no award payable unless the threshold is reached), and thereafter varies for performance above and below the pre-established target performance levels, subject to a maximum award level, which is generally capped at 300% of the base salary of the participant at the time the award is established. With respect to each of our named executive officers, the target award opportunity is established for each such named executive officer in his or her employment agreement, as adjusted based upon meeting or exceeding the performance levels established by the compensation committee for that year, and cannot exceed a maximum payment limit specified by the compensation committee. See “Employment Agreements” below.
The Annual Incentive Plan also provides that the awards granted to executive officers and covered employees under the Annual Incentive Plan will be forfeited if their respective employment does not continue through the date that the compensation committee certifies attainment of the applicable performance targets. In the event of a change in control, each named executive officer will be paid the target award amount (mid-point of any specified range of potential award payment amount) based on the assumption that the performance target was attained at the target level (mid-point of any specified range of performance targets) for the entire performance period. The target award amount will be paid within ten days following the consummation of the change in control transaction. For a more detailed description of the Annual Incentive Plan, see “2014 Executive Annual Incentive Compensation Plan” on page 32.
In March 2016, the compensation committee established the performance criteria and targets for 2016 for the named executive officers and other covered employees under the Annual Incentive Plan and specified the weighting attributable to such performance metrics. For 2016, the performance levels required achieving certain financial and operational metrics including EBITDA, general and administrative cost-cash (per BOE), lease operating expense (per BOE) and certain other capital efficiency criteria. The compensation committee determined that these metrics were principal drivers of profitability and growth for the Company for 2016. The compensation committee determined that these performance metrics, as well as bonus targets set forth in our named executive officers’ employment agreements, as adjusted by the compensation committee to date, would further motivate our named executive officers to contribute to the Company’s performance and growth, align our named executive officers’ interests with those of our stockholders and put a larger portion of our named executives’ compensation at risk. The target annual incentive award opportunity for our named executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer, remained unchanged for 2016 at 100% of the annual base salary for our Chief Executive Officer, at 90% of the annual base salary for our Chief Operating Officer and 80% of the annual base salary for each of our other named executive officers. The target annual incentive award opportunities remained unchanged as the peer group analysis of this element of compensation for our named executive officers indicated that it was generally competitive with the peer group.
In
February 2017
, the compensation committee certified to the attainment of the pre-established performance goals and targets for
2016
. Of the target performances set by the compensation committee for
2016
, the compensation committee certified that we (i) exceeded both our target and our maximum performance levels for capital efficiency by 12% and 8%, respectively, achieving an average cost of $514 per lateral foot, (ii) exceeded our target performance level for capital efficiency by 9% and came close to achieving our maximum performance level, achieving an average cost of drilling, completion and equipping of $7.78 per BOE, (iii) exceeded both our target and maximum performance level by 20% and 13%, respectively, for reducing lease operating expense (per BOE), achieving a peer-leading average lease operating expense of $5.23 per BOE, (iv) exceeded both our target and maximum performance levels by 36% and 18%, respectively, for reducing general and administrative cost-cash (per BOE), achieving an average general and administrative cost-cash of $1.03 per BOE and (v) exceeded both the target and maximum performance levels for our annual EBITDA by 40% and 26%, respectively, achieving EBITDA of $353 million in 2016. After applying the weighting established by the compensation committee to each category, the achievement of these performances resulted in an award of approximately
198%
of the applicable targeted bonus to each named executive officer. In connection with reaching these goals, the compensation committee approved awards to Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar in the amounts of
$1,643,400
,
$601,920
,
$908,820
,
$792,000
and
$673,200
, respectively.
In
March 2017
, the compensation committee established the performance criteria and targets for
2017
for the named executive officers and other covered employees under the Annual Incentive Plan and specified the weighting attributable to such performance metrics. For
2017
, the performance levels require achieving certain financial and operational metrics including EBITDA, general and administrative cost-cash (per BOE), lease operating expense (per BOE) and certain other capital efficiency criteria for each basin in which
we operate. The compensation committee determined that these metrics are principal drivers of profitability and growth for the Company for
2017
. The compensation committee determined that these performance levels, as well as bonus targets set forth in our named executive officers’ employment agreements, as amended and restated to date, would further motivate our named executive officers to contribute to the Company’s performance and growth, align our named executive officers’ interests with those of our stockholders and put a larger portion of our named executives’ compensation at risk.
Long Term Equity Incentive Compensation
We seek to promote an ownership culture among our executive officers in an effort to enhance our long-term performance. We believe the use of stock and stock-based awards offers the best approach to achieving our compensation goals and to align the interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders. In connection with our IPO, we adopted the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2012 Plan. On April 25, 2016, the compensation committee of our board of directors, acting upon authority delegated to it by our board of directors, unanimously approved, subject to stockholder approval, our 2016 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan, amending and restating the 2012 Plan, which, as amended and restated, is referred to as the Equity Incentive Plan. On June 8, 2016, our stockholders approved the Equity Incentive Plan at our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The purpose of the Equity Incentive Plan is to enable us, and our affiliates, to attract and retain the services of the types of employees, consultants and directors who will contribute to our long term success and to provide incentives that will be linked directly to increases in share value that will inure to the benefit of our stockholders. The Equity Incentive Plan provides a means by which eligible recipients of awards may be given an opportunity to benefit from increases in value of our common stock through the granting of equity awards. The terms of the Equity Incentive Plan are described in more detail below. Under the employment agreements with each of our named executive officers, each such executive is eligible to participate in the Equity Incentive Plan or such other equity incentive plan or plans then in existence for the benefit of employees, and may in the discretion of the compensation committee receive an equity award in accordance with the terms of such plan or plans. The timing and amount of such equity awards, any target performance goals and the vesting terms of such awards will be determined by the compensation committee in its sole discretion. If any of such executive’s employment terminates prior to any scheduled vesting date then, except as expressly provided in any existing or future equity award, the applicable executive shall forfeit all rights and interests in and to such unvested equity awards.
2016
Performance-Based and Time-Vesting Awards
In
January 2016
, the compensation committee granted to Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar two-year performance-based restricted stock units in the amounts of
90,169
,
6,011
,
30,056
,
24,045
and
12,022
, respectively, and three-year performance-based units in the amounts of
45,084
,
3,006
,
15,028
,
12,022
and
6,011
, respectively, in each case under the 2012 Plan, subject to the satisfaction of certain total stockholder return performance conditions relative for our peer group for the applicable performance period, and continuous service requirements. These two-year performance-based restricted stock units are for the performance period from
January 1, 2016
through
December 31, 2017
and three-year performance-based restricted stock units are for the performance period from
January 1, 2016
through
December 31, 2018
. The compensation committee also granted time vesting restricted stock units to Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar in the amounts of
90,169
,
6,011
,
30,056
,
24,045
and
12,022
, respectively, under the 2012 Plan, of which one-third of the award vested in each of
January 2016
and
January 2017
, with the remaining one-third of the award vesting in
January 2018
. See “Compensation Decisions for
2016
and Changes in Compensation for
2017
” for a discussion of considerations involved in the determination of our named executive’s
2016
equity awards.
2017
Performance-Based and Time-Vesting Awards
In
February 2017
, the compensation committee granted time vesting restricted stock units to Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar two-year performance-based restricted stock units in the amounts of
11,115
,
2,925
,
6,825
,
5,850
and
5,850
, respectively, and three-year performance-based units in the amounts of
22,230
,
5,850
,
13,650
,
11,700
and
11,700
, respectively in each case under the Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the satisfaction of certain total stockholder return performance conditions relative for our peer group for the applicable performance period, and continuous service requirements. These two-year performance-based restricted stock units are for the performance period from
January 1, 2017
through
December 31, 2018
and three-year performance-based restricted stock units are for the performance period from
January 1, 2017
through
December 31, 2019
. The compensation committee also granted to Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar in the amounts of
22,230
,
5,850
,
13,650
,
11,700
and
11,700
, respectively, under the Equity Incentive Plan, of which one-third of the award vested in
February 2017
, with the remaining restricted stock units vesting in two substantially equal annual installments beginning in
February 2018
. The compensation committee believes that these awards are designed to incentivize our named executive officers to continue to contribute to the Company’s performance at the top of its peer group, similar to the Company’s performance in prior periods, and are designed to promote retention of our named executive officers who have been pursued not only by industry competitors but also by private equity groups. The compensation committee also believes that these awards will facilitate the transition of performance-based grants covering the three-year performance period beginning with the year of the grant, as well as address the possibility that our total stockholder return in future periods may not increase
to the same degree as the total stockholder return generated by peer group companies, since our stock did not experience the same level of downward volatility as stock of peer group companies.
In the event of a change in control, the time-vesting restricted stock units granted to each of our named executive officers in
2016
and
2017
will vest immediately upon the occurrence of such event and will be settled upon the consummation of such event. In the event of the executive’s death or disability during a period of continuous service, the deceased or disabled executive’s restricted stock units will vest immediately and will be settled in full on the payment date coincident with or next following the date of vesting. In the event of our change in control, the performance period for performance-based restricted stock units granted to each named executive officer in
2016
and
2017
will be accelerated to the last trading day of the month preceding the date of the consummation of our change in control, and the number of shares subject to performance-based restricted stock units will be determined based on meeting the total stockholder return percentile for such accelerated performance period, which shares will vest immediately following such determination and will be settled upon the consummation of the change in control. In the event of the named executive’s death or disability during a period of continuous service, the deceased or disabled executive’s vesting percentage will be determined at the end of the performance period and settled at the same payment date as if the participant remained in continuous service through the end of the performance period.
Satisfaction of Performance Targets for
2015
Performance-Based Awards
In February 2017, the compensation committee certified to the attainment of the pre-established performance goals with respect to performance-based restricted stock units granted to our named executive officers in February 2015, which awards were subject to the satisfaction of certain total stockholder return performance conditions relative to our peer group for the performance period commencing on January 1, 2014 and ending on December 31, 2016, and continuous service requirements. The compensation committee certified that, based on publicly available information, (i) our total stockholder return for the above-referenced performance period was 99.1%, (ii) such total stockholder return is in the 89
th
percentile of the peer group total stockholder return, which is above the 75
th
percentile of the total stockholder return for the peer group, (iii) the total stockholder return percentile equates to a total target grant vesting percent of 200% of the target number of restricted stock units granted to the named executive officers and (iv) the applicable performance target and other material terms of such performance-based restricted stock unit awards were achieved at such levels for the above-referenced performance period. In connection with reaching these performance goals, the 2015 performance-based restricted stock unit awards received by Mr. Stice, Ms. Dick, Mr. Hollis, Mr. Pantermuehl and Mr. Molnar have vested at 200% of the target, resulting in the issuance of 71,666, 15,000, 20,000, 20,000 and 14,666 shares underlying these performance-based restricted stock units to these named executive officers, respectively.
The compensation committee believes that the awards made to our named executive officers under the Equity Incentive Plan will provide incentive to these executive officers to enhance our long-term success and encourage performance, and will continue to align the interests of our named executive officers with those of our stockholders.
Other Compensation and Perquisites
Consistent with our compensation philosophy, our compensation committee provides benefits to our executives that are substantially the same as those currently being offered to our other employees, including health insurance, life and disability insurance and a 401(k) plan. A description of the 401(k) plan is below.
Clawback Provisions
Other than legal requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the SOX Act, we have not adopted express “clawback” provisions with respect to compensation elements which would allow us to recoup paid compensation from designated officers in the event of a financial restatement. Under the SOX Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer may be subject to clawbacks in the event of a restatement. The compensation committee has deterred taking action on clawbacks until such time as the proposed regulations published by the SEC in July 2015 pursuant to Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Report and Consumer Protection Act are finalized, to ensure that our policy will comply with the final regulations. Under our Equity Incentive Plan, each award pursuant to that plan is conditioned on repayment or forfeiture in accordance with applicable laws, our Company policies and any relevant provisions in the related award agreements.
Anti-Hedging Policy
We have a policy prohibiting directors, executive officers and certain other designated employees from speculative trading in our securities, including hedging transactions, short selling, and trading in put options, call options, swaps or collars. To our knowledge, all such individuals are in compliance with the policy. Our policy is to also strongly encourage all other employees from engaging in
hedging activities in our stock and any such transaction requires notice and pre-approval, and will only be considered with a valid justification. Since the adoption of the policy in 2012, we are not aware of any hedging activities by our employees.
Stock Ownership and Retention Guidelines for Executive Officers
Effective April 25, 2016, the compensation committee adopted stock ownership and retention guidelines for executive officers who are classified as Vice President and above, which we refer to as the guidelines. The guidelines were adopted to encourage executives to have a meaningful stake in the company, which encourages a focus on our long-term success, aligns executives’ interests with the interests of our stockholders and further promotes our commitment to sound corporate governance. A summary of the guidelines is set forth below.
Stock Ownership and Retention Guidelines for Executive Officers
Each of our executive officers must own an amount of our common stock equal to a multiple of his or her annual base salary. The Chief Executive Officer must own an amount equal to at least five times his base salary, and each of the other executive officers must own an amount at least equal to three times his or her base salary.
Until the earliest of: (i) 24 months following the applicable exercise date or vesting date of equity awards; (ii) the date such executive officer is determined to be in full compliance with the guidelines; and (iii) the date such executive officer ceases to be a participant subject to the guidelines, for awards granted after the effective date of the guidelines he or she is required to hold at least 50% of the net shares received upon the exercise of stock options and 50% of the net shares received upon vesting of restricted stock or performance shares. Once the ownership requirement is met, the executive officer must continue to hold that number of shares until leaving his or her position with us.
Any participant subject to the guidelines who is not in compliance with the applicable guideline (subject to any compliance transition period) may be required to retain up to 100% of the net shares of our common stock acquired via the exercise of options or the vesting of restricted awards granted under our equity incentive programs until the applicable guideline has been met.
General Provisions
Participants generally are given a five-year transition period to come into full compliance with the guidelines. Participants are expected to make steady progress towards meeting the ownership levels specified in the guidelines with any stock awards or stock purchases made on or after the effective date of the guidelines. There is an exception to the holding requirements for financial hardship and other unusual situations, subject to approval by the Chief Executive Officer and the compensation committee.
For stock options, “net” shares means the number of shares delivered upon exercise of the option, net of shares used to pay the exercise price and applicable taxes. For performance shares and restricted stock, “net” shares means the number of shares held upon vesting, net of shares used to pay applicable taxes.
In addition to shares held outright, shares held directly or indirectly in trust, shares held by immediate family members residing in the same household, shares held in qualified plans (e.g., in a 401(k) plan), vested shares held in non-qualified plans, vested stock options (other than options that are underwater at the time of measurement) and unvested restricted stock subject to time based (but not performance based) vesting are all counted toward satisfaction of the ownership requirement.
All of our named executive officers were in compliance with the guidelines as of the adoption of the guidelines.
Employment Agreements
The following summarizes the material terms of the employment agreements we have with our named executive officers.
Travis D. Stice
. We are party to an employment agreement with Mr. Stice, our Chief Executive Officer, which employment agreement was originally entered into on April 18, 2011. The employment agreement, as amended and restated, has a three-year term commencing as of April 18, 2014. His base salary can be increased from time to time by the compensation committee, but not decreased. Mr. Stice's annual base salary during
2016
was
$830,000
, and was increased by the compensation committee to $850,000 for
2017
. Mr. Stice is also entitled to receive a target annual bonus of
100%
of his base salary upon achievement of performance goals established by the compensation committee, up to a maximum of 200% of base salary in the event performance exceeds the target level established by the compensation committee. Mr. Stice is entitled to participate in such life and medical insurance plans and other similar plans that we establish from time to time for our executive employees.
Mr. Stice has agreed to certain restrictive covenants in his employment agreement, including, without limitation, his agreement not to compete with us, not to interfere with any of our employees, suppliers or regulators and not to solicit our customers or employees, in each case during Mr. Stice’s affiliation with us and for a period of six months thereafter. Mr. Stice’s continued employment with us is terminable by either party. We may terminate Mr. Stice’s employment at any time, with or without advance notice. Mr. Stice may terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, and is required to give us 30 days’ notice if he voluntarily resigns without good reason. However, if (i) we terminate Mr. Stice’s employment without “cause” or due to non-renewal of the term of his employment agreement (together, a “no cause termination”), (ii) Mr. Stice resigns for good reason, meaning such resignation follows a material uncured breach by us of the employment agreement or a material diminution in Mr. Stice’s position, duties or authority or relocation of principal office more than 25 miles outside of Midland, Texas, or (iii) Mr. Stice’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, then (x) we will be obligated to pay, on a monthly basis, 200% of Mr. Stice’s base annual salary until the later of 24 months or the expiration of the term of his employment agreement, provided, however, that if a no cause termination or a good reason resignation occurs within 24 months after the occurrence of a change in control (as defined in the 2012 Plan or any successor plan) and such change in control is a “change in control event” within the meaning of Internal Revenue Service’s rules and regulations, Mr. Stice will be entitled to receive such severance in a lump sum payment, and (y) 100% of the premiums to continue Mr. Stice’s or his surviving spouse’s and eligible dependents’ group health plan continuation coverage under COBRA (provided that such individuals are qualified beneficiaries who are eligible and timely elect COBRA continuation coverage), in addition to any obligations under the terms of any outstanding equity awards; provided, in each case, that Mr. Stice continues to comply with the restrictive covenants described above and Mr. Stice (or his estate or beneficiaries in the case of clause (iii) above) executes a full general release in our favor. Under the employment agreement with Mr. Stice, the terms of each equity award granted to Mr. Stice will provide that such equity award will become 100% vested upon (i) our termination of Mr. Stice without cause or non-renewal of his employment agreement, (ii) Mr. Stice’s resignation for good reason, (iii) his death or disability or (iv) our change in control (as defined in the 2012 plan or any successor plan). In the event Mr. Stice’s employment is terminated for “cause,” our obligations will terminate with respect to the payment of any base salary or bonuses. For purposes of Mr. Stice’s employment agreement, “cause” is generally defined as Mr. Stice’s (a) willful and knowing refusal or failure to perform his duties in any material respect, (b) willful misconduct or gross negligence in performing his duties, (c) material breach of his employment agreement or any other agreement with us or Company policy of Code of Conduct, (d) conviction of, or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a criminal act that constitutes a felony or involves fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude, (e) indictment for a felony involving embezzlement, theft or fraud, (f) filing of a voluntary, or consent to an involuntary, bankruptcy petition, (g) dishonesty in connection with his responsibilities as an employee or (h) failure to comply with directives of our board of directors. The benefits Mr. Stice is entitled to receive upon certain terminations, resignations and changes of control are summarized below in "Potential Payments Upon Termination, Resignation or Change of Control for Fiscal Year
2016
" included elsewhere in this proxy statement.
Teresa L. Dick
. Effective September 2011, we entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Dick, currently our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. The employment agreement, as amended and restated, provides for an initial two-year term commencing on January 1, 2014, and thereafter continues for successive one-year periods unless we or the executive elects to not extend the term. Ms. Dick’s annual base salary during
2016
was
$380,000
. Her base salary can be increased from time to time by the compensation committee, but not decreased. The compensation committee increased Ms. Dick's base salary to $410,000 effective
January 1, 2017
. Subject to Ms. Dick’s achievement of certain performance goals as determined by our board of directors or the compensation committee, Ms. Dick is eligible to receive a target annual bonus of
80%
of her annual base salary, provided she remains employed by us on the payment date. Ms. Dick is also entitled to participate in any life and medical insurance plans and other similar plans that we establish from time to time for our executive employees.
Under her employment agreement, Ms. Dick is eligible to participate in the Equity Incentive Plan or such other equity incentive plan or plans then in existence for the benefit of employees, and may in the discretion of the compensation committee receive an equity award in accordance with the terms of such plan or plans. The timing and amount of such equity awards, any target performance goals and the vesting terms of such awards will be determined by the compensation committee in its sole discretion. If Ms. Dick’s employment terminates prior to any scheduled vesting date, except as expressly provided in any existing or future equity award, then she will forfeit all rights and interests in and to such unvested equity awards.
Ms. Dick has agreed to certain restrictive covenants in her employment agreement, including, without limitation, her agreement not to compete with us, not to interfere with any of our employees, suppliers or regulators and not to solicit our customers or employees, in each case during Ms. Dick’s affiliation with us and for a period of six months thereafter. Ms. Dick’s continued employment with us is terminable by either party. We may terminate Ms. Dick’s employment agreement at any time, with or without advance notice. Ms. Dick may terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, and is required to give us 30 days’ notice if she voluntarily resigns without good reason. However, if (i) we terminate Ms. Dick’s employment without “cause” or due to non-renewal of the term of her employment agreement, (ii) Ms. Dick resigns for good reason, meaning such resignation follows a material uncured breach by us of the employment agreement, relocation of her principal office 25 miles outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma or a material diminution in Ms. Dick’s position, duties or authority, or (iii) Ms. Dick’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, then Ms. Dick will be entitled to severance pay in an amount equal to 12 months’ base salary, provided, in each case, that the executive continues to comply with the restrictive covenants described above and the executive (or her estate or beneficiaries in the case of clause (iii) above) executes
a full general release in our favor, except that the restriction on competition will not apply in the event the executive resigns for good reason within 12 months following our change of control. In the event Ms. Dick’s employment is terminated for “cause,” our obligations will terminate with respect to the payment of any base salary or bonuses as of the termination date. For purposes of Ms. Dick’s employment agreement, “cause” is generally defined as Ms. Dick’s (a) willful and knowing refusal or failure to perform her duties in any material respect, (b) willful misconduct or gross negligence in performing her duties, (c) material breach of her employment agreement or any other agreement with us or Company policy or Code of Conduct, (d) conviction of, or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a criminal act that constitutes a felony or involves fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude, (e) indictment for a felony involving embezzlement, theft or fraud, (f) filing of a voluntary, or consent to an involuntary, bankruptcy petition, (g) dishonesty in connection with her responsibilities as an employee or (h) failure to comply with directives of our board of directors. The benefits Ms. Dick is entitled to receive upon certain terminations, resignations and changes of control are summarized below in “Potential Payments Upon Termination, Resignation or Change of Control for Fiscal Year
2016
” included elsewhere in this proxy statement.
Michael Hollis.
Effective September 2011, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Hollis, currently our President and Chief Operating Officer. The employment agreement, as amended and restated, provides for an initial two-year term commencing on January 1, 2014, and thereafter continues for successive one-year periods unless we or the executive elects to not extend the term. Mr. Hollis’ annual base salary for
2016
was
$510,000
. His base salary can be increased from time to time by the compensation committee, but not decreased. The compensation committee increased Mr. Hollis’ base salary to $590,000 effective
January 1, 2017
. Subject to Mr. Hollis’ achievement of certain performance goals as determined by our board of directors, Mr. Hollis is entitled to a target annual bonus of
90%
of his annual base salary, provided he remains employed by us on the payment date. Mr. Hollis is also entitled to participate in any life and medical insurance plans and other similar plans that we establish from time to time for our executive employees.
Under his employment agreement, Mr. Hollis is eligible to participate in the Equity Incentive Plan or such other equity incentive plan or plans then in existence for the benefit of employees, and may in the discretion of the compensation committee receive an equity award in accordance with the terms of such plan or plans. The timing and amount of such equity awards, any target performance goals and the vesting terms of such awards will be determined by the compensation committee in its sole discretion. If Mr. Hollis’ employment terminates prior to any scheduled vesting date then, except as expressly provided in any existing or future equity award, then he will forfeit all rights and interests in and to such unvested equity awards.
Mr. Hollis has agreed to certain restrictive covenants in his employment agreement, including, without limitation, his agreement not to compete with us, not to interfere with any of our employees, suppliers or regulators and not to solicit our customers or employees, in each case during Mr. Hollis’ affiliation with us and for a period of six months thereafter. Mr. Hollis’ continued employment with us is terminable by either party. We may terminate Mr. Hollis’ employment at any time, with or without advance notice. Mr. Hollis may terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, and is required to give us 30 days’ notice if he voluntarily resigns without good reason. However, if (i) we terminate Mr. Hollis’ employment without “cause” or due to non-renewal of the term of his employment agreement (ii) Mr. Hollis resigns for good reason, meaning such resignation follows a material uncured breach by us of the employment agreement, relocation of his principal office more than 25 miles outside of Midland, Texas, or a material diminution in Mr. Hollis’ position, duties or authority, or (iii) Mr. Hollis’ employment is terminated due to death or disability, then Mr. Hollis will be entitled to severance pay in an amount equal to 12 months’ base salary; provided, in each case, that Mr. Hollis continues to comply with the restrictive covenants described above and the executive (or his estate or beneficiaries in the case of clause (iii) above) executes a full general release in our favor, except that the restriction on competition will not apply in the event the executive resigns for good reason within 12 months following our change of control. In the event Mr. Hollis’ employment is terminated for “cause,” our obligations will terminate with respect to the payment of any base salary or bonuses effective as of the termination date. For purposes of Mr. Hollis’ employment agreement, “cause” is generally defined as Mr. Hollis’ (a) willful and knowing refusal or failure to perform his duties in any material respect, (b) willful misconduct or gross negligence in performing his duties, (c) material breach of his employment agreement or any other agreement with us or Company policy or Code of Conduct, (d) conviction of, or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a criminal act that constitutes a felony or involves fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude, (e) indictment for a felony involving embezzlement, theft or fraud, (f) filing of a voluntary, or consent to an involuntary, bankruptcy petition, (g) dishonesty in connection with his responsibilities as an employee or (h) failure to comply with directives of our board of directors. The benefits Mr. Hollis is entitled to receive upon certain terminations, resignations and changes of control are summarized below in “Potential Payments Upon Termination, Resignation or Change of Control for Fiscal Year
2016
” included elsewhere in this proxy statement.
Russell Pantermuehl.
Effective July 2011, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Pantermuehl, our Executive Vice President—Reservoir Engineering. The employment agreement, as amended and restated, provides for an initial two-year term commencing on January 1, 2014, and thereafter continues for successive one-year periods unless we or the executive elects to not extend the term. Mr. Pantermuehl’s annual base salary for
2016
was
$500,000
. His base salary can be increased from time to time by the compensation committee, but not decreased. The compensation committee increased Mr. Pantermuehl’s base salary to $560,000 effective
January 1, 2017
. Subject to Mr. Pantermuehl’s achievement of certain performance goals as determined by our board of directors or the compensation committee for each fiscal year, Mr. Pantermuehl is eligible to receive a target annual bonus of
80%
of his annual base
salary, provided he remains employed by us on the payment date. Mr. Pantermuehl is also entitled to participate in any life and medical insurance plans and other similar plans that we establish from time to time for our executive employees.
Under his employment agreement, Mr. Pantermuehl is eligible to participate in the Equity Incentive Plan or such other equity incentive plan or plans then in existence for the benefit of employees, and may in the discretion of the compensation committee receive an equity award in accordance with the terms of such plan or plans. The timing and amount of such equity awards, any target performance goals and the vesting terms of such awards will be determined by the compensation committee in its sole discretion. If Mr. Pantermuehl’s employment terminates prior to any scheduled vesting date then, except as expressly provided in any existing or future equity award, then he will forfeit all rights and interests in and to such unvested equity awards.
Mr. Pantermuehl has agreed to certain restrictive covenants in his employment agreement, including, without limitation, his agreement not to compete with us, not to interfere with any of our employees, suppliers or regulators and not to solicit our customers or employees, in each case during Mr. Pantermuehl’s affiliation with us and for a period of six months thereafter. Mr. Pantermuehl’s continued employment with us is terminable by either party. We may terminate Mr. Pantermuehl’s employment at any time, with or without advance notice. Mr. Pantermuehl may terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, and is required to give us 30 days’ notice if he voluntarily resigns without good reason. However, if (i) we terminate Mr. Pantermuehl’s employment without “cause” or due to non-renewal of the term of his employment agreement, (ii) Mr. Pantermuehl resigns for good reason, meaning such resignation follows a material uncured breach by us of the employment agreement, relocation of his principal office 25 miles outside of Midland, Texas or a material diminution in Mr. Pantermuehl’s position, duties or authority, or (iii) Mr. Pantermuehl’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, then Mr. Pantermuehl will be entitled to severance pay in an amount equal to 12 months’ base salary; provided, in each case, that the executive continues to comply with the restrictive covenants described above and the executive (or his estate or beneficiaries in the case of clause (iii) above) executes a full general release in our favor, except that the restriction on competition will not apply in the event the executive resigns for good reason within 12 months following our change of control. In the event Mr. Pantermuehl’s employment is terminated for “cause,” our obligations will terminate with respect to the payment of any base salary or bonuses effective as of the termination date. For purposes of Mr. Pantermuehl’s employment agreement, “cause” is generally defined as Mr. Pantermuehl’s (a) willful and knowing refusal or failure to perform his duties in any material respect, (b) willful misconduct or gross negligence in performing his duties, (c) material breach of his employment agreement or any other agreement with us or Company policy or Code of Conduct, (d) conviction of, or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a criminal act that constitutes a felony or involves fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude, (e) indictment for a felony involving embezzlement, theft or fraud, (f) filing of a voluntary, or consent to an involuntary, bankruptcy petition, (g) dishonesty in connection with his responsibilities as an employee or (h) failure to comply with directives of our board of directors. The benefits Mr. Pantermuehl is entitled to receive upon certain terminations, resignations and changes of control are summarized below in “Potential Payments Upon Termination, Resignation or Change of Control for Fiscal Year
2016
” included elsewhere in this proxy statement.
Paul Molnar.
Effective January 1, 2014, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Molnar, our Executive Vice President—Geoscience. The employment agreement provides for an initial two-year term commencing on January 1, 2014, and thereafter continues for successive one-year periods unless we or the executive elects to not extend the term. Mr. Molnar's annual base salary for
2016
was
$425,000
. Mr. Molnar's base salary can be increased from time to time by the compensation committee, but not decreased. The compensation committee increased Mr. Molnar's annual base salary to $475,000, effective
January 1, 2017
. Subject to Mr. Molnar's achievement of certain performance goals as determined by our board of directors or the compensation committee for each fiscal year, Mr. Molnar is eligible to receive a target annual bonus of
80%
of his annual base salary, provided he remains employed by us on the payment date. Mr. Molnar is also entitled to participate in any life and medical insurance plans and other similar plans that we establish from time to time for our executive employees.
Under his employment agreement, Mr. Molnar is eligible to participate in the 2012 Plan or such other equity incentive plan or plans then in existence for the benefit of employees, and may in the discretion of the compensation committee receive an equity award in accordance with the terms of such plan or plans. The timing and amount of such equity awards, any target performance goals and the vesting terms of such awards will be determined by the compensation committee in its sole discretion. If Mr. Molnar's employment terminates prior to any scheduled vesting date then, except as expressly provided in any existing or future equity award, then he will forfeit all rights and interests in and to such unvested equity awards.
Mr. Molnar has agreed to certain restrictive covenants in his employment agreement, including, without limitation, his agreement not to compete with us, not to interfere with any of our employees, suppliers or regulators and not to solicit our customers or employees, in each case during Mr. Molnar's affiliation with us and for a period of six months thereafter. Mr. Molnar's continued employment with us is terminable by either party. We may terminate Mr. Molnar's employment at any time, with or without advance notice. Mr. Molnar may terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, and is required to give us 30 days’ notice if he voluntarily resigns without good reason. However, if (i) we terminate Mr. Molnar's employment without “cause” or due to non-renewal of the term of his employment agreement, (ii) Mr. Molnar resigns for good reason, meaning such resignation follows a material uncured breach by us of the employment agreement, relocation of his principal office 25 miles outside of Midland, Texas or a material diminution in Mr.
Molnar's position, duties or authority, or (iii) Mr. Molnar's employment is terminated due to death or disability, then Mr. Molnar will be entitled to severance pay in an amount equal to 12 months’ base salary; provided, in each case, that the executive continues to comply with the restrictive covenants described above and the executive (or his estate or beneficiaries in the case of clause (iii) above) executes a full general release in our favor, except that the restriction on competition will not apply in the event the executive resigns for good reason within 12 months following our change of control. In the event Mr. Molnar's employment is terminated for “cause,” our obligations will terminate with respect to the payment of any base salary or bonuses. For purposes of Mr. Molnar's employment agreement, “cause” is generally defined as Mr. Molnar's (a) willful and knowing refusal or failure to perform his duties in any material respect, (b) willful misconduct or gross negligence in performing his duties, (c) material breach of his employment agreement or any other agreement with us or Company policy or Code of Conduct, (d) conviction of, or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a criminal act that constitutes a felony or involves fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude, (e) indictment for a felony involving embezzlement, theft or fraud, (f) filing of a voluntary, or consent to an involuntary, bankruptcy petition, (g) dishonesty in connection with his responsibilities as an employee or (h) failure to comply with directives of our board of directors. The benefits Mr. Molnar is entitled to receive upon certain terminations, resignations and changes of control are summarized below in “Potential Payments Upon Termination, Resignation or Change of Control for Fiscal Year
2016
” included elsewhere in this proxy statement.
Equity Incentive Plan
On April 25, 2016, the compensation committee of our board of directors, acting upon authority delegated to it by our board of directors, unanimously approved, subject to stockholder approval, our 2016 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan, amending and restating our 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, which, as so amended and restated, is referred to as the Equity Incentive Plan. On June 8, 2016, our stockholders approved the Equity Incentive Plan at our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The following is a summary of the material terms of the Equity Incentive Plan.
Eligible Participants
.
Eligible award recipients under the Equity Incentive Plan are employees, consultants and directors of our company and its affiliates. Incentive stock options may be granted only to our employees. Awards other than incentive stock options may be granted to employees, consultants and directors.
Share Reserve
. The aggregate number of shares of common stock initially authorized for issuance under awards, including incentive stock options, under the Equity Incentive Plan is 4,300,000 shares. However, shares covered by awards that expire or otherwise terminate without having been exercised in full and shares that are forfeited, or repurchased by us under the Equity Incentive Plan will be returned to the Equity Incentive Plan and available for issuance in connection with future awards. On and after the adoption of the amendment and restatement, awards settled in cash instead of shares will be counted against the maximum share reserve in the same manner as if they were settled in shares of the Company’s common stock.
Limitations on Awards
. No participant may receive awards under the Equity Incentive Plan covering more than 1,000,000 shares in the aggregate during any calendar year. In addition, each non-employee director’s total annual compensation, including awards under the Equity Incentive Plan and cash paid under the Equity Incentive Plan or otherwise, is limited to $300,000.
Administration
. Our board of directors (or our compensation committee or any other committee of the board of directors as may be appointed by our board of directors from time to time) administers the Equity Incentive Plan. The board of directors has appointed and delegated authority to our compensation committee to act as Plan administrator. Among other responsibilities, the Equity Incentive Plan administrator selects participants from among the eligible individuals, determines the number of shares that will be subject to each award and determines the terms and conditions of each award, including methods of payment, vesting schedules and limitations and restrictions on awards. The Equity Incentive Plan administrator may amend, suspend or terminate the Equity Incentive Plan at any time. Amendments will not be effective without stockholder approval if stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange requirements. Unless terminated earlier, the Equity Incentive Plan will terminate on April 25, 2026.
Stock Options
. Incentive and nonstatutory stock options are granted pursuant to incentive and nonstatutory stock option agreements. Employees, directors and consultants may be granted nonstatutory stock options, but only employees may be granted incentive stock options. The Equity Incentive Plan administrator determines the exercise price of a stock option, which generally cannot be less than 100% (or 110% in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a more than 10% stockholder) of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant, except when assuming or substituting options in limited situations such as an acquisition. Generally, options granted under the Equity Incentive Plan will vest ratably over a five-year period and have a term of ten years (or five years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a 10% stockholder), unless otherwise specified by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator in the option agreement.
Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued on the exercise of a stock option is determined by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator and may include cash or check, a broker-assisted cashless exercise, tendering of previously owned stock,
stock withholding and other approved legal consideration such as a full recourse promissory note (other than for directors and executive officers).
Unless the Equity Incentive Plan administrator provides otherwise (solely with respect to transfers to certain family members and estate planning vehicles), nonstatutory options generally are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. However, an option holder may designate a beneficiary who may exercise the option following the option holder’s death. Incentive stock options are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Restricted Awards
. Restricted awards may be in the form of restricted stock awards or restricted stock units. A restricted stock award consists of shares of our common stock that generally are non-transferable and subject to forfeiture or other restrictions imposed by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator. Any certificates representing shares of restricted stock that are registered in a participant’s name will bear an appropriate legend referring to the applicable terms, conditions and restrictions, and may be retained in the company’s possession until all applicable restrictions have lapsed. A restricted stock unit award represents the right to receive a specified number of shares of our common stock, or a cash payment equal to the fair market value of a specified number of shares of our common stock as of a specified date, subject to any vesting or other restrictions deemed appropriate by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator. Restrictions on restricted awards may lapse separately or in combination, at such times, in such circumstances, in installments or otherwise as determined by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator. If a participant terminates employment or services during the restricted period, then any unvested restricted award will be forfeited except as otherwise provided in the award agreement. The Equity Incentive Plan administrator may waive any restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to a restricted award. Restricted stock units will be settled at the time designated by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator in the award agreement, in the form of cash or shares of common stock, or in a combination of both, as provided by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator in the award agreement.
Performance Awards
. Performance awards entitle the recipient to vest in or acquire shares of common stock or in the right to receive a specified number of shares of common stock, a cash payment equal to the fair market value of a specified number of shares as of a specified date, or a combination of shares and cash, upon the attainment of specified performance goals. Performance awards may be granted independent of or in connection with the granting of any other award under the Equity Incentive Plan.
Performance goals are established by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator based on one or more of the following business criteria that apply to the participant, a business unit, or us and our affiliates:
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earnings before all or any of interest expense, taxes, depreciation and/or amortization ("EBIT," "EBITA" or "EBITDA");
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funds from operations per share;
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operating income per share;
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net cash provided by operating activities;
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cash available for distribution;
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cash available for distribution per share;
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working capital and components thereof;
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sales (net or gross) measured by product line, territory, customer or customers, or other category;
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return on equity or average stockholders’ equity, including total stockholder return on equity based on the net stock price change over a given period plus the dividends paid during that period;
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enterprise value or economic value added;
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share price performance;
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improvements in the company's attainment of expense levels;
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implementation or completion of critical projects;
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improvement in cash-flow (before or after tax);
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earnings from continuing operations;
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levels of expense, cost, or liability by category, operating unit, or any other delineation;
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any increase of decrease of one or more of the foregoing over a specified period; or
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the occurrence of a Change in Control.
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Performance goals will be objective and will be intended to meet the requirements of section 162(m) of the Code. Performance goals must be determined before 25% of the service period has elapsed but not later than 90 days after the beginning of the service period. No payout will be made on a performance award granted to a named executive officer unless all applicable performance goals and service requirements are achieved. Performance awards are non-transferable and generally terminate on the participant’s termination of employment or service during the service period.
Stock Appreciation Rights
. Stock appreciation rights may be granted independent of or in tandem with any option under the Equity Incentive Plan. The strike price of a stock appreciation right is determined by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator, but as a general rule will not be less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. The strike price of a stock appreciation right granted in tandem with an option is the same as the exercise price of the option. A stock appreciation right generally entitles the holder to receive, on settlement, the excess of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of exercise over the strike price, multiplied by the number of shares for which the right is exercised. Payment may be made in cash, delivery of stock or a combination of cash and stock as determined by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator.
Adjustments in Capitalization
. The Equity Incentive Plan provides that in the event of certain corporate events or changes in our common stock, the Equity Incentive Plan administrator will proportionally adjust awards, the number and class of shares available under the Equity Incentive Plan and the maximum number of shares that may be granted under awards to any participant in a calendar year it determines to be appropriate.
Change in Control and other Corporate Transactions
. The Equity Incentive Plan provides that in the event of a change in control transaction or other corporate transaction such as a dissolution or liquidation of our company, or any corporate separation or division, then all outstanding awards under the Equity Incentive Plan may be assumed, continued or substituted for by any surviving or acquiring entity (or its parent company), or may be cancelled either with or without consideration for the vested portion of the awards, all as determined by the Equity Incentive Plan administrator. If an award would be cancelled without consideration paid to the extent vested, the participant may exercise the award in full or in part for a period of ten days.
Viper’s Long-Term Incentive Plan
To incentivize Viper’s management and directors to continue to grow Viper’s business, the board of directors of Viper’s general partner adopted the Viper LTIP for employees, officers, consultants and directors of Viper’s general partner and any of its affiliates, including Diamondback, who perform services for Viper.
The purpose of the Viper LTIP is to provide a means to attract and retain individuals who are essential to Viper’s growth and profitability and to encourage them to devote their best efforts to advancing Viper’s business by affording such individuals a means to acquire and maintain ownership of awards, the value of which is tied to the performance of Viper’s common units. The Viper LTIP provides for the grant of unit options, unit appreciation rights, restricted units, unit awards, phantom units, distribution equivalent rights, cash awards, performance awards, other unit-based awards and substitute awards (collectively, “awards”). These awards are intended to align the interests of employees, officers, consultants and directors with those of Viper’s unitholders and to give such individuals the opportunity to share in Viper’s long-term performance. Any awards that are made under the Viper LTIP will be approved by the board of directors of Viper’s general partner or a committee thereof that may be established for such purpose. Viper will be responsible for the cost of awards granted under the LTIP.
Viper’s general partner has made grants under the Viper LTIP of (a) phantom units to the non-employee directors of Viper’s general partner (see “Director Compensation” included in Viper’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2016
, filed with the SEC on
February 15, 2017
, for information regarding those awards) and (b) at the time of the Viper IPO, an aggregate of 2,500,000 unit options to the executive officers of Viper’s general partner. Each unit option entitles the recipient to purchase one of Viper’s common units. In accordance with the Viper LTIP, the exercise price of the unit options granted may not be less than the market value of our common units on the date of grant. The outstanding unit options have an exercise price of $26.00 per unit, which was the price to the public in the Viper IPO. Subject to accelerated vesting upon certain specified events, a third of the unit options will vest each year on the anniversary of their grant, and the options will be automatically exercised, to the extent vested, on the earlier to occur of the three year anniversary of the date of grant or the occurrence of a change in control. For the information regarding the unit options granted to our named executive officers pursuant to the Viper LTIP, see “Compensation Tables—Outstanding Equity Awards under the Viper LTIP at Fiscal
2016
Year-End” below.
Administration
The Viper LTIP is administered by the board of directors of Viper’s general partner pursuant to its terms and all applicable state, federal, or other rules or laws. The board of directors of Viper’s general partner has the power to determine to whom and when awards will be granted, determine the amount of awards (measured in cash or in shares of our common units), proscribe and interpret the terms and provisions of each award agreement (the terms of which may vary), accelerate the vesting provisions associated with an award, delegate duties under the Viper LTIP and execute all other responsibilities permitted or required under the Viper LTIP.
Change in Control
Upon a “change in control” (as defined in the Viper LTIP), the board may, in its discretion, (i) remove any forfeiture restrictions applicable to an award, (ii) accelerate the time of exercisability or vesting of an award, (iii) require awards to be surrendered in exchange for a cash payment, (iv) cancel unvested awards without payment or (v) make adjustments to awards as the committee deems appropriate to reflect the change in control.
Termination of Employment or Service
The consequences of the termination of a participant’s employment, consulting arrangement or membership on the board of directors of Viper’s general partner will be determined by the board in the terms of the relevant award agreement.
2014 Executive Annual Incentive Compensation Plan
Eligibility
. Our executive officers and selected employees and those of our subsidiaries are eligible to receive awards under the 2014 Plan.
Awards
. The 2014 Plan provides for awards of incentive compensation that are contingent on the attainment of specific performance targets. The Administrator establishes the performance targets for each award and the performance period during which the performance is to be measured, which will generally be our fiscal year. Performance targets may include a minimum level of performance below which no payment will be made, levels of performance at which specified percentages of the award will be paid, and a maximum level of performance above which no additional award will be paid. The Administrator must adopt the performance targets and criteria for awards granted to executive officers subject to the limits of Section 162(m) of the Code, whom we refer to as “Covered Employees,” no later than the earlier of:
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90 days after the beginning of the performance period; or
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the time when 25% of the performance period has elapsed.
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In addition, award amounts to be paid to any Covered Employee for any one year may not exceed the lesser of: (i) 300% of base salary at the time the award is established, or (ii) $6.0 million. Individual awards may be subject to lesser limits in the discretion of the compensation committee.
Performance Factors
. Performance targets for each award are to be based on pre-established performance factors, which may include any or all of the following, individually or in combination:
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earnings before all or any of interest, taxes, depreciation and/or amortization (“EBIT,” “EBITA” or “EBITDA”);
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growth of oil and natural gas production;
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growth of estimated or proved reserves;
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capital efficiency based on revenue per barrel of oil equivalent (“BOE”) produced;
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lease operating expenses;
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general and administrative expenses;
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net cash provided by operating activities or other cash flow measurements;
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working capital and components thereof;
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return on equity or average stockholders’ equity;
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net or gross sales measured by product line, territory, one or more customers, or other category;
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earnings from continuing operations;
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levels of expense, cost or liability by category, operating unit or any other delineation; or any increase or decrease of one or more of the foregoing over a specified period.
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These performance factors may relate to the performance of the Company or the performance of a business unit, product line, territory, or any combination of these. Performance targets for employees who are not executive officers may also be based on other additional objective or subjective performance criteria established by the Administrator.
Limitation on Discretion
. The Administrator may at any time establish additional conditions and terms of payment of awards, including additional financial, strategic or individual goals, which may be objective or subjective. The Administrator may exercise negative discretion to reduce the amount of an award, but may not adjust upwards the amount payable pursuant to any award to a Covered Employee, nor may it waive the achievement of the performance target requirement for any Covered Employee, except in the case of the death or disability of the participant or a change in control of the Company.
Payment of Awards
. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, all payments in respect of awards granted under the 2014 Plan will be made in cash, and will be paid within a reasonable period after the end of the performance period. In the case of awards designed not to be subject to Code Section 409A as deferred compensation, payments will be made not later than the latest date at which such awards will still qualify for the Section 409A exemption for short-term deferrals. Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, a participant must be employed by us on the date that awards are paid to receive an award payment, except in the case of death or disability. If a participant dies or becomes disabled during a performance period, the participant (or the participant’s beneficiary) will receive a pro-rated award payment at the same time all other awards are paid for the performance period. In the event of a change in control, each named executive officer will be paid the target award amount (mid-point of any specified range of potential award payment amount) based on the assumption that the performance target was attained at the target level (mid-point of any specified range of performance targets) for the entire performance period. The target award amount will be paid within ten (10) days following the consummation of the change in control transaction.
Certification of Performance
. Before payment of any award to a Covered Employee our compensation committee must certify in writing that the performance target requirement for such award was met.
Term
. The 2014 Plan was effective as of April 1, 2014 with respect to the fiscal year performance period beginning January 1, 2014. The Administrator may at any time terminate the 2014 Plan in whole or in part.
Amendment of the 2014 Plan
. The Administrator may at any time amend the 2014 Plan, subject to approval by our stockholders to the extent stockholder approval is necessary to continue to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.
Administration of the Plan
. Our Board has delegated its authority to administer the 2014 Plan to the Company’s compensation committee, to whom we refer as the “Administrator.” The compensation committee is expected to consist solely of at least two “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. The Administrator has the authority to administer the 2014 Plan and to exercise all the powers and authorities either specifically granted to it under the 2014 Plan or necessary or advisable in the administration of the 2014 Plan, including (but not limited to) the following:
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to interpret the 2014 Plan and any award;
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to prescribe rules relating to the 2014 Plan;
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to determine the persons to receive awards;
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to determine the terms, conditions, restrictions and performance criteria, including performance factors and performance targets, relating to any award;
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to accelerate an award that is designed not to be deferred compensation subject to Code Section 409A (after the attainment of the applicable performance target or targets);
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to adjust performance targets in recognition of specified events such as unusual or non-recurring events affecting us or our financial statements, including certain asset dispositions, cessation of operations resulting from a natural disaster, or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles as specified in the 2014 Plan or in the performance targets established for any performance period;
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to waive restrictive conditions for an award (but not performance targets); and
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to make any other determinations that may be necessary or advisable for administration of the 2014 Plan.
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Federal Income Tax Consequences of the 2014 Plan
Under federal income tax laws currently in effect:
Participants in the 2014 Plan will recognize in the year of payment ordinary income equal to the award amount, which is subject to applicable income and employment tax withholding by us (including the additional tax of 0.9% imposed on wages in excess of $200,000 under Section 3101(b)(2) of the Code). Under current regulations and guidance, we expect that awards under the 2014 Plan will not be subject to Section 409A of the Code, which imposes restrictions on nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements and penalizes participants for violating these restrictions.
We expect that we will be entitled to a tax deduction in connection with each award under the 2014 Plan in an amount equal to the ordinary income realized by the participant without regard to the $1 million annual deduction limitation under Section 162(m) of the Code, if the requirements of Section 162(m) are satisfied. However, the Administrator may award compensation that is or may become non-deductible, and expects to consider whether it believes such grants are in the best interest of the Company, balancing tax efficiency with long-term strategic objectives. While the Administrator is mindful of the limitation imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code, it also recognizes that facts and circumstances may render compliance with those limitations inappropriate, at odds with the best interests of the Company or out of step with the then-prevailing competitive market conditions. In such event, the Administrator’s priority will be determining what is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders rather than compliance with the technical limitations imposed by the Code.
Section 162(m)
. Section 162(m) of the Code imposes a $1 million annual limit on the amount of compensation that we may deduct for federal income tax purposes with respect to our chief executive officer and each of our other three highest compensated officers (other than our chief financial officer), subject to certain exceptions. The 2014 Plan is intended to qualify for the exception under Section 162(m) for “performance-based compensation.”
401(k) Plan
We participate in a 401(k) Plan. Employees may elect to defer a portion of their compensation up to the statutorily prescribed limit. Each pay period we make a matching contribution to each employee’s deferral, not to exceed 10 percent. An employee’s interests in his or her deferrals and our matching contributions are, in each case, 100% vested when contributed. The 401(k) Plan is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, contributions to the 401(k) Plan and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employee until distributed from the 401(k) Plan, and all timely made contributions are deductible by us for the year in which they are allocable.
Effect of Our Compensation Policies and Practices on Risk and Risk Management
The compensation committee reviews the risks and rewards associated with our compensation policies and programs. We believe that such policies and programs encourage and reward prudent business judgment and avoid encouraging excessive risk-taking over the long term. With respect to specific elements of compensation:
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We believe that our programs balance short- and long-term incentives for our executive officers providing for an appropriate mix of fixed, discretionary and equity compensation that overall encourages long-term performance.
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We believe that annual base salaries for our named executive officers do not encourage excessive risk-taking as they are fixed amounts that are subject to discretionary increases by our compensation committee, based, among other factors, on annual performance evaluations. We also believe that such annual base salaries are set at reasonable levels, as compared to the base salaries of similarly situated individuals at our peer group companies. The base salary represents a portion of our named executive officers’ overall compensation potential and is balanced by the other elements of their overall compensation potential, which are tied to both performance and long-term service.
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Our annual incentive bonuses are designed to award achievement of short-term performance-driven results. The payment and amounts of the
2016
annual incentive bonuses were based upon meeting of certain performance criteria and targets established by the compensation committee for
2016
, as disclosed in more detail above, which we believe were set at meaningful levels and do not encourage excessive risk taking. We also believe that performance criteria and targets established by the compensation committee for
2017
were similarly designed to encourage performance, but not excessive risk taking.
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Stock options and restricted stock units granted to our named executive officers are subject to time vesting provisions. We award stock options to align compensation with Company performance, as the options become valuable to the
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executive only if the stock price increases from the date of grant. Also, stock options require a long-term commitment by executives to realize the appreciation potential of the options. We award restricted stock units to ensure that our executives have a continuing stake in the long-term success of the Company as the value of the award will depend on the stock price at and after the time of vesting. We believe that our long-term equity awards do not encourage excessive risk taking that may be associated with equity awards that vest based strictly on achieving certain targets. We also believe that our long-term equity awards provide incentive to our named executive officers to take appropriate amount of risk.
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As described above in the discussion of the employment agreements of the named executive officers, our named executive officers are entitled to certain benefits that are payable upon the occurrence of their termination without “cause,” resignation for “good reason,” or certain change in control transactions.
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Based on the foregoing, the compensation committee believes that the Company does not utilize compensation policies and programs creating risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse impact on the Company.