CABO Cable One Inc

Description of Business. Cable One, Inc. (“Cable One” or the “Company”) owns and operates cable systems that provide data, video and voice services to residential and commercial subscribers in 21 Western, Midwestern and Southern states of the United States of America. Prior to July 1, 2015, Cable One operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (“GHC”). As of June 30, 2017, Cable One provided service to 640,337 data customers, 384,004 video customers and 138,286 voice customers. On May 1, 2017, Cable One completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity interests of RBI Holding LLC (“NewWave”) and NewWave became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cable One. Cable One paid a purchase price of $741.0 million in cash on a debt-free basis and subject to customary post-closing adjustments. See Note 2 for details on this transaction.

Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise indicates, all references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to “Cable One,” “us,” “our,” “we” or the “Company” refer to Cable One, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

Basis of Presentation. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with: (i) generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information; and (ii) the guidance of Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), for financial statements required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). As permitted under such rule, certain notes and other financial information normally required by GAAP have been omitted. Management believes the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows as of and for the periods presented herein. These Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. The Company’s interim results of operations may not be indicative of its future results.

The December 31, 2016 year-end balance sheet data was derived from the Company’s audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP.

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation.

Principles of Consolidation. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company, including its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Segment Reporting. Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 280 - Segment Reporting requires the disclosure of factors used to identify an enterprise’s reportable segments. The Company’s operations are organized and managed on the basis of cable systems within its geographic regions. Each cable system derives revenues from the delivery of similar products and services to a customer base that is also similar. Each cable system deploys similar technology to deliver the Company’s products and services, operates within a similar regulatory environment, has similar economic characteristics and is managed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker as part of an aggregate of all cable systems. Management evaluated the criteria for aggregation under ASC 280 and believes that the Company meets each of the respective criteria set forth therein. Accordingly, management has identified one reportable segment.

Use of Estimates. The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported herein. Management bases its estimates and assumptions on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods may be affected by changes in those estimates and underlying assumptions.

Change in Accounting Estimate. As a result of additional information available from new systems and processes, the Company changed its accounting estimate related to the capitalization of certain internal labor and related costs associated with construction and customer installation activities beginning in the first quarter of 2017. Capitalized labor costs increased $5.1 million in the second quarter of 2017 compared to the second quarter of 2016 and $11.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 compared to the year ago period as a result of the change in estimate.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements. In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting . ASU 2017-09 provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in accordance with Topic 718. The ASU is effective for all entities for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. ASU 2017-04 removes Step 2 of the current goodwill impairment test under ASC 350 and replaces it with a simplified model. Under the simplified model, a goodwill impairment will be calculated as the difference between the carrying amount of a reporting unit and its fair value, but not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The amount of any impairment under the simplified model may differ from what would have been recognized under the two-step test. The ASU is effective for annual and any interim impairment tests performed for periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The provisions of ASU 2017-04 would not have affected our last goodwill impairment assessment, but no assurance can be provided that the simplified testing methodology will not affect our goodwill impairment assessment in the future.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business . The purpose of the amendment is to clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. For public entities, the amendments in ASU 2017-01 are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on any future transactions.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) : Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments . The guidance clarifies the way in which certain cash receipts and cash payments should be classified on the statement of cash flows and also how the predominance principle should be applied when cash receipts and cash payments have aspects of more than one class of cash flows. ASU 2016-15 is effective for the first quarter of 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting . The updated guidance changes how companies account for certain aspects of share-based payment awards to employees, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as the classification of related matters in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 was effective beginning in the first quarter of 2017. The Company will prospectively record a deferred tax benefit or expense associated with the difference between book and tax for equity-based compensation expense, which is expected to result in increased volatility to the Company’s income tax expense. The Company also established an accounting policy election to assume zero forfeitures for stock award grants and account for forfeitures when they occur which prospectively impacts stock compensation expense. Other aspects of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 did not have a material impact to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) . ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to record most of their leases on the balance sheet, which will be recognized as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The Company will be required to classify each separate lease component as an operating or finance lease at the lease commencement date. Initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability is the same for operating and finance leases, however, expense recognition and amortization of the right-of-use asset differs. Operating leases will reflect lease expense on a straight-line basis similar to current operating leases. The straight-line expense will reflect the interest expense on the lease liability (effective interest method) and amortization of the right-of-use asset, which will be presented as a single line item in the operating expense section of the income statement. Finance leases will reflect a front-loaded expense pattern similar to the pattern for current capital leases. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the first quarter of 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) . ASU 2014-09 provides new guidance related to how an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard also expands the required disclosures to include the disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers into categories that depict how the nature, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. During 2016, the FASB issued additional interpretive guidance relating to the standard which covered the topics of principal versus agent considerations and identifying performance obligations and licensing. The standard is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018. The two permitted transition methods under the standard are the full retrospective method, in which case the standard would be applied to each prior reporting period presented and the cumulative effect of applying the standard would be recognized at the earliest period shown, or the modified retrospective method, in which case the cumulative effect of applying the standard would be recognized at the date of initial application. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating which method of transition will be utilized. Further, the Company is currently conducting an assessment to prepare for implementation of this guidance. To date, this assessment has included using workshops and questionnaires to identify revenue streams, analyzing contracts and assessing other areas that may result in different accounting treatment under this topic, including installation and commission structure. The Company has reached a preliminary conclusion that the majority of its residential customer revenue is not under an extended contract and will be evaluated on a month-to-month basis, and as such, does not anticipate significant changes related to revenue recognition for such customers. Revenue related to business contracts, installation and other up-front charges, costs to obtain contracts and other topics are still being evaluated. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of the standard on related disclosures as well as the acquired NewWave operations.

On January 18, 2017, Cable One announced that it had entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) to acquire NewWave from funds affiliated with GTCR LLC, a private equity firm based in Chicago. NewWave was a cable operator providing data, video and voice services to residential and business customers throughout non-urban areas of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Cable One and NewWave shared similar strategies, customer demographics, and products. Accordingly, the acquisition of NewWave offers the Company opportunities for revenue growth and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”) margin expansion as well as the potential to realize cost synergies . The Company paid a purchase price of $741.0 million in cash and completed the transaction on May 1, 2017. See Note 6 for details regarding the financing of the acquisition.

The Company accounted for the NewWave acquisition as a business combination pursuant to ASC 805 - Business Combinations . Accordingly, acquisition costs are not included as components of consideration transferred, and instead are accounted for as expenses in the period in which the costs are incurred. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company incurred acquisition-related costs of approximately $3.2 million and $4.7 million, respectively, which are included in Selling, general and administrative expenses within the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income.

In accordance with ASC 805, Cable One uses its best estimates and assumptions to assign fair value to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of purchase price consideration over the fair value of net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired. The adjustments described below were developed based on Cable One management's assumptions and estimates, including assumptions relating to the consideration paid and the allocation thereof to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed from NewWave based on preliminary estimates of fair value. The preliminary estimates of the fair values of consideration transferred and assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on the information that was available as of the acquisition date. Cable One believes that the information available provides a reasonable basis for estimating the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The preliminary measurements of fair value set forth herein are subject to change and such changes could be material. The Company expects to finalize the valuation as soon as practicable but no later than one year from the acquisition date. The following table summarizes the provisional allocation of the purchase price consideration as of the acquisition date (in thousands):

Acquired intangible assets consist of the following (dollars in thousands):

The total weighted average amortization period for the acquired intangibles is 13.9 years.

The acquisition produced $93.4 million of goodwill, increasing the Company’s goodwill balance to $178.4 million at June 30, 2017. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price consideration over the fair value of the underlying net assets acquired and largely results from expected future synergies from combining operations as well as an assembled workforce, which does not qualify for separate recognition. As an indefinite-lived asset, goodwill is not amortized but rather is subject to impairment testing on at least an annual basis. Goodwill arising from the NewWave acquisition is deductible for tax purposes.

For the period from May 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017, the Company recognized revenue of $32.2 million and net income of $2.1 million relating to NewWave, which included charges for the amortization of acquired intangible assets of $2.1 million.

The following unaudited pro forma combined results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 have been prepared as if the acquisition of NewWave had occurred on January 1, 2016 and include adjustments for depreciation expense, amortization of intangibles, interest expense from financing, non-recurring acquisition-related transaction fees and the related aggregate impact on the provision for income taxes (in thousands, except per share data):

The unaudited pro forma combined results of operations is provided for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of or intended to represent the results that would have been achieved had the NewWave acquisition been consummated as of January 1, 2016 or the results that may be achieved in the future.

The amount of franchise fees recorded on a gross basis and included in residential video revenues above was $4.0 million and $3.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $7.5 million and $7.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Depreciation expense was $44.8 million and $34.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $83.2 million and $69.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

The Company's previous headquarters building and adjoining property were held for sale at December 31, 2016. In January 2017, the Company sold a portion of this property for $10.1 million in gross proceeds and recognized a related gain of $6.6 million. The remaining property’s carrying value of $4.6 million is included in Other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as assets held for sale at June 30, 2017.

The carrying amount of goodwill at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was $178.4 million and $84.9 million, respectively, with the increase attributable to the NewWave acquisition on May 1, 2017. The Company historically has not recorded any impairment of goodwill.

Intangible assets (excluding goodwill) consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):   

Senior Unsecured Notes. On June 17, 2015, the Company issued $450 million aggregate principal amount of 5.75% senior unsecured notes due 2022 (the “Notes”). The Notes mature on June 15, 2022 and interest is payable on June 15 ^th and December 15 ^th of each year.

The Notes have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws. The Notes were offered in the United States only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Regulation S under the Securities Act.

The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture (the “Indenture”) dated as of June 17, 2015. The Indenture provides for early redemption of the Notes, at the option of the Company, at the prices and subject to the terms specified in the Indenture. The Indenture includes certain covenants relating to debt incurrence, liens, restricted payments, asset sales and transactions with affiliates, changes in control and mergers or sales of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets. The Indenture also provides for customary events of default (subject, in certain cases, to customary grace periods).

Senior Credit Facilities. On June 30, 2015, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) among the Company, as borrower, the lenders party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan”), as administrative agent, and the other agents party thereto.  The Credit Agreement provided for a five-year revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $200 million (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) and a five-year term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $100 million (the “Term Loan Facility” and, together with the Revolving Credit Facility, the “Original Credit Facilities”). Concurrently with its entry into the Credit Agreement, the Company borrowed the full amount of the Term Loan Facility (the “Term Loan”).

Borrowings under the Original Credit Facilities bore interest, at the Company’s option, at a rate per annum determined by reference to either the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or an adjusted base rate, in each case plus an applicable interest rate margin. The applicable interest rate margin with respect to LIBOR borrowings was a rate per annum between 1.50% and 2.25% and the applicable interest rate margin with respect to adjusted base rate borrowings was a rate per annum between 0.50% and 1.25%, in each case determined on a quarterly basis by reference to a pricing grid based upon the Company’s total net leverage ratio. In addition, the Company is required to pay commitment fees on any unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility at a rate between 0.25% per annum and 0.40% per annum, determined by reference to the pricing grid.

The Revolving Credit Facility also gives the Company the ability to issue letters of credit, which reduce the amount available for borrowing under the Revolving Credit Facility. Letter of credit issuances under the Revolving Credit Facility of $2.8 million at June 30, 2017 were held for the benefit of certain general and liability insurance matters and bore interest at a rate of 1.625% per annum. The Company had $197.2 million available for borrowing under the Revolving Credit Facility at June 30, 2017.

On May 1, 2017, the Company entered into a Restatement Agreement (the “Restatement Agreement”) with JPMorgan, as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, pursuant to which the Company amended and restated the Credit Agreement (as so amended and restated, the “Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”) and incurred $750 million of senior secured loans (the “New Loans”) which were used, together with cash on hand, to (i) finance the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, (ii) repay in full the Term Loan and (iii) pay related fees and expenses.

The New Loans consist of (a) a five-year incremental term “A” loan in an aggregate principal amount of $250 million (the “Term Loan A”) and (b) a seven-year incremental term “B” loan in an aggregate principal amount of $500 million (the “Term Loan B” and, together with the Term Loan A and the Revolving Credit Facility, the “Senior Credit Facilities”), which are guaranteed by the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries and are secured, subject to certain exceptions, by substantially all assets of the Company and the guarantors.

The interest margins applicable to the New Loans under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are, at the Company’s option, equal to either LIBOR or a base rate, plus an applicable margin equal to, (x) with respect to the Term Loan A, 2.25% to 1.50% for LIBOR loans and 1.25% to 0.50% for base rate loans, determined on a quarterly basis by reference to a pricing grid based on the Company’s total net leverage ratio and (y) with respect to the Term Loan B, 2.25% for LIBOR loans and 1.25% for base rate loans. The Term Loan A may be prepaid at any time without premium and amortizes quarterly at a rate (expressed as a percentage of the original principal amount) of 2.5% per annum for the first year after funding, 5.0% per annum for the second year after funding, 7.5% for the third year after funding and 10.0% per annum for the fourth and fifth years after funding, with the balance due upon maturity. The Term Loan B amortizes quarterly at a rate (expressed as a percentage of the original principal amount) of 1.0% per annum, with the balance due upon maturity. The Term Loan B is subject to a 1.0% prepayment penalty if prepaid within six months of funding, benefits from certain “most favored nation” pricing protections and is not subject to the financial maintenance covenants under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. Other than as set forth above, the New Loans are subject to terms substantially similar to those under the Credit Agreement.

As of June 30, 2017, outstanding borrowings under the Term Loan A and Term Loan B were $250 million and $500 million, and bore interest at a rate of 2.93% per annum and 3.43% per annum, respectively.

In connection with the New Loans, the Company incurred $15.2 million in debt issuance costs, of which $0.6 million was written off during the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Unamortized debt issuance costs totaled $21.6 million and $8.1 million at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

The Company may, subject to the terms and conditions of the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, obtain additional credit facilities of up to $425 million under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement plus an unlimited amount so long as, on a pro forma basis, the Company’s First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) is no greater than 1.80 to 1.00. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations on indebtedness, liens, restricted payments, prepayments of certain indebtedness, investments, dispositions of assets, restrictions on subsidiary distributions and negative pledge clauses, fundamental changes, transactions with affiliates and amendments to organizational documents. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement also requires the Company to maintain specified ratios of total net leverage and first lien net leverage to consolidated operating cash flow. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement also contains customary events of default, including non-payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts, material inaccuracy of any representation or warranty, failure to observe or perform any covenant, default in respect of other material debt of the Company and of its restricted subsidiaries, bankruptcy or insolvency, the entry against the Company or any of its restricted subsidiaries of a material judgment, the occurrence of certain ERISA events, impairment of the loan documentation and the occurrence of a change of control. 

The Company was in compliance with all debt covenants as of June 30, 2017. 

As of June 30, 2017, the future maturities of long-term debt were as follows (in thousands): 

The Company’s deferred compensation liabilities were $17.9 million and $18.2 million at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. These liabilities are included in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (for the current portion) and Accrued compensation and other liabilities (for the noncurrent portion) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. These liabilities represent the market value of a participant’s balance in a notional investment account that is comprised primarily of mutual funds, which is based on observable market prices. However, since the deferred compensation obligations are not exchanged in an active market, they are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on deferred compensation are included in operating income.

The carrying amounts and fair values of the Company’s money market and commercial paper investments and long-term debt (including the current portion) as of June 30, 2017 were as follows (in thousands):

Money market investments are included in Cash and cash equivalents in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Commercial paper investments with original maturities of 90 days or less are also included in Cash and cash equivalents. These investments are primarily held in U.S. Treasury securities and registered money market funds. These investments were valued using a market approach based on the quoted market prices of the money market investments (Level 1) or inputs that include quoted market prices for investments similar to the commercial paper (Level 2). The fair value of the Notes was estimated based on market prices in active markets (Level 2). The fair value of the New Loans was estimated based on discounting the remaining principal and interest payments using current market rates for similar debt (Level 2). 

Share Repurchase Program. On July 1, 2015, the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) authorized up to $250 million of share repurchases (subject to a total cap of 600,000 shares of Company common stock). Purchases under the share repurchase program may be made from time to time on the open market and in privately negotiated transactions. The size and timing of these purchases are based on a number of factors, including share price and business and market conditions. Since the inception of the share repurchase program through June 30, 2017, the Company had repurchased 165,633 shares at an aggregate cost of $73.1 million. During the first half of 2017, the Company repurchased 700 shares at an aggregate cost of $0.4 million, of which all occurred during the first quarter.

Restricted Stock Tax Withholding. Treasury stock is recorded at cost and is presented as a reduction of Stockholders’ equity in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Shares of common stock with a fair market value equal to the applicable statutory minimum amount of the employee withholding taxes due are withheld by the Company upon vesting of restricted stock and exercises of stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) to pay the applicable statutory minimum amount of employee withholding taxes and are considered common stock repurchases. The Company then pays the applicable statutory minimum amount of withholding taxes in cash. The amounts remitted during the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 were $0.1 million and $0.4 million, for which the Company withheld 149 and 666 shares of common stock, respectively. Treasury shares of 162,804 held at June 30, 2017 include the aforementioned shares withheld for withholding tax.

On June 5, 2015, the Board adopted the Cable One, Inc. 2015 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Original 2015 Plan”), which became effective July 1, 2015. On May 2, 2017, the Company’s stockholders approved the Amended and Restated Cable One, Inc. 2015 Omnibus Incentive Compensation (the “2015 Plan”), which automatically terminated, replaced and superseded the Original 2015 Plan, except that any outstanding awards granted under the Original 2015 Plan will remain in effect pursuant to their terms. The 2015 Plan is designed to promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders by providing the employees and directors of the Company with incentives and rewards to encourage them to continue in the service of the Company and with a proprietary interest in pursuing the long-term growth, profitability and financial success of the Company. Any of the directors, officers and employees of the Company and its affiliates are eligible to be granted one or more of the following types of awards under the 2015 Plan: (1) incentive stock options, (2) non-qualified stock options, (3) restricted stock awards, (4) SARs, (5) restricted stock units (“RSUs”), (6) cash-based awards, (7) performance-based awards, (8) dividend equivalent rights and (9) other stock-based awards, including, without limitation, performance stock units and deferred stock units. The 2015 Plan includes the authority to grant awards that are intended to qualify as “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Unless the 2015 Plan is sooner terminated by the Board, no awards may be granted under the 2015 Plan after May 2, 2027.

The 2015 Plan provides that, subject to certain adjustments for specified corporate events, the maximum number of shares of Company common stock that may be issued under the 2015 Plan is 334,870, which is equal to the number of remaining shares of Company common stock available for future issuance under the Original 2015 Plan as of May 2, 2017, regardless of whether such shares were subject to outstanding awards as of such date, and no more than 329,962 shares may be issued pursuant to incentive stock options. At June 30, 2017, 331,552 shares were available for issuance under the 2015 Plan.

Restricted Stock Awards. The Company has granted restricted shares of Company common stock subject to service-based and performance-based vesting conditions to employees of the Company. Restricted share awards generally cliff-vest on the three-year anniversary of the grant date or in four equal ratable installments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date (generally subject to the holder’s continued employment with the Company through the applicable vesting date), except in the case of awards made to individuals (i) whose equity awards issued by GHC were forfeited in connection with the Company’s spin-off (the “spin-off”) from GHC (the “Replacement Shares”), which Replacement Shares vested on December 12, 2016 (with certain exceptions as provided in the applicable award agreement), or (ii) who did not receive an equity award from GHC in 2015 in anticipation of the spin-off (the “Staking Shares”), which Staking Shares are scheduled to cliff-vest on January 2, 2018. Performance-based restricted shares are or were subject to performance metrics related primarily to year-over-year or three-year cumulative growth in Adjusted EBITDA less capital expenditures or year-over-year growth in Adjusted EBITDA and capital expenditures as a percentage of total revenues. Restricted shares are subject to the terms and conditions of the Original 2015 Plan or the 2015 Plan (in the case of awards made on or following May 2, 2017) and are otherwise subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable award agreement.

The compensation arrangements for the Company’s non-employee directors as of June 30, 2017 provided that each non-employee director is entitled to an annual retainer of $75,000 in cash, plus an additional annual cash retainer for each non-employee director who serves as a committee chair or as lead independent director and approximately $125,000 in RSUs.  Such RSUs will generally be granted on the date of the Company’s annual stockholders’ meeting and will vest on the earlier of the first anniversary of the grant date or the annual stockholders’ meeting date immediately following the grant date, subject to the director’s continued service through such vesting date.  Settlement of such RSUs will be in the form of one share of the Company’s common stock and will follow vesting, unless the director has previously elected to defer such settlement until his or her separation from service from the Board. Any dividends associated with RSUs granted prior to the 2017 annual grant of RSUs will be converted into Dividend Equivalent Units (“DEUs”), which will be delivered at the time of settlement of the associated RSUs. Commencing with the 2017 annual grant of RSUs, dividends associated with RSUs will be paid out in cash at the time of settlement. As of June 30, 2017, 3,175 RSUs, including DEUs, were vested and deferred.

Restricted shares, RSUs and DEUs are collectively referred to as “restricted stock.” A summary of restricted stock activities for the six months ended June 30, 2017 is as follows:

Compensation expense associated with restricted stock is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The expense recognized each period is dependent upon the Company’s estimate of the number of shares that will ultimately vest. Equity-based compensation expense for restricted stock was $1.6 million and $3.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively.  At June 30, 2017, there was $9.8 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted stock, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.3 years.

Stock Appreciation Rights. The Company has granted SARs to certain executives and other employees of the Company. The SARs are scheduled to vest in four equal ratable installments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date (generally subject to the holder’s continued employment with the Company through the applicable vesting date). The SARs are subject to the terms and conditions of the Original 2015 Plan or the 2015 Plan (in the case of awards made on or following May 2, 2017) and will otherwise be subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable award agreement.

A summary of SAR activity is as follows:

The fair value of the SARs was measured based on the Black-Scholes model. The weighted average inputs used in the model for the six months ended June 30, 2017 were as follows:  

Compensation expense associated with SARs is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Equity-based compensation expense for SARs was $0.8 million and $1.5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively. At June 30, 2017, there was $8.9 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to SARs, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.4 years.

Compensation Expense . Total equity-based compensation expense recognized was $2.4 million and $3.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $4.8 million and $6.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and was included in Selling, general and administrative expenses within the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. The Company has recorded an income tax benefit of $3.7 million related to equity-based awards granted through June 30, 2017. The deferred tax asset related to all outstanding equity-based awards was $6.3 million as of June 30, 2017.  

The Company’s effective tax rate was 38.6% and 38.3% for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and 37.9% and 35.7% for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the prior year period primarily relates to $2.2 million of income tax benefits from certain spin-off and state tax items recognized in the first quarter of 2016, which did not recur.

Basic net income per common share is computed by dividing the net income allocable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income per share further includes any common shares available to be issued upon vesting or exercise of outstanding equity awards if such inclusion would be dilutive.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income per common share (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

Litigation and Legal Matters.  The Company is subject to complaints and administrative proceedings and is a defendant in various civil lawsuits that have arisen in the ordinary course of its business. Such matters include: contract disputes; actions alleging negligence; invasion of privacy; trademark, copyright and patent infringement; violations of applicable wage and hour laws; statutory or common law claims involving current and former employees; and other matters. Although the outcomes of the legal claims and proceedings against the Company cannot be predicted with certainty, based on currently available information, management believes that there are no existing claims or proceedings that are likely to have a material effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Also, based on currently available information, management is of the opinion that the exposure to future material losses from existing legal proceedings is not reasonably possible or that future material losses in excess of the amounts accrued are not reasonably possible.

Regulation in the Cable Industry. The operation of a cable system is extensively regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”), some state governments and most local governments. The FCC has the authority to enforce its regulations through the imposition of substantial fines, the issuance of cease and desist orders and/or the imposition of other administrative sanctions, such as the revocation of FCC licenses needed to operate certain transmission facilities used in connection with cable operations. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 altered the regulatory structure governing the nation’s communications providers. It removed barriers to competition in both the cable television market and the voice services market. Among other things, it reduced the scope of cable rate regulation and encouraged additional competition in the video programming industry by allowing telephone companies to provide video programming in their own telephone service areas. Future legislative and regulatory changes could adversely affect the Company’s operations.

GHC Agreements. On June 16, 2015, Cable One entered into several agreements with GHC that set forth the principal actions taken in connection with the spin-off and that govern the relationship of the parties following the spin-off, including a Separation and Distribution Agreement, a Tax Matters Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. The aggregate costs and reimbursements paid to GHC totaled $0.1 million and $0.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively.