On April 16, 2007, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2007 Incentive Award Plan (the “2007 Plan”), which became effective upon approval by the Company’s stockholders on May 24, 2007 and expired pursuant to its terms on May 24, 2017.  

On April 17, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2017 Incentive Award Plan (the “2017 Plan”), which became effective upon approval by the Company’s stockholders on May 23, 2017.  The 2017 Plan replaced and superseded in its entirety the 2007 Plan.  A total of 10,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock are reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan, which provides for grants of ISOs, non-qualified stock options, restricted stock and various other types of equity awards as described in the plan to the employees, consultants and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries. The 2017 Plan is administered by the Company’s Board of Directors with respect to awards to non-employee directors and by the Company’s Compensation Committee with respect to other eligible participants.

A summary of the status and changes of nonvested shares related to the 2007 Plan and the 2017 Plan, as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017 is presented below:

As of December 31, 2017, a total of 9,888,500 shares remain available for grant as equity awards under the 2017 Plan.

The Company recognized in the consolidated statements of earnings compensation expense of $28.9 million, $23.1 million and $18.3 million for grants under its stock compensation plans for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015. Related excess income tax benefits of $4.7 million, and $8.0 million for grants under its stock compensation plans for the years ended December 31, 2016, and 2015, respectively, were recorded in additional paid-in capital and $2.6 million of excess tax benefits for the year ended December 31, 2017 was recorded in the statement of earnings.  Nonvested shares generally vest over a graded vesting schedule from one to four years from the date of grant. There was $39.6 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested common shares as of December 31, 2017, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.1 years. The total fair value of shares vested during the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $24.0 million and $13.7 million, respectively.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”). 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 classification in the statement of cash flows. As of January 1, 2017, the calculation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding was changed prospectively to no longer include excess tax benefits as assumed proceeds. This change did not have a material impact on the Company’s calculation of diluted earnings per share. Additionally, this ASU requires the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies as income tax benefits or expenses in the income statement rather than to additional paid-in capital, which has been applied on a prospective basis to settlements of share-based payment awards occurring on or after January 1, 2017. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 effective January 1, 2017. The Company recorded a $2.6 million excess tax benefit in the consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2017.

On April 17, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2018 ESPP”), which the Company’s stockholders approved on May 23, 2017. The 2018 ESPP will replace the Company’s current employee stock purchase plan, the Skechers U.S.A., Inc. 2008 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2008 ESPP”), which expired pursuant to its terms on January 1, 2018. The 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan provides eligible employees of the Company and its subsidiaries with the opportunity to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock at a purchase price equal to 85% of the Class A Common Stock’s fair market value on the first trading day or last trading day of each purchase period, whichever is lower. The 2018 ESPP generally provides for two six-month purchase periods every twelve months: June 1 through November 30 and December 1 through May 31, except that the initial purchase period under the 2018 ESPP will have a duration of five months, commencing on January 1, 2018 and ending on May 31, 2018. Eligible employees participating in the 2018 ESPP for a purchase period will be able to invest up to 15% of their compensation through payroll deductions during each purchase period. A total of 5,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock will be available for sale under the 2018 ESPP.

During 2017, 2016 and 2015, 240,000 shares, 220,844 shares and 223,892 shares were issued under the 2008 ESPP for which the Company received approximately $5.5 million, $5.1 million and $4.3 million, respectively.