3. STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

During the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Committee”) granted to certain management-level employees and executive officers, service-based restricted stock awards totaling 4,072 shares and 271,298 shares, respectively, with a grant-date fair value totaling approximately $0.1 million and $4.8 million, respectively. Such restricted stock awards vest beginning one year from the date of grant in annual installments of 25%. In addition, during the second quarter of 2016, non-employee directors of the Company were granted service-based restricted stock awards totaling 37,400 shares with a grant-date fair value totaling approximately $0.7 million. Such restricted stock awards vest one year from the date of grant. Restricted stock is valued at the date of grant, based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock, and expensed using the straight-line method over the requisite service period (generally the vesting period of the award). The Company estimates and excludes compensation cost related to awards not expected to vest based upon estimated forfeitures, which is updated as vesting or forfeitures occur.

During the first quarter of 2016, the Committee also granted to certain executive officers performance-based restricted stock awards pursuant to the terms of the Company’s executive compensation program totaling 138,191 shares with a grant-date fair value totaling approximately $2.4 million, which represents the maximum number of shares the executive officers can earn at the end of a three-year performance period ending December 31, 2018.

The actual number of shares earned will be based on the Company’s performance related to the following performance criteria over the performance period:

●	Operating income growth (three-year compound annual growth rate);

●	Total consolidated revenue growth (three-year compound annual growth rate); and

●	Return on invested capital (three-year average).

At the end of the three-year period, the executive officers are eligible to receive up to a specified number of shares based upon the Company’s performance relative to these performance criteria over the performance period. In addition, the executive officers will accrue dividend equivalents for any cash dividends declared during the performance period, payable in the form of shares of Company common stock, based upon the maximum number of shares to be earned by the executive officers for each performance-based restricted stock award. Such hypothetical cash dividend payment shall be divided by the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the dividend payment date to determine the maximum number of notional shares to be awarded. At the end of the three-year performance period and on the date some or all of the shares are paid under the agreement, a pro rata number of notional dividend shares will be converted into an equivalent number of dividend shares paid and granted to the executive officers based upon the actual number of underlying shares earned during the performance period.

At December 31, 2015, the three-year performance period related to the performance-based restricted stock awards granted to certain executive officers on February 5, 2013 ended. Based on the Company’s actual financial results from 2013 through 2015, 96,732 of the shares subject to the awards and 6,990 dividend shares were earned and vested on February 5, 2016.

Stock-based compensation cost for performance-based restricted stock awards is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of shares expected to be earned at the end of the performance period, and is recognized as expense over the performance period based upon the probable number of shares expected to vest. The Company estimates and excludes compensation cost related to awards not expected to vest based upon estimated forfeitures, which is updated as vesting or forfeitures occur.

The following table presents stock-based compensation expense included in the Company’s unaudited consolidated statements of income (in thousands):

	Three months ended						Nine months ended
	September 30,						September 30,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
Cost of portal revenues, exclusive of depreciation & amortization	$	320		$	317		$	1,102		$	1,086
Cost of software & services revenues, exclusive of depreciation & amortization		15			32			47			54
Selling & administrative		1,062			1,240			3,253			4,245
Stock-based compensation expense before income taxes		1,397			1,589			4,402			5,385
Income tax benefit		(285	)		(573	)		(1,362	)		(2,047	)
Net stock-based compensation expense	$	1,112		$	1,016		$	3,040		$	3,338