Stockholders’ Equity

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2024

Stockholders’ Equity [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

9. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Common Stock

On February 15, 2023, the Company completed a registered direct offering of 395,779 shares of common stock at a price of $15.16 per share, raising net proceeds of approximately $6.0 million. The Company sold shares of common stock directly, without the use of underwriters or placement agents, to institutional investors registered pursuant to its effective shelf registration statement.

Equity Incentive Plan

The Company has established an equity incentive compensation plan (the “2021 Plan”). The Board authorized the adoption of the 2021 Plan and the Compensation Committee of the Board administers the 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan authorizes stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, stock bonuses, stock units, and other forms of awards granted or denominated in the Company’s common stock. The 2021 Plan retains flexibility to offer competitive incentives and to tailor benefits to specific needs and circumstances. Any award may be structured to be paid or settled in cash. The Company has and currently intends to continue to grant restricted stock awards to participants in the 2021 Plan, but it may also grant any other type of award available under the 2021 Plan in the future. Persons eligible to receive awards under the 2021 Plan include the Company’s officers and employees of the Manager and its affiliates or officers and employees of the Company’s subsidiaries, if any, the members of the Board, and certain consultants and other service providers.

As of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2021 Plan (the “Share Limit”) equals 8.50% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock on a fully-diluted basis following the completion of the IPO. Shares that are subject to or underlie awards that expire or for any reason are cancelled or terminated, are forfeited, fail to vest, or for any other reason are not paid or delivered under the 2021 Plan will not be counted against the Share Limit and will again be available for subsequent awards under the 2021 Plan.

There were 0 and 1,147 shares forfeited during the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As individual awards and options become fully vested, stock-based compensation expense is adjusted to recognize actual forfeitures.

Shares that are exchanged by a participant or withheld by the Company as full or partial payment in connection with any award granted under the 2021 Plan, as well as any shares exchanged by a participant or withheld by the Company to satisfy tax withholding obligations related to any award granted under the 2021 Plan, will not be counted against the Share Limit and will again be available for subsequent awards under the 2021 Plan. To the extent that an award is settled in cash or a form other than shares, the shares that would have been delivered had there been no such cash or other settlement will not be counted against the Share Limit and will again be available for subsequent awards under the 2021 Plan.

Based on the closing market price of our common stock on June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the aggregate intrinsic value of our restricted stock awards was as follows:

	As of June 30, 2024				As of December 31, 2023
	Outstanding		Vested		Outstanding		Vested
Aggregate intrinsic value	$	6,658,852	$	2,794,230	$	5,525,370	$	937,068

The following table summarizes the restricted stock activity for the Company’s directors and officers and employees of the Manager during the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023.

	Six months ended June 30, 2024			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Share
Balance at December 31, 2023		366,647		$	14.86
Granted		187,335		$	15.59
Vested		(120,463	)	$	14.89
Unvested Balance at June 30, 2024		433,519		$	15.17

	Six months ended June 30, 2023			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value per Share
Balance at December 31, 2022		80,984		$	15.71
Granted		321,500		$	14.75
Vested		(13,800	)	$	16.00
Forfeited		(1,147	)	$	16.00
Unvested Balance at June 30, 2023		387,537		$	14.90

Restricted stock compensation expense is based on the Company’s stock price at the date of the grant and is amortized over the vesting period. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur. The share-based compensation expense for the Company was $1,367,626 and $402,179 for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The unamortized share-based compensation expense for the Company was approximately $6.1 million and $5.6 million as of June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which the Company expects to recognize over the remaining weighted-average term of 2.2 years.

At-the-Market Offering Program (“ATM Program”)

On June 20, 2023, the Company entered into an At-the-Market Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with BTIG, LLC, Compass Point Research & Trading, LLC and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (each a “Sales Agent” and together the “Sales Agents”) under which the Company may, from time to time, offer and sell shares of common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $75.0 million. Under the terms of the Sales Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay the Sales Agents a commission of up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from each sale of common stock sold through the Sales Agents. Sales of common stock, if any, may be made in transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market” offerings, as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company sold an aggregate of 410,360 and 1,306,803 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Sales Agreement. The weighted average sales price during the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $15.76 and $15.88 per share, generating net proceeds of approximately $6.3 million and $20.2 million, respectively.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company sold an aggregate of 79,862 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Sales Agreement at an average price of $15.78 per share, generating net proceeds of approximately $1.2 million.

As of June 30, 2024, the shares of common stock sold pursuant to the registered direct offering in February 2023 and under the ATM Program are the only offerings that have been initiated under the Shelf Registration Statement.