Stock-based Compensation Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Allocation of Stock-Based Compensation by Functional Category

The following table details the amount of stock-based compensation that is allocated to functional expense categories for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015 (in thousands):

	2015		2014			2013
Direct operating expense	$	2,780		$	4,208		$	2,755
Brokered natural gas and marketing expense		2,132			3,523			1,852
Exploration expense		2,985			4,569			4,025
General and administrative expense		49,687			55,382			55,737
Termination costs		217			2,999			¾
Total	$	57,801		$	70,681		$	64,369

Summary of Performance Share Unit Award Activities

The following is a summary of our non-vested PSU award activities:

	Number of Units (a)			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 31, 2013		—		$	—
Granted		227,929			86.14
Vested (b)		(92,077	)		86.23
Forfeited		(1,511	)		82.60
Outstanding at December 31, 2014		134,341			86.11
Granted		276,204			56.78
Vested (c)		(143,094	)		68.73
Forfeited		(5,327	)		82.60
Outstanding at December 31, 2015		262,124		$	64.77

^(a) These amounts reflect the number of performance units granted. The actual payout of shares may be between zero percent and 150% of the performance units granted depending on the total shareholder return ranking compared to our peer companies at the vesting date.

^(b) Primarily represents PSU awards granted to our prior executive chairman for the 2013 calendar year while he was a Range officer.

^(c) Includes PSU awards of 19,684 that were modified and fully vested effective with the closing of our Oklahoma City Office and the sale of our Virginia and West Virginia assets.

Schedule of Share Based Payment Award Performance Stock Awards Valuation Assumptions

The following assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of PSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014:

		Year Ended December 31,
		2015			2014
Risk-free interest rate		1.02	%		0.77	%
Expected annual volatility		33	%		33	%
Grant date fair value per unit	$	56.78		$	86.14

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Outstanding

A summary of the status of our non-vested restricted stock outstanding at December 31, 2015 is summarized below:

	Equity Awards					Liability Awards
	Shares			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Shares			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 31, 2012		349,156		$	59.08		423,478		$	58.91
Granted		402,053			71.26		424,809			75.53
Vested		(315,535	)		62.43		(437,570	)		64.36
Forfeited		(50,611	)		65.29		(21,704	)		57.31
Outstanding at December 31, 2013		385,063			68.24		389,013			71.02
Granted		356,194			84.87		272,052			87.34
Vested		(354,237	)		72.85		(356,413	)		75.52
Forfeited		(26,605	)		75.66		(148	)		77.35
Outstanding at December 31, 2014		360,415			79.60		304,504			80.33
Granted		587,711			52.29		343,397			55.92
Vested		(480,253	)		65.21		(330,870	)		68.71
Forfeited		(31,109	)		64.73		(8,294	)		74.22
Outstanding at December 31, 2015		436,764		$	59.74		308,737		$	65.80

Stock Option and SARs Activities

Information with respect to our SARs activities is summarized below. During 2014, we granted SARs to our former executive chairman in conjunction with his retirement from Range as an employee.

	Shares			Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at December 31, 2012		3,433,362		$	52.52
Granted		470,617			75.82
Exercised		(1,269,323	)		53.24
Expired/forfeited		(52,582	)		53.56
Outstanding at December 31, 2013		2,582,074			56.36
Granted		1,104			81.74
Exercised		(616,563	)		45.45
Expired/forfeited		(66	)		46.44
Outstanding at December 31, 2014		1,966,549			59.80
Exercised		(427,598	)		45.67
Expired/forfeited		(27,974	)		63.10
Outstanding at December 31, 2015		1,510,977		$	63.73

Summary of SARs Outstanding and Exercisable

The following table shows information with respect to SARs outstanding and exercisable at December 31, 2015:

	Outstanding						Exercisable
Range of Exercise Prices	Shares		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price
$ 40.00–$ 49.99		112,769		0.13	$	49.18		112,769	$	49.18
50.00–59.99		355,052		0.38		52.35		355,052		52.35
60.00–69.99		602,926		1.34		64.19		602,926		64.19
70.00–79.99		438,330		2.28		75.99		301,641		76.08
80.00–81.15		1,900		2.69		81.15		1,900		81.15
Total		1,510,977		1.30	$	63.73		1,374,288	$	62.53

Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value of SARs

The weighted average grant date fair value of these SARs, based on our Black-Scholes-Merton assumptions, is shown below:

	2014			2013
Weighted average exercise price per share	$	81.74		$	75.82
Expected annual dividend yield		0.20	%		0.21	%
Expected life in years		4.3			3.7
Expected volatility		33	%		35	%
Risk-free interest rate		1.4	%		0.6	%
Weighted average grant date fair value per share	$	23.17		$	20.20