Note 8 - Shareholders' Equity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 8.    Shareholders’ Equity

Share-based Compensation Plans

We periodically grant restricted stock unit awards and/or shares of common stock to our employees and directors. We measure compensation cost for restricted stock units and stock grants at the closing price of our stock at the time of grant. Restricted stock unit grants vest after a specified period with compensation cost amortized over that period. Previously, we also granted stock options, but currently do not. Although we have no current plans to issue stock options, we may do so in the future.

On June 21, 2013, the Board of Directors granted 954,438 restricted stock units to employees, with one third of those vesting in June 2014, one third vesting in June 2015, and one third vesting in June 2016. The Board of Directors granted an additional 633,960 restricted stock units on June 21, 2013 that vest in June 2014. The $2.8 million in expense related to the unit awards vesting in 2014 will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the next twelve months, while the $2.9 million in total expense related to awards vesting in 2015 and 2016 will be recognized over the next twenty-four and thirty-six month periods, respectively.

On May 30, 2013 and June 21, 2013, 28,050 and 94,200 shares of common stock, respectively, were issued to nonemployee directors.

Stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock unit grants to employees and shares issued to nonemployee directors recorded in the first nine months of 2013 totaled $3.3 million, compared to $2.3 million in the same period last year.

In connection with the vesting of restricted stock units, employees may, at their election, choose to satisfy their tax withholding obligations through net share settlement, pursuant to which the Company withholds the number of shares necessary to satisfy such withholding obligations. As a result, in the first nine months of 2013, we withheld 83,433 shares for $0.2 million, or approximately $2.86 per share.

Common Stock Dividends

In September 2011 and February 2012, our Board of Directors adopted a common stock dividend policy that has two components: 1) a dividend that links the amount of dividends on our common stock to our average quarterly realized silver price in the preceding quarter, and 2) a minimum annual dividend of $0.01 per share of common stock, payable quarterly when and if declared. For illustrative purposes only, the table below summarizes potential per share dividend amounts at different quarterly average realized price levels according to the first component of the policy:

Quarterly average realized silver price per ounce	Quarterly dividend per share	Annualized dividend per share
$30	$0.01	$0.04
$35	$0.02	$0.08
$40	$0.03	$0.12
$45	$0.04	$0.16
$50	$0.05	$0.20
$55	$0.06	$0.24
$60	$0.07	$0.28

On November 4, 2013, our Board of Directors declared a common stock dividend, pursuant to the minimum annual dividend component of the policy described above, of $0.0025 per share, for a total dividend of $0.9 million payable in December 2013. Because the average realized silver price for the third quarter of 2013 was $22.22 per ounce, below the minimum threshold of $30 according to the policy, no silver-price-linked component was declared or paid. The declaration and payment of common stock dividends is at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors.

Warrants

The following table summarizes certain information about our stock purchase warrants at September 30, 2013:

Warrants Outstanding	Warrants		Exercise Price		Expiration Date
Series 1 warrants		5,200,519	$	2.40	June 2014
Series 1 warrants		460,976		2.51	June 2014
Series 3 warrants		16,671,128		2.45	August 2014
Total warrants outstanding		22,332,623

No warrants were exercised during the first nine months of 2013.  Under the terms of the Consent Decree settling the Coeur d’Alene Basin litigation, the proceeds from the exercise of our outstanding warrants will be paid to the United States and Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe within 30 days after the end of the quarter when exercised.  If the warrants are not exercised, we are responsible for the final payment under the Consent Decree.

Common Stock Repurchase Program

On May 8, 2012, we announced that our Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program.  Under the program, we are authorized to repurchase up to 20 million shares of our outstanding common stock from time to time in open market or privately negotiated transactions, depending on prevailing market conditions and other factors.  The repurchase program may be modified, suspended or discontinued by us at any time. Whether or not we engage in repurchases from time to time may depend on a variety of factors, including not only price and cash resources, but customary black-out restrictions, whether we have any material inside information, limitations on share repurchases or cash usage that may be imposed by our credit agreement or in connection with issuances of securities, alternative uses for cash, applicable law, and other investment opportunities from time to time. As of September 30, 2013, 400,300 shares have been purchased at an average price of $5.56 per share, leaving 19.6 million shares that may yet be purchased under the program. The closing price of our common stock at November 1, 2013, was $3.14 per share.