Share-Based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Xcel Energy Inc. granted shares of restricted stock for the years ended Dec. 31 as follows:



(Shares in Thousands)	2016		2015		2014
Granted shares	20		42		46
Grant date fair value	$	38.82	$	35.00	$	29.69

A summary of the changes of nonvested restricted stock for the year ended 2016 were as follows:



(Shares in Thousands)	Shares		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested restricted stock at Jan. 1, 2016	83		$	32.62
Granted	20		38.82
Forfeited	—		—
Vested	(38	)	31.41
Dividend equivalents	2		40.04
Nonvested restricted stock at Dec. 31, 2016	67		35.43

Other Equity Awards

Equity award units granted to employees, excluding restricted stock and applicable 401(k) employer match settlements, for the years ended Dec. 31 were as follows:



(Units in Thousands)	2016		2015		2014
Granted units	522		496		588
Weighted average grant date fair value	$	36.00	$	36.09	$	29.90

Approximately 0.5 million of these units vested during 2016 at a total fair value of $21.6 million. Approximately 0.8 million of these units vested during 2015 at a total fair value of $27.1 million. Approximately 0.5 million of these units vested during 2014 at a total fair value of $19.6 million.

A summary of the changes in the nonvested portion of these equity award units for the year ended 2016, were as follows:



(Units in Thousands)	Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested Units at Jan. 1, 2016	1,025		$	32.81
Granted	522		36.00
Forfeited	(80	)	33.48
Vested	(530	)	29.92
Dividend equivalents	47		33.64
Nonvested Units at Dec. 31, 2016	984		36.05

Stock Equivalent Unit Plan

The stock equivalent units granted for the years ended Dec. 31 were as follows:



(Units in Thousands)	2016		2015		2014
Granted units	49		60		62
Grant date fair value	$	40.68	$	34.58	$	30.57

A summary of the stock equivalent unit changes for the year ended 2016 are as follows:



(Units in Thousands)	Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Stock equivalent units at Jan. 1, 2016	746		$	25.38
Granted	49		40.68
Units distributed	(69	)	19.98
Dividend equivalents	24		40.57
Stock equivalent units at Dec. 31, 2016	750		27.39

TSR Liability Awards

The TSR liability awards granted for the years ended Dec. 31 were as follows:



(In Thousands)	2016	2015	2014
Awards granted	264	224	270

The total amounts of TSR liability awards settled during the years ended Dec. 31 were as follows:



(In Thousands)	2016		2015		2014
Awards settled	354		—		—
Settlement amount (cash, common stock and deferred amounts)	$	13,724	$	—	$	—

Compensation costs related to share-based awards

The compensation costs related to share-based awards for the years ended Dec. 31 were as follows:



(Thousands of Dollars)	2016		2015		2014
Compensation cost for share-based awards ^{(a) (b)}	$	41,170	$	44,928	$	32,189
Tax benefit recognized in income	16,005		17,570		12,557
Capitalized compensation cost for share-based awards ^(c)	—		—		1,887


^(a)	Compensation costs for share-based payment arrangements are included in O&M expense in the consolidated statements of income.

^(b)

Included in compensation cost for share-based awards are matching contributions related to the Xcel Energy 401(k) plan, which totaled $7.4 million for 2014. In October 2013, Xcel Energy determined that it would settle the 401(k) employer match in cash instead of common stock going forward for all employee groups except PSCo bargaining employees. Share-based compensation accounting for the impacted employee groups ceased in October 2013, and corresponding expense amounts recorded to equity were reclassified to a liability for expected cash settlements. In August 2015, consistent with a new PSCo bargaining agreement, share-based compensation accounting ceased for the employer 401(k) match for PSCo bargaining employees, which will be paid in cash. As a result, 2015 and 2016 compensation cost for share-based awards includes no 401(k) matching contributions.


^(c)	An allocated amount of the 401(k) match is capitalized.