STOCK BASED AND DEFERRED COMPENSATION (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Summary of Compensation Expense and Stock Award Activity

Below is a summary of stock-based compensation expense and stock award activity (dollars in thousands):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2022		2021
Stock-based compensation expense	$	5,975	$	5,367
Non-vested shares granted	264,862		221,552
Performance-based non-vested shares granted	40,004		46,593
Performance-based shares issued in excess of target shares granted (1)	37,146		37,425
Restricted stock awards vested (includes performance-based awards)	392,160		434,729

(1)Performance-based shares that vested and were issued as a result of performance achievement exceeding the originally established targeted number of shares related to respective performance metrics.

Summary of Additional Information Regarding Stock Plan

The following table includes additional information regarding our stock compensation plan (dollars in thousands):

	As of
	March 31, 2022		December 31, 2021
Unrecognized stock-based compensation cost	$	42,406	$	25,007
Weighted average years expense recognition period	2.30		1.97
Total equity awards outstanding (1)	829,638		883,280

(1)Includes unvested restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and performance-based awards (assuming 100%/target payout).