Large companies, in particular, have placed a heavier emphasis on performance-based stock grants, said John Sinkular, a partner at Philadelphia-based Pay Governance LLC, which counts around 400 clients.

“At the end of day, boards of directors are trying to hold the management team accountable to the strategy,” Sinkular said.

Companies have also tried to become more consistent regarding the amount of stock and option awards they hand out year-to-year, which Sinkular called the “regular annual grant cadence.”

But special awards, retirements and merger and acquisitions can cause that rhythm to speed up in a big way. [READ MORE]