(12) Stockholders' Equity

Preferred Stock

Liberty Broadband's preferred stock is issuable, from time to time, with such designations, preferences and relative participating, optional or other rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in a resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of such preferred stock adopted by Liberty Broadband's board of directors.  

Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock was issued as a result of the Combination on December 18, 2020. Each share of GCI Liberty Preferred Stock outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Combination was converted into one share of newly issued Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock. The Company is required to redeem all outstanding shares of Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock out of funds legally available, at the liquidation price plus all unpaid dividends (whether or not declared) accrued from the most recent dividend payment date through the redemption date, on the first business day following March 8, 2039. There were 7,300,000 shares of Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock authorized and 7,193,631 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020.  An additional 42,700,000 shares of preferred stock of the Company are authorized and are undesignated as to series. The Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock is accounted for as a liability on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets because it is mandatorily redeemable. As a result, all dividends paid on the Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock are recorded as interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

There were 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock of the Company authorized and undesignated as to series, and zero shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019.

The liquidation price is measured per share and shall mean the sum of (i) $25, plus (ii) an amount equal to all unpaid dividends (whether or not declared) accrued with respect to such share have been added to and then remain part of the liquidation price as of such date.

The holders of shares of Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock are entitled to receive, when and as declared by the Liberty Broadband Board of Directors, out of legally available funds, preferential dividends that accrue and cumulate as provided in the certificate of designations for the Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock.

Dividends on each share of Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock accrue on a daily basis at a rate of 7.00% per annum of the liquidation price.

Accrued dividends are payable quarterly on each dividend payment date, which is January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15 of each year, commencing January 15, 2021. If Liberty Broadband fails to pay cash dividends on the Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock in full for any four consecutive or non-consecutive dividend periods then the dividend rate shall increase by 2.00% per annum of the liquidation price until cured. On December 21, 2020, the Company announced that its board of directors had declared a quarterly cash dividend of approximately $0.44 per share of Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock which was paid on January 15, 2021 to shareholders of record of the Liberty Broadband Preferred Stock at the close of business on December 31, 2020.

Common Stock

Liberty Broadband's Series A common stock has one vote per share, Liberty Broadband's Series B common stock has ten votes per share and Liberty Broadband’s Series C common stock has no votes per share (except as otherwise required by applicable law). Each share of the Series B common stock is exchangeable at the option of the holder for one share of Series A common stock.  All series of our common stock participate on an equal basis with respect to dividends and distributions.

As of December 31, 2020, there were 1 thousand shares of Series A and 3.3 million shares of Series C common stock reserved for issuance under exercise privileges of outstanding stock options.  

Purchases of Common Stock

There were no repurchases of Liberty Broadband common stock made pursuant to the Company’s authorized repurchase program during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company repurchased 4.1 million shares of Liberty Broadband Series C common stock for aggregate cash consideration of $596.7 million under the authorized repurchase program.  All of the foregoing shares obtained have been retired and returned to the status of authorized and available for issuance.  There were no repurchases of Series A or Series B common stock during the year ended December 31, 2020.  As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $606 million available to be used for share repurchases under the Company’s share repurchase program. On February 23, 2021, the Board of Directors authorized an additional $2.23 billion under the Company’s share repurchase program.