Stock-Based Compensation Plans

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

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

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLANS

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLANS

The Company provides stock-based compensation benefits to employees and non-employee directors pursuant to its 2007 Long Term Incentive Plan, as amended ("the Incentive Plan"), as well as to employees pursuant to its Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "Purchase Plan"), as amended.

2007 Long Term Incentive Plan

The Incentive Plan provides for the issuance up to 7.5 million shares for grants to non-employee directors, officers and other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries of: (a) options (including options qualified as incentive stock options under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and options that are non-qualified), the exercise price of which may not be less than the fair market value of the common stock on the date of the grant; and (b) stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, performance awards, and bonus stock, each granted at the market price of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant. The Incentive Plan expires on March 8, 2017. The terms of the awards (including vesting schedules) are established by the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. As of June 30, 2013, there were 817,174 shares available for issuance under the Incentive Plan.

In 2005, the Company began granting to non-employee directors and certain employees, at no cost to the recipient, restricted stock awards or, at their election, restricted stock units pursuant to the Incentive Plan. Restricted stock awards qualify as participating securities as each contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends. As such, the two-class method is required for the computation of earnings per share. See Note 5, “Earnings Per Share,” for further details. Restricted stock awards are considered outstanding at the date of grant but are subject to vesting periods ranging from six months to five years. Vested restricted stock units, which are not considered outstanding at the grant date, will settle in shares of common stock upon the termination of the grantees’ employment or directorship. In the event an employee or non-employee director terminates his or her employment or directorship with the Company prior to the lapse of the restrictions, the shares, in most cases, will be forfeited to the Company. Compensation expense for these awards is calculated based on the market price of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant and recognized over the requisite service period. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of valuation and reduce expense ratably over the vesting period. This estimate is adjusted annually based on the extent to which actual or expected forfeitures differ from the previous estimate.

A summary of these awards as of June 30, 2013, along with the changes during the six months then ended follows:

	Awards		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at December 31, 2012	1,023,350		$	38.19
Granted	261,786		59.17
Vested	(120,300	)	35.84
Forfeited	(42,920	)	42.50
Nonvested at June 30, 2013	1,121,916		$	43.19

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In 1997, the Company adopted the Purchase Plan. The Purchase Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 3.5 million shares of common stock and provides that no options to purchase shares may be granted under the Purchase Plan after March 6, 2016. The Purchase Plan is available to all employees of the Company and its participating subsidiaries and is a qualified plan as defined by Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code. At the end of each fiscal quarter (the “Option Period”) during the term of the Purchase Plan, employees can acquire shares of common stock from the Company at 85% of the fair market value of the common stock on the first or the last day of the Option Period, whichever is lower. As of June 30, 2013, there were 665,734 shares available for issuance under the Purchase Plan. During the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, the Company issued 58,525 and 56,149 shares, respectively, of common stock to employees participating in the Purchase Plan.

The weighted average fair value of employee stock purchase rights issued pursuant to the Purchase Plan was $13.40 and $11.68 during the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The fair value of stock purchase rights is calculated using the grant date stock price, the value of the embedded call option and the value of the embedded put option.

Stock-Based Compensation

Total stock-based compensation cost was $3.6 million and $3.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and $7.0 million and $5.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Cash received from Purchase Plan purchases was $3.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2013. Cash received from both option exercises and Purchase Plan purchases was $3.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012. The tax benefit realized for the tax deductions from the vesting of restricted shares, which increased additional paid in capital, totaled $1.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2013; in addition, the tax benefit realized for the tax deductions from both options exercised and vesting of restricted shares, which increased additional paid in capital, totaled $1.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012.

The Company issues new shares or treasury shares, if available, when restricted stock vests. With respect to shares issued under the Purchase Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors has authorized specific share repurchases to fund the shares issuable under the Purchase Plan.