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SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (Notes)
9 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2019
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]  
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
 
Agilent accounts for share-based awards in accordance with the provisions of the authoritative accounting guidance which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to our employees and directors including restricted stock units, employee stock purchases made under our employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) and performance share awards granted to selected members of our senior management under the long-term performance plan (“LTPP”) based on estimated fair values.

Participants in the LTPP are entitled to receive shares of the company's stock after the end of a three-year period, if specified performance targets are met. Certain LTPP awards are generally designed to meet the criteria of a performance award with the
performance metrics and peer group comparison based on the Total Stockholders’ Return (“TSR”) set at the beginning of the performance period. Effective November 1, 2015, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors approved another type of performance stock award, for the company's executive officers and other key employees. Participants in this program are also entitled to receive shares of the company's stock after the end of a three-year period, if specified performance targets over the three-year period are met. The performance target for grants made beginning 2017 and later were based on Earnings Per Share ("EPS"). The performance targets for the LTPP-EPS grants for year 2 and year 3 of the performance period are set in the first quarter of year 2 and year 3, respectively. All LTPP awards granted after November 1, 2015, are subject to a one-year post-vest holding period.

The final LTPP award may vary from zero to 200 percent of the target award. The maximum award value for awards granted in 2017 cannot exceed 300 percent of the grant date target value. We consider the dilutive impact of these programs in our diluted net income per share calculation only to the extent that the performance conditions are expected to be met. Restricted stock units generally vest, with some exceptions, at a rate of 25 percent per year over a period of four years from the date of grant.
 
The impact on our results for share-based compensation was as follows:
 

Three Months Ended
Nine Months Ended

July 31,
July 31,
 
2019

2018
2019

2018
 
(in millions)
Cost of products and services
$
4


$
3

$
13

 
$
13

Research and development
2


1

6

 
5

Selling, general and administrative
12


9

39

 
38

Total share-based compensation expense
$
18

 
$
13

$
58

 
$
56

 
At July 31, 2019 and October 31, 2018, there was no share-based compensation capitalized within inventory.
                                               
The following assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of awards granted.
 
 
Three Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended
 
July 31,
 
July 31,
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
LTPP:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Volatility of Agilent shares
22%
 
21%
 
22%
 
21%
Volatility of selected peer-company shares
15%-66%
 
14%-66%
 
15%-66%
 
14%-66%
Pair-wise correlation with selected peers
30%
 
32%
 
30%
 
32%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Post-vest holding restriction discount for all executive awards
5.0%
 
4.8%
 
5.0%
 
4.8%
 
Shares granted under the LTPP (TSR) were valued using a Monte Carlo simulations model. The Monte Carlo simulation fair value model requires the use of highly subjective and complex assumptions, including the price volatility of the underlying stock.  For the volatility of our LTPP (TSR) grants, we used our own historical stock price volatility.  

The ESPP allows eligible employees to purchase shares of our common stock at 85 percent of the price at purchase and uses the purchase date to establish the fair market value.

The estimated fair value of restricted stock units and LTPP (EPS) awards is determined based on the market price of Agilent’s common stock on the date of grant adjusted for expected dividend yield. The compensation cost for LTPP (EPS) reflects the cost of awards that are probable to vest at the end of the performance period.

All awards granted in 2016 and thereafter to our senior management employees have a one-year post-vest holding restriction. The estimated discount associated with post-vest holding restrictions is calculated using the Finnerty model. The model calculates the potential lost value if the employee were able to sell the shares during the lack of marketability period, instead of being required to hold the shares. The model used the same historical stock price volatility and dividend yield assumption used for the Monte Carlo simulations model and an expected dividend yield to compute the discount.