CAPITAL STOCK

Stock Plans

The Company has an incentive compensation plan, (the “2005 Incentive Compensation Plan”). The 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan permits the award of non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, deferred stock/restricted stock units, other stock units and performance shares to the Company’s key employees, officers and directors. The 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Committee”) consisting of three independent members of our Board of Directors.

The maximum number of shares available for award under the 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan is 15,024,920. The maximum number of shares that may be issued pursuant to incentive stock options may not exceed 500,000. Any shares that are subject to the award of stock options shall be counted against this limit as one (1) share for every one (1) share issued. Any shares that are subject to awards other than stock options shall be counted against this limit as 3.26 shares for every one (1) share granted.

Each award has different terms under the 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan. Options, Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units become exercisable, or in the case of restricted stock, the resale restrictions are released in a manner determined by the Committee, generally over a four year period for employees and one year from grant for non-employee directors, and all options expire not more than 7 years from the date of the grant. The exercise price for options granted under the 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan is determined by the Committee, but in no event shall such exercise price be less than the fair market value of the common stock at the time of the grant. Holders of market stock units are eligible to receive a share of Haemonetics’ stock for each market stock unit based on the performance of the stock through March 31, 2017. If our stock is below a minimum threshold price of $50 per share during the relevant measurement period, the holders receive no market share units. If the stock achieves certain price levels, the holders are eligible to receive up to three times the “target” amount of market share units. As a result, we may issue up to 848,808 shares at a stock price of $85 per share or higher in connection with these grants.

At March 29, 2014, there were outstanding options to purchase 3,778,622 shares, 316,737 shares of restricted stock outstanding and 282,936 market stock units outstanding under this plan and 1,794,981 shares available for future grant.

The Company had a long-term incentive stock option plan and a non-qualified stock option plan, (the “2000 Long-term Incentive Plan”) which permitted the issuance of a maximum of 7,000,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to incentive and non-qualified stock options granted to key employees, officers and directors. The plan was terminated in connection with the adoption of the 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan. At March 29, 2014, there were 55,750 options outstanding under this plan and no further options will be granted under this plan.

The Company has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Purchase Plan”) under which a maximum of 1,400,000 shares (subject to adjustment for stock splits and similar changes) of common stock may be purchased by eligible employees. Substantially all of our full-time employees are eligible to participate in the Purchase Plan.

The Purchase Plan provides for two “purchase periods” within each of our fiscal years, the first commencing on November 1 of each year and continuing through April 30 of the next calendar year, and the second commencing on May 1 of each year and continuing through October 31 of such year. Shares are purchased through an accumulation of payroll deductions (of not less than 2% nor more than 15% of compensation, as defined) for the number of whole shares determined by dividing the balance in the employee’s account on the last day of the purchase period by the purchase price per share for the stock determined under the Purchase Plan. The purchase price for shares is the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the common stock at the beginning of the purchase period, or 85% of such value at the end of the purchase period.

Stock-based compensation expense of $13.1 million, $11.0 million, and $9.3 million was recognized under ASC Topic 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation, for the fiscal year ended March 29, 2014, March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively. The related income tax benefit recognized was $4.3 million, $3.5 million, and $2.7 million for the fiscal year ended March 29, 2014, March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively. We recognize stock-based compensation on a straight line basis.

ASC Topic 718 requires that cash flows relating to the benefits of tax deductions in excess of stock compensation cost recognized be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow. This excess tax benefit was $2.4 million, $4.1 million, and $1.4 million for the fiscal year ended March 29, 2014, March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively.

Stock Options

A summary of stock option activity for the fiscal year ended March 29, 2014 is as follows:



	Options Outstanding (shares)		Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share		Weighted Average Remaining Life (years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000’s)
Outstanding at March 30, 2013	4,069,758		$	29.85	4.31	$	48,061
Granted	758,705		42.00
Exercised	(736,640	)	25.04
Forfeited	(257,451	)	33.61
Outstanding at March 29, 2014	3,834,372		$	32.93	4.19	$	9,436

Exercisable at March 29, 2014	2,147,092		$	28.95	2.98	$	8,446

Vested or expected to vest at March 29, 2014	3,636,128		$	32.58	4.09	$	9,379

The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $11.7 million, $20.9 million, and $8.5 million during fiscal 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.

As of March 29, 2014, there was $11.2 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock options. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.55 years.

The fair value was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model based on the weighted average of the high and low stock prices at the grant date and the weighted average assumptions specific to the underlying options. Expected volatility assumptions are based on the historical volatility of our common stock. The risk-free interest rate was selected based upon yields of U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life of the option being valued. The expected life of the option was estimated with reference to historical exercise patterns, the contractual term of the option and the vesting period. The assumptions utilized for option grants during the periods presented are as follows:



	March 29, 2014		March 30, 2013		March 31, 2012
Volatility	24.8	%	26.4	%	27.5	%
Expected life (years)	4.9		4.9		4.9
Risk-free interest rate	1.3	%	0.8	%	0.1	%
Dividend yield	0.0	%	0.0	%	0.0	%

The weighted average grant date fair value of options to purchase one share granted during 2014, 2013, and 2012 was approximately $10.15, $9.76, and $8.16, respectively.

We have applied, based on an analysis of our historical forfeitures, an annual forfeiture rate of 8% to all unvested stock options as of March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013, which represents the portion that we expect will be forfeited each year over the vesting period.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The fair values of shares purchased under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan are estimated using the Black-Scholes single option-pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:



	March 29, 2014		March 30, 2013		March 31, 2012
Volatility	22.9	%	24.9	%	26.3	%
Expected life (months)	6		6		6
Risk-free interest rate	0.1	%	0.2	%	1.0	%
Dividend Yield	0.0	%	0.0	%	0.0	%

The weighted average grant date fair value of the six-month option inherent in the Purchase Plan was approximately $8.25, $8.50, and $7.10 during fiscal 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.

Restricted Stock Awards

As of March 29, 2014, there was no unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested restricted stock awards.

Restricted Stock Units and Market Stock Units

As of March 29, 2014, there was $14.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested restricted stock units. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.8 years.

As of March 29, 2014, there were 282,936 market stock units outstanding. We determined the fair value of a market stock units to be $37.42, utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation model based on an expected term of 3.7 years, a risk free rate of 0.9%, volatility of 20% and no dividends. The grant date fair value of these awards totaled $11.2 million and will be expensed evenly over the 3.7 year period through the cliff-vesting date of March 31, 2017.

A summary of market stock units and restricted stock units activity for the fiscal year ended March 29, 2014 is as follows:



	Shares		Weighted Average Market Value at Grant Date
Unvested at March 30, 2013	356,419		$	34.06
Awarded	462,769		$	32.77
Released	(119,345	)	$	32.41
Forfeited	(100,170	)	$	35.79
Unvested at March 29, 2014	599,673		$	37.70