SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

During 2013, the Company declared and paid quarterly dividends of $0.025 per share, totaling $0.10 per share for the year. During 2014, the Board of Directors approved and paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.03 per share in each quarter, totaling $0.09 per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2014. Dividends paid on allocated shares in the ESOP were used to pay down the ESOP loan and recorded as a reduction in expense. A dividend payable was established for the holders of restricted shares; such dividends will be released upon vesting of the underlying restricted shares.

On July 30, 2014, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.03 per share, payable on September 24, 2014 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 21, 2014.

Compensation expense for restricted stock is recognized ratably over the required service period based on the fair value of the grant calculated as the number of shares granted multiplied by the stock price on the date of grant and, for performance shares, the likelihood of achieving the performance criteria. Compensation cost related to stock-based awards with graded vesting is amortized using the straight-line attribution method.

In February 2011, shareholders approved the Griffon Corporation 2011 Equity Incentive Plan under which awards of performance shares, performance units, stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, deferred shares and other stock-based awards may be granted. On January 30, 2014, shareholders approved an amendment and restatement of the Incentive Plan (as amended, the “Incentive Plan”), which, among other things, added 1,200,000 shares to the Incentive Plan. Options granted under the Incentive Plan may be either “incentive stock options” or nonqualified stock options, generally expire ten years after the date of grant and are granted at an exercise price of not less than 100% of the fair market value at the date of grant. The maximum number of shares of common stock available for award under the Incentive Plan is 4,200,000 (600,000 of which may be issued as incentive stock options), plus any shares underlying awards outstanding on the effective date of the Incentive Plan under the 2006 Incentive Plan that are subsequently cancelled or forfeited. As of June 30, 2014, 989,895 shares were available for grant.

All grants outstanding under the Griffon Corporation 2001 Stock Option Plan, 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and Outside Director Stock Award Plan will continue under their terms; no additional awards will be granted under such plans.

During the first quarter of 2014, Griffon granted 599,328 restricted stock awards with vesting periods up to four years, 554,498 of which are also subject to certain performance conditions, with a total fair value of $7,426, or a weighted average fair value of $12.39 per share. During the second quarter of 2014, Griffon granted 518,490 restricted stock awards with vesting periods up to four years, 461,827 of which are also subject to certain performance conditions, with a total fair value of $7,074, or a weighted average fair value of $13.64 per share.

In connection with the Northcote acquisition, Griffon entered into certain retention arrangements with Northcote management. Under these arrangements, on January 10, 2014, Griffon issued 44,476 shares of common stock to Northcote management for an aggregate purchase price of $584 or $13.13 per share, and for each share of common stock purchased, Northcote management received one restricted stock unit (included in the detail in the prior paragraph), that vests in three equal installments over 3 years, subject to the attainment of specified performance criteria.

For the quarters ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, stock based compensation expense totaled $3,137 and $3,029, respectively. For the nine months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, stock based compensation expenses totaled $8,133 and $9,327, respectively.

In each of August 2011 and May 2014, Griffon’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $50,000 of Griffon’s outstanding common stock for each program. Under both repurchase programs, the Company may purchase shares, depending upon market conditions, in open market or privately negotiated transactions, including pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan. During the quarter ended June 30, 2014, Griffon purchased 750,000 shares of common stock under these programs, for a total of $8,784 or $11.71 per share. In the nine months ended June 30, 2014, Griffon purchased 1,348,481 shares of common stock under these programs, for a total of $16,285 or $12.08 per share. Since the resumption of share repurchases in 2011 through the end of the third quarter of 2014, Griffon has repurchased 6,436,712 shares of common stock, for a total of $65,315 or $10.15 per share, under Board authorized repurchase programs (which repurchases included exhausting the remaining availability under a Board authorized repurchase program that was in existence prior to 2011). As of June 30, 2014, the August 2011 program was completed and $45,742 remains under the May 2014 authorization.

During the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2014, 33,046 shares, with a market value of $364 or $11.02 per share, and 444,110 shares, with a market value of $5,631 or $12.68 per share, respectively, were withheld to settle employee taxes due to the vesting of restricted stock and were added to treasury.

On December 10, 2013, Griffon repurchased 4,444,444 shares of its common stock for $50,000 from GS Direct, L.L.C. (“GS Direct”), an affiliate of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The repurchase was effected in a private transaction at a per share price of $11.25, an approximate 9.2% discount to the stock’s closing price on November 12, 2013, the day before announcement of the transaction. The transaction was exclusive of the Company’s August 2011 $50,000 authorized share repurchase program. After closing the transaction, GS Direct continued to hold approximately 5.56 million shares (approximately 10%) of Griffon’s common stock. GS Direct also agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, if it intends to sell its remaining shares of Griffon common stock at any time prior to December 31, 2014, it will first negotiate in good faith to sell such shares to the Company.

In December 2013, Griffon’s Board of Directors authorized the ESOP to purchase up to $10,000 of Griffon’s outstanding common stock, depending upon market conditions, in open market or privately negotiated transactions, including pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan. During the first quarter of 2014, the ESOP purchased 120,000 shares of common stock, for a total of $1,591 or $13.26 per share. During the second quarter of 2014, the ESOP purchased 629,977 shares of common stock, for a total of $8,409 or $13.35 per share. In total, during the nine months ended June 30, 2014, the ESOP purchased 749,977 shares of common stock, for a total of $10,000 or $13.33 per share, exhausting the $10,000 authorization. In July 2014, Griffon's ESOP entered into an amendment of the existing Agreement, which provides an additional $10,000 Line Note available to purchase shares in the open market.