Stock-Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Jul. 25, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

The table below summarizes the total stock-based compensation expense we recognized for all outstanding grants in our consolidated statement of income:



	Quarter Ended
(Unaudited, amounts in thousands)	7/25/20		7/27/19
Equity-based awards expense	$	2,047	$	1,675
Liability-based awards expense	584		(60		)
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	2,631	$	1,615

Stock Options. We granted 315,584 stock options to employees during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and we have stock options outstanding from previous grants. We account for stock options as equity-based awards because when they are exercised, they will be settled in common shares. We recognize compensation expense for stock options over the vesting period equal to the fair value on the date our Compensation Committee approved the awards. The vesting period for our stock options ranges from one to four years, with accelerated vesting upon retirement. The vesting date for retirement-eligible employees is the later of the date they meet the criteria for retirement or the end of the fiscal year in which the grant was made. We accelerate the expense for options granted to retirement-eligible employees over the vesting period, with expense recognized from the grant date through their retirement eligibility date or over the ten months following the grant date, whichever period is longer. We have elected to recognize forfeitures as an adjustment to compensation expense in the same period as the forfeitures occur.

We estimate the fair value of the employee stock options at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires management to make certain assumptions. The fair value of stock options granted during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 were calculated using the following assumptions:



(Unaudited)	Fiscal 2021 grant			Assumption
Risk-free interest rate	0.34		%	U.S. Treasury issues with term equal to expected life at grant date
Dividend rate	0		%	Estimated future dividend rate and common share price at grant date
Expected life in years	5			Contractual term of stock option and expected employee exercise trends
Stock price volatility	41.79		%	Historical volatility of our common shares
Fair value per share	$	10.06

Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”). We have not granted any SARs to employees since fiscal 2014, but we have SARs outstanding from the fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014 grants. All outstanding SARs are fully vested and have a term of ten years. SARs will be paid in cash upon exercise and, accordingly, we account for SARs as liability-based awards that we re-measure to fair value at the end of each reporting period. We have no remaining unrecognized compensation cost at July 25, 2020, relating to SARs awards as they are all fully vested, but we will continue to remeasure these awards to reflect the fair value at the end of each reporting period until all awards are exercised or forfeited. As of July 25, 2020, we had 7,149 and 13,869 SARs outstanding for the fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014 awards, respectively. These awards have exceeded their expected life and will be re-measured to fair value based on their intrinsic value, which is the market value of our common stock on the last day of the

reporting period less the exercise price, until the earlier of the exercise date or the contractual term date. At July 25, 2020, the intrinsic value per share of the fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014 awards were $15.53 and $8.44, respectively.

Restricted Stock. We granted 119,535 shares of restricted stock to employees during the first quarter of fiscal 2021. We also have shares of restricted stock outstanding from previous grants. We issue restricted stock at no cost to the employees and the shares are held in an escrow account until the vesting period ends. If a recipient’s employment ends during the escrow period (other than through death or disability), the shares are returned at no cost to the Company. We account for restricted stock awards as equity-based awards because when they vest, they will be settled in common shares. The weighted-average fair value of the restricted stock awarded in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 was $27.54 per share, the market value of our common shares on the date of grant. We have elected to recognize forfeitures as an adjustment to compensation expense in the same period as the forfeitures occur. We recognize compensation expense for restricted stock over the vesting period equal to the fair value on the grant date of the award. Restricted stock awards vest at 25% per year, beginning one year from the grant date over a term of four years.

Performance Shares. During the first quarter of fiscal 2021, we granted 168,719 performance-based shares. We also have performance-based share awards outstanding from previous grants. Payout of the fiscal 2021 grant depends on our financial performance (50%) and a market-based condition based on the total return our shareholders receive on their investment in our stock relative to returns earned through investments in other public companies (50%). The performance share opportunity ranges from 50% of the employee’s target award if minimum performance requirements are met to a maximum of 200% of the target award based on the attainment of certain financial and shareholder-return goals over a specific performance period, which is generally three fiscal years. Grants of performance-based shares during fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 were weighted (80%) on financial performance and (20%) on market-based conditions consistent with those in the fiscal 2021 grant.

We account for performance-based shares as equity-based awards because when they vest, they will be settled in common shares. We have elected to recognize forfeitures as an adjustment to compensation expense in the same period as the forfeitures occur. For shares that vest based on our results relative to the performance goals, we expense as compensation cost the fair value of the shares as of the day we granted the awards recognized over the performance period, taking into account the probability that we will satisfy the performance goals. For performance-based shares granted in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, due to COVID-19 we have deferred setting our performance targets for such and as such, the grant date requirements under ASC 718 have not been met. Once performance goals are defined by the Compensation Committee, we will determine the awards' fair value. For shares that vest based on market conditions, we use a Monte Carlo valuation model to estimate each share’s fair value as of the date of grant. The Monte Carlo valuation model uses multiple simulations to evaluate our probability of achieving various stock price levels to determine our expected performance ranking relative to our peer group. For shares that vest based on market conditions, we expense compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures, over the vesting period regardless of whether the market condition is ultimately satisfied. Based on the Monte Carlo model, the fair value as of the grant date of the fiscal 2021 grant of shares that vest based on market conditions was $38.14.