Note 9: Stock-Based Compensation

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

	Quarter Ended				Six Months Ended
(Unaudited, amounts in thousands)	10/24/15		10/25/14		10/24/15		10/25/14
Equity-based awards expense	$	2,111	$	2,037	$	5,123	$	5,047
Liability-based awards expense	1,507		821		1,068		373

Total stock-based compensation expense	$	3,618	$	2,858	$	6,191	$	5,420

Stock Options. We granted 429,754 stock options to employees during the first quarter of fiscal 2016, 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. We expense options granted to retirement-eligible employees immediately. 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. We estimate expected volatility based on the historical volatility of our common shares. We base the average expected life on the contractual term of the stock option and expected employee exercise trends. We base the risk-free rate on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life assumed at the date of the grant.

We calculated the fair value of stock options granted during the first quarter of fiscal 2016 using the following assumptions:

(Unaudited)	7/25/15
Risk-free interest rate	1.54		%
Dividend rate	1.20		%
Expected life in years	5.0
Stock price volatility	44.37		%
Fair value per share	$	9.69

Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”). We did not grant any SARs to employees during the first six months of fiscal 2016, but we have SARs outstanding from previous grants. SARs will be paid in cash upon exercise and, accordingly, we account for SARs as liability-based awards that we re-measure to reflect their fair value at the end of each reporting period. These awards vest at 25% per year, beginning one year from the grant date for a term of four years, with accelerated vesting upon retirement. We expense SARs granted to retirement-eligible employees immediately. We estimate the fair value of SARs at the end of each reporting period using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires management to make certain assumptions. We base the average expected life on the contractual term of the SARs and expected employee exercise trends (which is consistent with the expected life of our option awards). We base the risk-free rate on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life assumed at the end of the reporting period.

In fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2013, we granted SARs as described in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal years ended April 26, 2014, and April 27, 2013, respectively. At October 24, 2015, we measured the fair value of the SARs granted during these fiscal years using the following assumptions:

(Unaudited)	Fiscal 2014 grant			Fiscal 2013 grant
Risk-free interest rate	1.01		%	0.71		%
Dividend rate	1.12		%	1.12		%
Expected life in years	2.65			1.73
Stock price volatility	29.01		%	27.71		%
Fair value per share	$	10.28		$	16.15

Restricted Stock. We awarded 89,563 shares of restricted stock to employees during the first quarter of fiscal 2016. 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 upon vesting, they will be settled in common shares. The fair value of the restricted stock that was awarded in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $26.69 per share, the market value of our common shares on the date of grant. We recognize compensation expense for restricted stock over the vesting period equal to the fair value on the date our compensation committee approved the awards. Restricted stock awards vest at 25% per year, beginning one year from the grant date for a term of four years.

Restricted Stock Units. We did not grant any restricted stock units to employees during the first six months of fiscal 2016, but we have restricted stock units outstanding from previous grants. We account for these units as liability-based awards because upon vesting, these awards will be paid in cash. We measure and recognize initial compensation expense based on the market value (intrinsic value) of our common stock on the grant date and amortize the expense over the vesting period. We re-measure and adjust the liability based on the market value (intrinsic value) of our common shares on the last day of the reporting period until paid with a corresponding adjustment to reflect the cumulative amount of compensation expense. The fair value of each outstanding restricted stock unit at October 24, 2015, was $28.50, the market value of our common shares on the last day of the reporting period. Each restricted stock unit is the equivalent of one common share. Restricted stock units vest at 25% per year, beginning one year from the grant date for a term of four years.

During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we granted 21,632 restricted stock units to our non-employee directors. These restricted stock units vest when the director leaves the board. We account for these restricted stock units as equity-based awards as they will be settled in shares of our common stock upon vesting. We measure and recognize compensation expense for these awards based on the market price of our common shares on the date of grant, which was $27.74.

Performance Awards. During the first quarter of fiscal 2016, we granted 182,008 performance-based shares, and we have performance-based share awards outstanding from previous grants. Payout of these grants depends on our financial performance (80%) 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 (20%). The performance award 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.

We account for performance-based shares as equity-based awards because upon vesting, they will be settled in common shares. 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. The fair value of each share of the awards we granted in fiscal 2016 that vest based on attaining performance goals was $25.73, the market value of our common shares on the date we granted the awards less the dividends we expect to pay before the shares vest. 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, and, similar to the way in which we expense awards of stock options, we expense compensation cost over the vesting period regardless of the value that award recipients ultimately receive. Based on the Monte Carlo model, the fair value as of the grant date of the fiscal 2016 grant of shares that vest based on market conditions was $34.40.

We did not grant any performance-based units during the first six months of fiscal 2016, but we have outstanding performance-based unit awards from our fiscal 2014 grant. We account for performance-based units as liability-based awards because upon vesting, they will be paid in cash. For units that vest based on our results relative to performance goals, we expense as compensation cost over the performance period the fair value of each unit, taking into account the probability that the performance goals will be attained. The fair value of each unit we granted in fiscal 2014 that vests based on attaining performance goals was $28.26, the market value of our common shares on the last day of the reporting period less the dividends we expect to pay before the awards vest. For performance-based units that vest based on market conditions, we use a Monte Carlo valuation model to estimate each unit’s fair value as of the last day of the reporting period. We re-measure and adjust the liability for these units based on the Monte Carlo valuation at the end of each reporting period until we pay out the units. Based on the Monte Carlo model, the fair value at October 24, 2015, of the fiscal 2014 grant of units that vest based on market conditions was $50.68.