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				Nine Months Ended
(Unaudited, amounts in thousands)	1/26/2019		1/27/2018		1/26/2019		1/27/2018
Equity-based awards expense	$	2,495	$	1,519	$	8,174	$	7,929
Liability-based awards expense		144		386		10		694
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	2,639	$	1,905	$	8,184	$	8,623

Stock Options. We granted 423,273 stock options to employees during the first quarter of fiscal 2019, 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 estimate forfeiture rates based on our employees’ forfeiture history and believe they will approximate future results. 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 2019 using the following assumptions:


	Fiscal 2019
(Unaudited)	grant
Risk-free interest rate		2.82	%
Dividend rate		1.45	%
Expected life in years		5.00
Stock price volatility		33.07	%
Fair value per share	$	9.65

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.

In fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014, we granted SARs as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 27, 2013, and April 26, 2014, respectively. As of January 26, 2019, we had 7,149 and 17,918 SARs outstanding for the fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014 awards, respectively. These awards have exceeded their expected life and are being 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 January 26, 2019, the intrinsic value per share of the fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014 awards were $17.03 and $9.94, respectively.

Restricted Stock. We granted 109,426 shares of restricted stock to employees during the first nine months of fiscal 2019. 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 nine months of fiscal 2019 was $32.78 per share, the market value of our common shares on the date of grant. We estimate forfeiture rates based on our employees' forfeiture history and believe they will approximate future results. 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.

Restricted Stock Units. During the second quarter of fiscal 2019, we granted 21,240 restricted stock units to our non-employee directors. Each director’s restricted stock units vest when he or she leaves the board. We account for these restricted stock units as equity-based awards because when they vest, they will be settled in shares of our common stock. 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 $33.15.

Performance Shares. During the first quarter of fiscal 2019, we granted 146,107 performance-based shares. We also 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 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.

We account for performance-based shares as equity-based awards because when they vest, they will be settled in common shares. We estimate forfeiture rates based on our employees' forfeiture history and believe they will approximate future results. 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 2019 that vest based on attaining performance goals was $31.71, 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. 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. Similar to the way in which we expense awards of stock options, 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 2019 grant of shares that vest based on market conditions was $46.39.