Note 10 - Options

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Notes

Note 10 - Options

Note 10 – Options

The Company has stock option plans which authorize the grant of stock options to eligible employees, directors and other individuals to purchase up to an aggregate of  307 thousand shares of common stock, of which 61 thousand are outstanding as of December 31, 2018.  All options granted under the plans are granted at current market value at the date of grant, and may be exercised between six months and ten years following the date of grant.  The plans are intended to advance the interest of the Company by attracting and ensuring retention of competent directors, employees and executive personnel, and to provide incentives to those individuals to devote their utmost efforts to the advancement of stockholder value.  Changes in stock options were as follows:

	Shares (000’s)	Price Range Per Share
2018
Granted	22	$	74.76 - 74.76
Expired or canceled	-		- - -
Exercised	16		24.00 - 58.50
Total outstanding at December 31	61		24.00 - 74.64
Total exercisable at December 31	31		24.00 - 58.50

2017
Granted	-	$	- - -
Expired or canceled	12		49.18 - 58.50
Exercised	9		24.00 - 49.18
Total outstanding at December 31	54		24.00 - 58.50
Total exercisable at December 31	39		24.00 - 58.50
2016
Granted	28	$	58.50 - 58.50
Expired or canceled	3		49.18 - 49.18
Exercised	13		24.00 - 49.18
Total outstanding at December 31	75		24.00 - 58.50
Total exercisable at December 31	36		24.00 - 50.72

For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company reduced current income taxes payable by $49, $38 and $50, respectively, for the income tax benefit attributable to sale by optionees of common stock received upon the exercise of stock options.

Stock-Based Compensation

In 2018, the Company recognized $64 in equity compensation cost, compared to $129 in 2017 and $92 in 2016. 

The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:

		Years ended December 31,
		2018		2017		2016
Expected dividend amount per quarter	$	0.2875	$	-	$	0.2775
Expected stock price volatility		27.5%		-		28.0%
Risk-free interest rate		2.57%		-		1.30%
Expected life of options		4.9 years		-		4.7 years

The per share weighted average fair value of options granted during 2018 is $15.77and for 2016 it was $12.15. No options were granted in 2017.

All UTMD options vest over a four-year service period.  At December 31, 2018 there was $353 total unrecognized compensation expense related to non-vested stock options under the plans. A $76 portion of the cost is expected to be recognized over the next 1.75 years, and the remaining $277 recognized over the next 4 years. Expected dividend amounts were estimated based on the actual cash dividend rate at the time the options were granted and an estimate of future dividends based on past dividend rate changes as well as management’s expectations of future dividend rates over the expected holding period of the options.  Expected volatility is based on UTMD’s historical volatility over recent periods of time and trends in that volatility, giving weight to more recent periods.  Risk free interest rates were estimated based on actual U.S. Treasury Securities Interest rates as reported by the Federal Reserve Bank for periods of time equivalent to the holding periods estimated for the options on the dates the options were granted.  Expected term of options were estimated based on historical holding periods for similar options previously granted by UTMD to employees and directors. 

The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding at December 31, 2018:

				Options Outstanding				Options Exercisable
	Range of Exercise Prices			Number Outstanding	Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (Years)		Weighted Average Exercise Price	Number Exercisable		Weighted Average Exercise Price
$	24.00	-	49.18	23,925	3.89	$	39.03	23,925	$	39.03
	58.50	-	74.64	37,093	9.13		68.23	7,521		58.44
$	24.00	-	74.64	61,018	7.08	$	56.78	31,446	$	43.67

		2018		2017		2016
Intrinsic Value of Stock Options Exercised	$	812	$	270	$	372
Intrinsic Value of Stock Options Outstanding	$	1,605