Stock-Based Compensation

12 Months Ended

May 01, 2022

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

14. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Equity Incentive Plan Description

On September 16, 2015, our shareholders approved an equity incentive plan titled the Culp, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”). The 2015 Plan authorizes the grant of stock options intended to qualify as incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance-based units, and other equity and cash related

awards as determined by our Compensation Committee. An aggregate of 1,200,000 shares of common stock were authorized for issuance under the 2015 Plan, with certain sub-limits that would apply with respect to specific types of awards that may be issued as defined in the 2015 Plan.

As of May 1, 2022, there were 577,349 shares available for future equity-based grants under the company’s 2015 Plan.

Time-Based Restricted Stock Awards

The following table summarizes the time-based restricted stock unit activity during fiscal years 2022, 2021, and 2020:

	2022			2021		2020
	Shares			Shares		Shares
outstanding at beginning of year		174,295			44,399		10,000
granted		37,991			129,896		34,399
forfeited		(2,002	)		—		—
outstanding at end of year		210,284			174,295		44,399

The following table summarizes information related to our grants of time-based restricted stock unit awards associated with certain senior executives and key members of management during fiscal years 2022, 2021, and 2020:

			(1)
	Restricted		Price		Vesting
Date of Grant	Stock Awarded		Per Share		Period
July 22, 2021		37,991	$	14.75	3 years
August 6, 2020		129,896	$	11.01	3 years
July 18, 2019		34,399	$	18.49	3 years

(1) Price per share represents closing price of our common stock on the date the respective award was granted.

Overall

We recorded compensation expense of $893,000, $614,000, and $220,000 within selling, general, and administrative expense for time-based restricted stock units in fiscal 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.

As of May 1, 2022, the remaining unrecognized compensation cost related to our time-based restricted stock units was $1.1 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average vesting period of 1.6 years. As of May 1, 2022, our time-based restricted stock unit awards that were expected to vest had a fair value totaling $1.4 million.

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

Senior Executives

We grant performance-based restricted stock units to senior executives which could earn up to a certain number of shares of common stock if certain performance targets are met over a three-fiscal year performance period as defined in the related restricted stock unit award agreements. The number of shares of common stock that are earned based on the performance targets that have been achieved may be adjusted based on a market-based total shareholder return component as defined in the related restricted stock unit award agreements.

Our performance-based restricted stock units granted to senior executives were measured based on their fair market value on the date of grant. The fair market value per share was determined using the Monte Carlo simulation model for the market-based total shareholder return component and the closing price of our common stock for the performance-based component. 

The following table provides assumptions used to determine the fair market value of the market-based total shareholder return component using the Monte Carlo simulation model on our outstanding performance-based restricted stock units granted to senior executives on July 22, 2021, and July 18, 2019:

	July 22,			July 18,
	2021			2019
Closing price of our common stock	$	14.75		$	18.49
Expected volatility of our common stock		54.2	%		30.0	%
Expected volatility of peer companies (1)	45.7% - 101.5%			29.9% - 82.3%
Risk-free interest rate		0.33	%		1.73	%
Dividend yield		3.00	%		2.10	%
Correlation coefficient of peer companies (1)	0.03 - 0.35			0.00 - 0.43

(1) The expected volatility and correlation coefficient of our peer companies for the July 22, 2021, and July 18, 2019, grant dates were based on peer companies that were approved by the Compensation Committee of our board of directors as an aggregate benchmark for determining the market-based total shareholder return component. Therefore, we disclosed ranges of the expected volatility and correlation coefficient for the companies that represented this peer group.

Key Employees and a Non-Employee

We grant performance-based restricted stock units which could earn up to a certain number of shares of common stock if certain performance targets are met over a three-fiscal year performance period, as defined in the related restricted stock unit award agreements. Our performance-based restricted stock units granted to key employees were measured based on the fair market value (the closing price of our common stock) on the date of grant. No market-based total shareholder return component was included in these awards. Our performance-based restricted stock units granted to a non-employee, which vested during the first quarter of fiscal 2020, were measured based on the fair market value (the closing price of our common stock) on the date when the performance criteria were met.  

Overall

The following table summarizes information related to our grants of performance-based restricted stock units associated with certain senior executives and key employees that were unvested as of May 1, 2022:

			(4)
	(3)		Restricted Stock
	Restricted Stock		Units Expected		Price Per			Vesting
Date of Grant	Units Awarded		to Vest		Share			Period
July 22, 2021 (1)		122,476		—	$	15.93	(5)	3 years
July 22, 2021 (2)		20,500		—	$	14.75	(7)	3 years
July 18, 2019 (1)		93,653		727	$	19.04	(6)	3 years
July 18, 2019 (2)		29,227		435	$	18.49	(7)	3 years

(1) Performance-based restricted stock units awarded to certain senior executives.

(2) Performance-based restricted stock units awarded to key employees.

(3) Amounts represent the maximum number of common stock shares that could be earned if certain performance targets are met, as defined in the related restricted stock unit award agreements.

(4) Compensation cost is based on an assessment each reporting period to determine the probability of whether or not certain performance targets will be met and how many shares are expected to be earned as of the end of the vesting period. These amounts represent the number of shares that are expected to vest as of May 1, 2022.

(5) Price per share represents the fair market value per share ($1.08 per $1, or an increase of $1.18 to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant) determined using the Monte Carlo simulation model for the market-based total shareholder return component and the closing price of our common stock ($14.75) for the performance-based component of the performance-based restricted stock units granted to senior executives on July 22, 2021.

(6) Price per share represents the fair market value per share ($1.03 per $1, or an increase of $0.55 to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant) determined using the Monte Carlo simulation model for the market-based total shareholder

return component and the closing price of our common stock ($18.49) for the performance-based component of the performance-based restricted stock units granted to certain senior executives on July 18, 2019.

(7) Price per share represents the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant.

The following table summarizes information related to our performance-based restricted stock units that vested during fiscal 2022, 2021, and 2020:

			(3)		(4)
	Common		Weighted		Weighted
	Stock Shares		Average		Average Price
Fiscal Year	Vested		Fair Value		Per Share
Fiscal 2022 (1)		5,051	$	87	$	17.14
Fiscal 2022 (1)		5,812	$	100	$	17.14
Fiscal 2021 (1)		3,277	$	33	$	9.96
Fiscal 2021 (1)		3,710	$	37	$	9.96
Fiscal 2020 (1)		11,351	$	197	$	17.36
Fiscal 2020 (2)		4,961	$	86	$	17.36

(1) Senior executives and key employees.

(2) Non-employee.

(3) Dollar amounts are in thousands.

(4) The weighted average price per share is derived from the closing prices of our common stock on the dates the respective performance-based restricted stock units vested.

We recorded a (credit) charge to compensation expense totaling $(81,000), $357,000, and $114,000 within selling, general, and administrative expense associated with our performance-based restricted stock units for fiscal years 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.

As of May 1, 2022, the remaining unrecognized compensation cost related to the performance-based restricted stock units was $2,000, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average vesting period of 0.2 years. As of May 1, 2022, our performance-based restricted stock units that are expected to vest had a fair value totaling $1,000.

Common Stock Awards

The following table summarizes information related to our grants of common stock to our outside directors during fiscal 2022, 2021, and 2020:

	Common		(1)
	Stock		Price Per		Vesting
Date of Grant	Awarded		Share		Period
April 1, 2022 - Fiscal 2022		10,562	$	7.93	Immediate
January 3, 2022 - Fiscal 2022		8,357	$	10.02	Immediate
October 1, 2021 - Fiscal 2022		6,426	$	13.03	Immediate
July 1, 2021 - Fiscal 2022		4,312	$	16.24	Immediate
April 1, 2021 - Fiscal 2021		4,467	$	15.67	Immediate
January 4, 2021 - Fiscal 2021		4,563	$	15.34	Immediate
October 1, 2020 - Fiscal 2021		5,193	$	13.48	Immediate
July 1, 2020 - Fiscal 2021		7,000	$	10.00	Immediate
April 1, 2020 - Fiscal 2020		10,511	$	6.66	Immediate
January 2, 2020 - Fiscal 2020		4,972	$	14.08	Immediate
October 1, 2019 - Fiscal 2020		4,519	$	15.49	Immediate
July 1, 2019 - Fiscal 2020		3,659	$	19.21	Immediate

(1) Price per share represents closing price of our common stock on the date of grant.

We recorded $321,000, $280,000, and $280,000 of compensation expense within selling, general, and administrative expense for these common stock awards for fiscal 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.