Share-Based Compensation

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation

The Company provides compensation benefits by granting stock options and employee stock purchase rights to its employees and restricted shares to its directors. On May 2, 2012, the shareholders approved the 2012 Stock Option Plan ("2012 Plan"), which made available 3,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock for purchase upon exercise of options granted under the 2012 Plan. The Company's annual grant of option awards generally takes place during the second quarter of each fiscal year. For the six months endedJune 30, 2012 and 2011, 2,822,990 and 2,998,390 options were granted, respectively. The grant of employee stock purchase rights and the issuance of shares under the employee stock purchase plan are made in the third quarter of each fiscal year and none were issued in the six-month period ended June 30, 2012 and 2011.

The Company recognizes stock compensation expense based on an estimate of the fair value of awards granted to employees and directors under the Company’s stock option, director restricted stock and employee stock purchase rights plans. The expense, adjusted for expected forfeitures, is recognized on a straight-line basis over the stock awards' vesting period. The forfeiture assumption used to calculate compensation expense is primarily based on historical pre-vesting employee forfeiture patterns. The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:

	Six months ended June 30,
	2012			2011
Dividend yield	1.30		%	0.97		%
Volatility - stock option plans	38 - 39 %			38 - 40%
Risk free interest rates	0.89 - 1.43%			2.17 - 2.84%
Expected life (years) - stock option plans	5.79 - 7.26			5.50 - 7.11
Weighted average fair value of stock options granted during the period	$	13.53		$	19.35

Total stock compensation expense and the total related tax benefit recognized are as follows:

	Three months ended				Six months ended
	June 30,				June 30,
	2012		2011		2012		2011
Stock compensation expense	$	10,926	$	10,236	$	21,526	$	20,708
Recognized tax benefit	$	336	$	39	$	375	$	77