Share-Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

The Company's annual grant of option awards generally takes place during the second quarter of each fiscal year and no grants were made in the quarters ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. 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 three-month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

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.

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



	Three months ended
	March 31,
	2015		2014
Stock compensation expense	$	9,907	$	10,294
Recognized tax benefit	$	1,243	$	944

- Definition

The entire disclosure for compensation-related costs for equity-based compensation, which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of equity compensation, incentive distributions, equity-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.

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