Note 6 - Stock-based Compensation

6 Months Ended

Aug. 28, 2022

Notes to Financial Statements

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Text Block]

6.  STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

As of August 28, 2022, the Company had a 2018 Stock Option Plan (the “2018 Plan”) and no other stock-based compensation plan. The 2018 Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company on May 8, 2018 and approved by the shareholders of the Company at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company on July 24, 2018 and provides for the grant of options to purchase up to 800,000 shares of common stock of the Company. Prior to the 2018 Plan, the Company had the 2002 Stock Option Plan (the “2002 Plan”) which had been approved by the Company’s shareholders and provided for the grant of stock options to directors and key employees of the Company. All options granted under the 2018 Plan and 2002 Plan have exercise prices equal to the fair market value of the underlying common stock of the Company at the time of grant which, pursuant to the terms of such Plans, is the reported closing price of the common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on the date preceding the date the option is granted. Options granted under the Plans become exercisable 25% one year after the date of grant, with an additional 25% exercisable each succeeding anniversary of the date of grant, and expire 10 years after the date of grant. Upon termination of employment or service as a director, all options held by the optionee that have not previously become exercisable shall terminate and all other options held by such optionee may be exercised, to the extent exercisable on the date of such termination, for a limited time after such termination. Any shares of common stock subject to an option under the 2018 Plan, which expires or is terminated unexercised as to such shares, shall again become available for issuance under the 2018 Plan.

During the 26 weeks ended August 28, 2022, the Company granted options under the 2018 Plan to purchase a total of 131,600 shares of common stock to its directors and certain of its employees. The future compensation expense to be recognized in earnings before income taxes is $338 and will be recorded on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The weighted average fair value of the granted options was $2.66 per share using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: risk free interest rate of 2.69%-2.70%; expected volatility factor of 28.2%-28.3%; expected dividend yield of 3.32%; and estimated option term of 5.4-8.1 years.

The risk-free interest rates were based on U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the estimated terms of the options at the date of the grant. Volatility factors were based on historical volatility of the Company’s common stock. The expected dividend yields were based on the regular quarterly cash dividend per share most recently declared by the Company and on the exercise price of the options granted during the 13 weeks and 26 weeks ended August 28, 2022. The estimated term of the options was based on evaluations of the historical and expected future employee exercise behavior.

The following is a summary of option activity for the 26 weeks ended August 28, 2022:

	Outstanding Options			Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)
Balance, February 27, 2022		648,300		$	12.96
Granted		131,600			12.06
Exercised		(13,000	)		10.67
Terminated or expired		(3,200	)		13.13
Balance, August 28, 2022		763,700		$	12.84		5.76
Vested and exercisable, August 28, 2022		457,175		$	12.75		3.74