STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

3 Months Ended

May 01, 2022

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

The Company grants stock-based awards under its Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). Shares issued as a result of stock-based compensation transactions generally have been funded with the issuance of new shares of the Company’s common stock.

The Company may grant the following types of incentive awards under the Plan: (i) non-qualified stock options; (ii) incentive stock options; (iii) stock appreciation rights; (iv) restricted stock; (v) restricted stock units (“RSUs”); (vi) performance shares; (vii) performance share units (“PSUs”); and (viii) other stock-based awards. Each award granted under the Plan is subject to an award agreement that incorporates, as applicable, the exercise price, the term of the award, the periods of restriction, the number of shares to which the award pertains, performance periods and performance measures, and such other terms and conditions as the plan committee determines. Awards granted under the Plan are classified as equity awards, which are recorded in stockholders’ equity in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. When estimating the grant date fair value of stock-based awards, the Company considers whether an adjustment is required to the closing price or the expected volatility of its common stock on the date of grant when the Company is in possession of material non-public information. No such adjustments were made to the grant date fair value of awards granted during the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022.

Through May 1, 2022, the Company has granted under the Plan (i) service-based non-qualified stock options, referred to as “stock options” below, RSUs and restricted stock; and (ii) contingently issuable PSUs and RSUs. There were no shares of restricted stock or contingently issuable RSUs outstanding as of May 1, 2022.

According to the terms of the Plan, for purposes of determining the number of shares available for grant, each share underlying a stock option award reduces the number available by one share and each share underlying an RSU or PSU award reduces the number available by two shares.

Net income for the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 and May 2, 2021 included $10.1 million and $10.7 million, respectively, of pre-tax expense related to stock-based compensation, with related recognized income tax benefits of $1.4 million and $1.5 million, respectively.

The Company receives a tax deduction for certain transactions associated with its stock-based awards. The actual income tax benefits realized from these transactions during the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 and May 2, 2021 were $1.9 million and $3.6 million, respectively. The tax benefits realized included discrete net excess tax deficiencies of $0.8 million and $0.1 million recognized in the Company’s provision for income taxes during the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 and May 2, 2021, respectively.

Stock Options

Stock options granted to employees are generally exercisable in four equal annual installments commencing one year after the date of grant. The underlying stock option award agreements generally provide for accelerated vesting upon the award recipient’s retirement (as defined in the Plan). Such stock options are granted with a 10-year term and the per share exercise price cannot be less than the closing price of the common stock on the date of grant.

The Company estimates the fair value of stock options at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes-Merton model. The estimated fair value of the stock options granted is expensed over the stock options’ requisite service periods.

The following summarizes the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of stock options granted during the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 and May 2, 2021 and the resulting weighted average grant date fair value per stock option:


	5/1/22			5/2/21
Weighted average risk-free interest rate	2.50		%	1.24		%
Weighted average expected stock option term (in years)	6.25			6.25
Weighted average Company volatility	47.34		%	47.58		%
Expected annual dividends per share	$	0.15		$	0.15
Weighted average grant date fair value per stock option	$	34.27		$	48.28

The risk-free interest rate is based on United States Treasury yields in effect at the date of grant for periods corresponding to the expected stock option term. The expected stock option term represents the weighted average period of time that stock options

granted are expected to be outstanding, based on vesting schedules and the contractual term of the stock options. Company volatility is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s common stock over a period of time corresponding to the expected stock option term. Expected dividends are based on the anticipated common stock cash dividend rate for the Company at the time of grant; the dividend assumption for the stock options granted during the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2021 was not affected by the Company’s suspension of its cash dividend beginning with the second quarter of 2020 in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business and as a condition of the June 2020 Amendment that was in effect through June 10, 2021, as such suspension was viewed as temporary. Please see Note 15, “Stockholders' Equity,” for further discussion of dividends on the Company’s common stock.

The Company has continued to utilize the simplified method to estimate the expected term for its “plain vanilla” stock options granted due to a lack of relevant historical data resulting, in part, from changes in the pool of employees receiving stock option grants. The Company will continue to evaluate the appropriateness of utilizing such method.

Stock option activity for the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 was as follows:


(In thousands, except per stock option data)	Stock Options	Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Stock Option
Outstanding at January 30, 2022	688	$	103.40
Granted	134	71.51
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited / Expired	49	83.23
Outstanding at May 1, 2022	773	$	99.15
Exercisable at May 1, 2022	509	$	111.17

RSUs

RSUs granted to employees generally vest in four equal annual installments commencing one year after the date of grant, although the Company does make from time to time, and currently has outstanding, RSUs with different vesting schedules. Service-based RSUs granted to non-employee directors vest in full the earlier of one year after the date of grant or the date of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders following the year of grant. The underlying RSU award agreements for employees generally provide for accelerated vesting upon the award recipient’s retirement (as defined in the Plan). The fair value of RSUs is equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant and is expensed over the RSUs’ requisite service periods.

RSU activity for the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 was as follows:


(In thousands, except per RSU data)	RSUs	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per RSU
Non-vested at January 30, 2022	1,176	$	88.09
Granted	206	72.48
Vested	183	101.90
Forfeited	37	88.91
Non-vested at May 1, 2022	1,162	$	83.12

PSUs

Contingently issuable PSUs granted to employees generally vest three years after the date of grant, subject to the satisfaction of performance conditions. The Company granted contingently issuable PSUs to certain of the Company’s senior executives during the second quarter of 2021. For these awards, the final number of shares to be earned, if any, is contingent upon the Company’s achievement of goals for the applicable performance period, of which 50% is based upon the Company’s consolidated earnings before interest and taxes (“EBIT”) amount for the 2021 fiscal year, and 50% is based upon the Company’s total shareholder return (“TSR”) during a three-year performance period from the grant date relative to a pre-established group of industry peers. The Company records expense ratably over the three-year service period, with expense determined as follows: (i) EBIT-based portion of the awards – based on the grant date fair value per share and the Company’s current expectations of the probable number of shares that will ultimately be issued and (ii) TSR-based portion of the awards – based on the grant date fair value regardless of whether the market condition is satisfied because the awards are subject to market conditions. The grant date fair value of the awards granted was established as follows: (i) EBIT-based portion of the awards – based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock reduced for the present value of any dividends expected to be paid on the Company’s common stock during the three-year service period, as these contingently issuable PSUs do not accrue dividends and (ii) TSR-based portion of the awards – using the Monte Carlo simulation model. For the EBIT-based portion of the awards, the applicable performance period ended in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the maximum level of performance was achieved. These shares will vest and be paid out subject to and following the completion of the three-year service period.

The Company also granted contingently issuable PSUs to certain of the Company’s senior executives during 2019 and 2020, subject to a three-year performance period from the applicable grant date. For these awards, the final number of shares to be earned, if any, is contingent upon the Company’s achievement of goals for the applicable performance period, of which 50% is based upon the Company’s absolute stock price growth during the applicable performance period and 50% is based upon the Company’s TSR during the applicable performance period relative to other companies included in the S&P 500 as of the date of grant. For these awards, the Company records expense ratably over the three-year service period based on the grant date fair value of the awards regardless of whether the market condition is satisfied because the awards are subject to market conditions. The grant date fair value of the awards granted was established for each grant using the Monte Carlo simulation model. For awards granted in the first quarter of 2019, the three-year performance period ended during the first quarter of 2022 and holders of the awards did not earn any shares since the market conditions were not satisfied.

No PSUs were granted during the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 and May 2, 2021.

Total PSU activity for the thirteen weeks ended May 1, 2022 was as follows:


(In thousands, except per PSU data)	PSUs	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per PSU
Non-vested at January 30, 2022	248	$	93.15
Granted	—	—
Reduction due to market conditions not satisfied	47	128.75

Vested	—	—
Forfeited	2	77.54
Non-vested at May 1, 2022	199	$	84.98