SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

4.	SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

The Company provides compensation benefits to certain key employees under several share-based plans providing for performance-accelerated restricted shares (restricted shares), and to non-employee directors under a non-employee directors compensation plan.

Performance-Accelerated Restricted Share Awards

Compensation expense related to the restricted share awards was $0.9 million and $3.1 million for the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2018, respectively, and $1.0 million and $3.3 million for the corresponding periods of 2017. There were 316,544 non-vested shares outstanding as of June 30, 2018.

Non-Employee Directors Plan

Compensation expense related to the non-employee director grants was $0.3 million and $0.8 million for the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2018, respectively, and $0.3 million and $0.8 million for the corresponding periods of 2017.

The total share-based compensation cost that has been recognized in the results of operations and included within selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) was $1.2 million and $3.9 million for the three-and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2018, respectively, and $1.3 million and $4.1 million for the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2017. The total income tax benefit recognized in results of operations for share-based compensation arrangements was $0.2 million and $0.9 million for the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2018, respectively, and $1.2 million and $2.2 million for the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2017, respectively. As of June 30, 2018, there was $8.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to share-based compensation arrangements. That cost is expected to be recognized over a remaining weighted-average period of 2.1 years.