SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

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 $1.1 million and $1.1 million for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. There were 316,794 non-vested shares outstanding as of December 31, 2018.

Non-Employee Directors Plan

Compensation expense related to the non-employee director grants was $0.3 million and $0.3 million for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

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 $1.4 million and $1.4 million for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The total income tax benefit recognized in results of operations for share-based compensation arrangements was $0.3 million and $0.4 million for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, there was $6.8 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 1.4 years.