The Company has a stock-based incentive plan (the “2003 Plan”) that provides for, among other awards, grants of restricted stock units and stock options to directors, officers and key employees at the fair market value at the date of grant. At December 26, 2020, 0.9 million shares of common stock were available for future grant under the 2003 Plan.

The Company receives an excess tax benefit related to restricted stock vesting and stock options exercised and redeemed. The discrete tax benefit related to stock-based compensation and stock option activity during the first nine months of fiscal year 2021 and 2020 was $0.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units: The Company grants time-based and performance-based restricted stock units as a component of executive and key employee compensation. Expense for restricted stock unit grants is recognized on a straight-line basis for the service period of the stock award based upon fair value of the award on the date of grant. The fair value of the restricted stock unit grants is the quoted market price for the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. These restricted stock units are either time vested, or vest following the third fiscal year from the date of grant subject to cumulative diluted earnings per share targets over the eligible period.

Compensation cost ultimately recognized for performance-based restricted stock units will equal the grant date fair market value of the unit that coincides with the actual outcome of the performance conditions. On an interim basis, the Company records compensation cost based on the estimated level of achievement of the performance conditions. The expense relating to the time vested restricted stock units is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award.

The Company achieved 79% of the target level for the performance-based restricted stock units granted in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018 and as a result, issued 49 shares of common stock to executive officers and certain key

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employees during the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. The following table summarizes the non-vested restricted stock units outstanding as of December 26, 2020:

		Total	Grant Date		Estimated
		Number	Fair		Level of
Date	Measurement	of Units	Value		Achievement at
Granted	Period	Outstanding	Per Unit		December 26, 2020
April 2018	April 2018 – March 2021	1	$	15.65	Time Vested
May 2018	April 2018 – March 2021	22	$	15.30	55% of target level
May 2018	April 2018 – March 2021	22	$	15.30	Time Vested
October 2018	October 2018 – September 2027	8	$	20.81	Time Vested
March 2019	April 2019 – March 2022	23	$	23.50	55% of target level
March 2019	April 2019 – March 2022	23	$	23.50	Time Vested
August 2019	August 2019 – August 2022	1	$	23.00	Time Vested
March 2020	April 2020 – March 2023	2	$	26.25	Time Vested
July 2020	July 2020 – March 2023	46	$	27.08	Time Vested
September 2020	September 2020 – September 2021	14	$	28.52	Time Vested
September 2020	September 2020 –July 2023	4	$	28.54	Time Vested
September 2020	September 2020 –July 2023	5	$	29.76	Time Vested
September 2020	September 2020 – September 2023	3	$	29.76	Time Vested

Total expense relating to restricted stock units, based on grant date fair value and the achievement criteria, was $0.7 million and $0.6 million, respectively, in the first nine months of fiscal years 2021 and 2020. As of December 26, 2020, unearned compensation to be recognized over the grants’ respective service periods totaled $2.1 million.

Stock Options: The Company grants stock options to employees and directors equal to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock at the date of the grant. The fair value of stock options is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing formula that requires assumptions for expected volatility, expected dividends, the risk-free interest rate and the expected term of the option. Expense for stock options is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for each award. Options vest either immediately or over a period of up to five years using a straight-line basis and expire either five years or ten years from the date of grant.

The following table summarizes the Company’s options as of and for the first nine months of fiscal year 2021:

			Weighted		Weighted
			Average		Average
	Number		Exercise		Remaining	Aggregate
	of		Price Per		Contractual	Intrinsic
	Shares		Share		Term (in years)	Value
Outstanding as of March 28, 2020	150		$	14.63
Granted	20		$	27.48
Exercised	(30	)	$	12.75
Forfeited	-			-
Redeemed	-			-
Outstanding as of December 26, 2020	140		$	16.87	3	$	2,263
Exercisable as of December 26, 2020	85		$	17.04	2	$	1,788

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company’s closing stock price on the last trading day of the third quarter of fiscal year 2021 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money stock options) that would have been received by the option holders had all holders exercised their options on December 26, 2020. The amount of aggregate intrinsic value will change based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock.

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Total expense related to stock options was $0.1 million during the first nine months of each of fiscal years 2021 and 2020. Total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock options as of December 26, 2020 was $0.2 million, which is expected to be recognized over a period of three years. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised in the first nine months of fiscal years 2021 and 2020 was $0.3 million and $3.5 million, respectively. Cash received from the exercise of options in the first nine months of fiscal years 2021 and 2020 was $0.4 million and $1.4 million, respectively.