Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Share-Based Payments

v3.22.1
Share-Based Payments
6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
Share-Based Payments Share-Based Payments
The Company maintains an equity incentive plan (as amended, the "2017 Equity Incentive Plan") that provides for grants of stock options, restricted shares, restricted share units, stock-based performance units and certain other types of stock-based awards. Under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, which has a ten-year term, the maximum number of shares available for grants or awards is an aggregate of 3,450,000, following the amendment and restatement of the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan at the Company's 2022 Annual Shareholder Meeting. At March 31, 2022, 211,788 shares have been issued under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan. 769,698 time-based restricted share units, 933,212 performance-based restricted share units, and 75,000 stock options have been granted under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan. 1,477,525 of these share-based awards are outstanding as of March 31, 2022.  The 2017 Equity Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. The number of shares issued under performance-based restricted share units may be up to 200% of the number of performance-based restricted share units, based on the satisfaction of specific criteria established by the plan administrator.

For the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, stock-based compensation cost totaled $5,222 and $4,001, respectively. For the six-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, stock-based compensation cost totaled $8,931 and $7,247, respectively. The associated future income tax benefit recognized for stock-based compensation was $1,278 and $738 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $1,688 and $976 for the six-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Note 8.   Share-Based Payments (continued)

With respect to the restricted share grants, generally one-half of the shares vest on the third anniversary of the grant, one-quarter of the shares vest in one-third increments upon the attainment of pre-defined levels of adjusted earnings per share, and the remaining one-quarter of the shares vest in one-third increments upon attainment of pre-defined levels of appreciation in the market value of the Company's Class A Common Stock.  Additionally, restricted shares cannot vest until the first anniversary of the grant date.  Unvested restricted shares generally expire on the earlier of three or five years from the date of grant, upon employment termination, or within specified time limits following voluntary employment termination (with the consent of the Company), retirement or death.  The Company issues restricted shares from treasury shares.

With respect to the restricted share unit grants, units generally vest on the third anniversary of the grant date. The number of units that vest depend on certain time and performance thresholds. Such performance thresholds include adjusted earnings per share, return on invested capital, appreciation in the market value of the Company's Class A Common Stock, or other targets established by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Approximately 42% of the outstanding share units vest based on time, while the remaining vest based on pre-defined performance thresholds. The Company issues common stock from treasury shares once vested.

The transactions for restricted shares and restricted share units for the six months ended March 31, 2022 were as follows:
Shares /Units Weighted-
average
Grant-date
Fair Value
Non-vested at September 30, 2021 1,083,365  $ 34.07 
Granted 638,000  38.20 
Vested (163,201) 42.21 
Expired or forfeited (119,448) 48.06 
Non-vested at March 31, 2022 1,438,716  $ 33.82 

During the third quarter of fiscal 2021, 75,000 stock options were granted under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan. The option price for each stock option granted was $41.70, which was equal to the fair market value of the Company's Class A Common Stock on the date of grant. These options vest in one-third increments annually over three years from the grant date. Unvested stock options expire on the earlier of five years from the date of grant, or upon employment termination, retirement or death. The Company generally settles employee stock option exercises with treasury shares.

As of March 31, 2022, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to all unvested stock-based awards was $25,764 and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.6 years.
The Company maintains the 2019 Director Fee Plan, the Amended and Restated 2014 Director Fee Plan and the 1994 Director Fee Plan (collectively, the "Director Fee Plans").  There will be no further fees or share-based awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2014 Director Fee Plan and the 1994 Director Fee Plan.  Under the 2019 Director Fee Plan, non-employee directors (except for the Chairman of the Board) each receive, as an annual retainer fee for fiscal 2022, either cash or shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock with a value equal to $90.  The annual retainer fee for fiscal 2022 paid to the non-employee Chairman of the Board is $210.  Where the annual retainer fee is provided in shares, each director may elect to be paid these shares on a current basis or have such shares credited to a deferred stock account as phantom stock, with such shares to be paid to the director subsequent to leaving the Board.  The total number of shares of stock that have been authorized to be issued under the 2019 Director Fee Plan or credited to a deferred stock compensation account for subsequent issuance is 150,000 shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment upon certain events such as stock dividends or stock splits).  The value of deferred shares is recorded in other liabilities.  A total of 44,943 shares and share units had been deferred under the Director Fee Plans as of March 31, 2022.  Additionally, non-employee directors each receive an annual stock-based grant (non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights and/or restricted shares or units) with a value of $140 for fiscal 2022.  As of March 31, 2022, 305,911 restricted shares and restricted share units have been granted under the Director Fee Plans and are outstanding as of March 31, 2022, 132,682 of which were issued under the 2019 Director Fee Plan.  58,008 restricted shares and restricted share units are unvested at March 31, 2022.