SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS |
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Sep. 30, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS | SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS The Company maintains an equity incentive plan (as amended and restated, the "2017 Equity Incentive Plan") that provides for grants of stock options, restricted shares, restricted share units ("RSUs"), stock-based performance units and certain other types of stock-based awards. Under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, which has a -year term from the date the Company's Board of Directors approved of the second amendment and restatement of the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, the maximum number of shares available for grants or awards is an aggregate of 4,950,000 (subject to adjustment upon certain events such as stock dividends or stock splits), following the second amendment and restatement of the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan at the Company's 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. At September 30, 2025, 1,896,757 shares have been issued under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan. 1,518,963 time-based RSUs, 1,963,334 performance-based RSUs, and 75,000 stock options have been granted under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan. 1,648,145 of these share-based awards are outstanding as of September 30, 2025. The 2017 Equity Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Committee"). The number of shares issued under performance-based RSUs may be up to 200% of the number of performance-based RSUs, based on the satisfaction of specific criteria established by the plan administrator.
For the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, stock-based compensation cost totaled $23,065, $18,478 and $17,308, respectively. Fiscal 2025 stock-based compensation cost included $3,470 of accelerated expense related to the Company's divestiture of its interest in the SGK Business (see below). The associated future income tax benefit recognized was $5,387, $4,185 and $3,821 for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
With respect to the grants of RSUs, 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 Committee. Approximately 40% 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.
In conjunction with the sale of the Company's interest in the SGK Business, outstanding RSU awards for SGK Business employees were modified to remove future service requirements and to guarantee vesting at a minimum of 100 percent of target for certain performance-based RSUs (Type III modification under ASC 718). Consequently, the outstanding RSU awards for these individuals were remeasured as of the date of the sale transaction, and any resulting additional expense or benefit was immediately recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
The transactions for RSUs for the year ended September 30, 2025 were as follows:
As of September 30, 2025, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to all unvested stock-based awards was $13,945 which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years.
The fair value of certain RSUs that are subject to performance conditions are estimated on the date of grant using a binomial lattice valuation model. The following table indicates the assumptions used in estimating the fair value of certain stock-based awards granted or modified during the year ended September 30, 2025.
The risk-free interest rate is based on United States Treasury yields at the date of grant or modification. The dividend yield is based on the most recent dividend payment and average stock price over the 12 months prior to the grant or modification date. Expected volatilities are based on the historical volatility of the Company's stock price. The expected term for grants in the year ended September 30, 2025 represents an estimate of the average period of time for RSUs to vest. The Company maintains the Amended and Restated 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 Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan, non-employee directors (except for the Chairman of the Board) each receive, as an annual retainer fee for fiscal 2025, either cash or shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock with a value equal to $90. The annual retainer fee for fiscal 2025 paid to the non-employee Chairman of the Board under the Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan 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 Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan or credited to a deferred stock compensation account for subsequent issuance is 300,000 shares of Class A Common Stock (subject to adjustment upon certain events such as stock dividends or stock splits), following the amendment and restatement of the 2019 Director Fee Plan at the Company's 2023 Annual Shareholder Meeting. In November 2025, the Board of Directors approved the Second Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan, which increases the maximum number of shares available for grants or awards to 550,000 shares. The Second Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan is subject to shareholder approval at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The value of deferred shares is recorded in other non-current liabilities. A total of 57,179 shares and share units had been deferred under the Director Fee Plans as of September 30, 2025. 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 2025. As of September 30, 2025, 439,740 restricted shares and RSUs have been granted under the Director Fee Plans, 266,511 of which were issued under the 2019 Director Fee Plan. 98,945 RSUs are unvested at September 30, 2025 under the Director Fee Plans.
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