Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Common Stock and Options

v3.10.0.1
Common Stock and Options
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]  
Common Stock and Options
Common Stock and Options

Effective January 27, 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) which provides for up to 1,250,000 common shares available for issuance to provide a long-term incentive plan for officers, employees, directors and/or consultants to directly link incentives to stockholder value. The 2015 Plan was approved by the Company’s stockholders in February 2015. The Company’s 2015 Plan provides for grants to executives in various forms including restricted shares of the Company’s common stock and stock options. Awards are discretionary and are determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Awards vest based upon service conditions. Non-vested restricted shares generally vest over requisite service periods of one to six years from the date of grant.

Restricted Stock

In November 2017, the Company awarded 5,000 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock (“Restricted Stock”) to one senior executive under the 2015 Plan at a weighted average fair value of $31.95 per common share, vesting over two and a half years.

The following table represents a summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested shares is as follows:
Nonvested Shares
 
Shares

 
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value

Nonvested Shares at September 30, 2015
 
12,500

 
$
49.49

     Granted during fiscal year 2016
 

 

     Vested during fiscal year 2016
 
(2,233
)
 
$
49.50

     Forfeited during fiscal year 2016
 

 

Nonvested Shares at September 30, 2016
 
10,267

 
$
49.49

     Granted during fiscal year 2017
 

 

     Vested during fiscal year 2017
 
(4,933
)
 
$
49.58

     Forfeited during fiscal year 2017
 

 

Nonvested Shares at September 30, 2017
 
5,334

 
$
49.39

     Granted during fiscal year 2018
 
5,000

 
$
31.95

     Vested during fiscal year 2018
 
(3,001
)
 
$
39.70

     Forfeited during fiscal year 2018
 

 

Nonvested Shares at September 30, 2018
 
7,333

 
$
41.46



Stock compensation expense related to the Restricted Stock totaled approximately $137,000, $264,000 and $150,000 for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

There was approximately $172,000 and $149,000 of unrecognized stock compensation costs related to the Restricted Stock grants at September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Stock Options

Stock option grants of 210,000 options to Mr. Trafelet and 90,000 options to Mr. Kiernan (collectively, the “2018 Option Grants”) were granted on September 7, 2018. The option exercise price for these options was set at $33.60, the closing price on September 7, 2018. The 2018 Option Grants will vest as follows: (i) 25% of the options will vest if the price of the Company’s common stock during a consecutive 20-trading day period exceeds $35.00; (ii) 25% of the options will vest if the price of the Company’s common stock during a consecutive 20-trading day period exceeds $40.00; (iii) 25% of the options will vest if the price of the Company’s common stock during a consecutive 20-trading day period exceeds $45.00; and (iv) 25% of the options will vest if the price of the Company’s common stock during a consecutive 20-trading day period exceeds $50.00. If the applicable stock price hurdles have not been achieved by (A) the date that is 18 months following the Executive’s termination of employment, if the Executive’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, (B) the date that is 12 months following the Executive’s termination of employment, if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without cause, by the Executive with good reason, or due to the Executive’s retirement, or (C) the date of the termination of the Executive’s employment for any other reason, then any unvested options will be forfeited. In addition, if the applicable stock price hurdles have not been achieved by December 31, 2021 then any unvested options will be forfeited. The 2018 Option Grants will also become vested to the extent that the applicable stock price hurdles are satisfied in connection with a change in control of the Company. As of September 30, 2018, the Company’s stock was trading at $33.80 per share, and during fiscal year 2018 the stock did not trade above $35.00 per share; accordingly, none of the stock options are vested at September 30, 2018.

Stock option grants of 300,000 options to Mr. Trafelet and 225,000 options to each of Messrs. Slack and Brokaw (collectively, the “2016 Option Grants”) were granted on December 31, 2016. The option exercise price for these options was set at $27.15, the closing price on December 31, 2016. The 2016 Option Grants will vest as follows: (i) 25% of the options will vest if the price of the Company’s common stock during a consecutive 20-trading day period exceeds $60.00; (ii) 25% of the options will vest if such price exceeds $75.00; (iii) 25% of the options will vest if such price exceeds $90.00; and (iv) 25% of the options will vest if such price exceeds $105.00. If the applicable stock price hurdles have not been achieved by (A) the second anniversary of the Executive’s termination of employment, if the Executive’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, (B) the date that is 18 months following the Executive’s termination of employment, if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without cause, by the Executive with good reason, or due to the Executive’s retirement, or (C) the date of the termination of the Executive’s employment for any other reason, then any unvested options will be forfeited. In addition, if the applicable stock price hurdles have not been achieved by the fifth anniversary of the grant date (or the fourth anniversary of the grant date, in the case of the tranche described in clause (i) above), then any unvested options will be forfeited. The 2016 Option Grants will also become vested to the extent that the applicable stock price hurdles are satisfied in connection with a change in control of the Company. As of September 30, 2018, the Company’s stock was trading at $33.80 per share, and during fiscal year 2018 the stock did not trade above $60.00 per share; accordingly, none of the stock options are vested at September 30, 2018.

Additionally, 187,500 shares of the 2016 Option Grants made to each of Messrs. Slack and Brokaw were forfeited on September 5, 2018 and no replacement options were granted. As such, the remaining unrecognized expense associated with these options of approximately $783,000 was accelerated and recorded for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

The following table represents a summary of the Company’s stock option activity:

 
 
Number of Options
 
Weighted Average Exercise Price
 
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)
 
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance - September 30, 2016
 

 
$

 
0.00
 

     Granted during fiscal year 2017
 
750,000

 
$
27.15

 
3.33
 

     Forfeitures/expired in fiscal year 2017
 

 
$

 
0.00
 

     Exercised during fiscal year 2017
 

 
$

 
0.00
 

Balance - September 30, 2017
 
750,000

 
$
27.15

 
2.58
 

     Granted during fiscal year 2018
 
300,000

 
$
33.60

 
3.25
 

     Forfeitures/expired in fiscal year 2018
 
(375,000
)
 
$
27.15

 
1.86
 

     Exercised during fiscal year 2018
 

 
$

 
0.00
 

Balance - September 30, 2018
 
675,000

 
$
30.02

 
2.22
 



Stock compensation expense related to the options totaled approximately $1,617,000 and $616,000 for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. No stock compensation expense related to options was recorded for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.

At September 30, 2018 and 2017, there was approximately $2,174,000 and $2,030,000, respectively, of total unrecognized stock compensation costs related to nonvested share-based compensation for the option grants.

The fair value of the 2016 Option Grants and 2018 Option Grants was estimated on the date of grant using a Monte Carlo valuation model that uses the assumptions noted in the following table. The expected term of options granted is derived from the output of the option valuation model and represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding; the range given below results from different time-frames for the various market conditions being met.

2018 Option Grant
Expected Volatility
30.0
%
Expected Term (in years)
3.32

Risk Free Rate
2.80
%

The weighted-average grant-date fair value of the 2018 Option Grants was $7.40. There were no additional stock options granted or exercised for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

2016 Option Grant
Expected Volatility
32.19
%
Expected Term (in years)
2.6 - 4.0

Risk Free Rate
2.45
%


The weighted-average grant-date fair value of the 2016 Option Grants was $3.53. There were no additional stock options granted, exercised or forfeited for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

As of September 30, 2018, there remained 557,500 common shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan.