NOTE 9 – STOCK COMPENSATION

 

2011 Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

 

On March 28, 2011 the Board adopted and on May 19, 2011 the Company’s shareholders approved the Company’s 2011 Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (“2011 Incentive Plan”).  The 2011 Incentive Plan authorizes incentive awards to officers, key employees and non-employee directors in the form of options (incentive and non-qualified), stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance stock units (“deferred stock”), performance cash units, and other awards in stock, cash, or a combination of stock and cash.  Up to 1,000,000 shares of our Common Stock may be issued pursuant to awards under the 2011 Incentive Plan. 

 

During the first quarter of 2012, stock options covering 92,223 shares were awarded to key executive employees, which options expire seven years from the date of award and vest 25% each year beginning one year after the date of award.  The Company also granted deferred stock awards of 94,242 shares to key employees during the first quarter under the Company’s long-term incentive plan for performance over the 2012 to 2014 period.  The actual number of shares of deferred stock, if any, that are earned by the respective employees will be determined based on achievement against cumulative performance goals for the three years ending December 31, 2014 and the shares earned will be issued in the first quarter of 2015 to those key employees still with the Company at that time. The Company also granted deferred stock awards of up to 9,456 shares to executive employees that could be earned under the Company’s short-term incentive plan if actual revenue equaled or exceeded 150% of 2012 quarterly or annual revenue targets.  The shares earned by the respective executive employees will be issued no later than the first quarter of 2013.

 

During the second quarter of 2012, the Company granted restricted stock units totaling 25,879 units to the Company’s seven non-employee directors with the restricted stock units issued to each director having a value of $40,000 based on the closing price of the Company’s stock on May 22, 2012.  These restricted stock units vest after one year and are issued as stock after another year.

 

At December  31,  2012,  773,026 shares remained available for future issuance under the 2011 Incentive Plan.

 

Stock Option Plan for Directors

 

Shares of common stock are reserved for issuance to non-employee directors under options granted by the Company prior to 2011 under its Stock Option Plan for Non-Employee Directors (the “Director Plan”).  Under the Director Plan nonqualified stock options to acquire 3,000 shares of common stock were automatically granted to each non-employee director concurrent with annual meetings of shareholders in 2010 and earlier years and vested immediately. The exercise price of options granted was the fair market value of the common stock on the date of the respective shareholder meetings.  Options granted under the Director Plan expire 10 years from date of grant.   

 

The Director Plan was suspended as of May 19, 2011 to prohibit automatic option grants in 2011 in connection with seeking and receiving shareholder approval of the 2011 Incentive Plan,  at the 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. As shareholder approval was received, the Board amended the Director Plan to prohibit any future option awards under that plan on August 11, 2011. Stock options were granted to non-employee directors for 0,  0, and 18,000 shares in 2012,  2011 and 2010, respectively.

 

Stock Plan

 

Under the Company’s 1992 Stock Plan (“the Stock Plan”), shares of common stock may be issued pursuant to stock options, restricted stock or deferred stock grants to officers and key employees.  Exercise prices of stock options under the Stock Plan cannot be less than fair market value of the stock on the date of grant.  Rules and conditions governing awards of stock options, restricted stock and deferred stock are determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, subject to certain limitations in the Stock Plan.  When seeking approval of the 2011 Incentive Plan at the 2011 Shareholders Meeting, the Company committed to amending the Stock Plan to prohibit the issuance of future equity awards if such approval was given. Effective August 11, 2011, the amendment to prohibit future stock options or other equity awards was approved.

 

During 2011, prior to amending the Stock Plan to prohibit future awards, stock options were awarded covering 96,250 shares to key executive employees, which options expire seven years from the date of award and vest 25% each year beginning one year after the date of award. 

 

During 2011, prior to amending the Stock Plan to prohibit future awards, key employees were granted deferred stock awards covering 16,092 shares tied to achievement against performance goals in 2010 under the Company’s long term incentive plan.  To the extent earned, the deferred stock will be paid out in the first quarter of 2014 to key employees still employed by the Company at that time.  The Company also granted deferred stock awards covering 77,588 shares to key employees under the Company’s long term incentive plan tied to achievement against performance over the 2011 to 2013 period.  The actual number of shares of deferred stock earned by the respective employees, if any, will be determined based on achievement against cumulative performance goals for the three years ending December 31, 2013 and the number of shares earned will be paid in the first quarter of 2014 to those key employees still employed by the Company at that time. During 2011, the Company also granted deferred stock awards of up to 12,156 shares to executive employees that could be earned under the Company’s short-term incentive plan if actual revenue equaled or exceeded 150% of 2011 quarterly or annual revenue targets.  The number of shares earned by the respective executive employees were issued in the first quarter of 2012.

 

At December 31,  2012 after reserving for stock options and deferred stock awards described in the two preceding paragraphs and adjusting for forfeitures and issuances during the year, there were 154,430 shares reserved for issuance under the Stock Plan. The Company did not award stock options or deferred stock under this plan in 2012.

 

Stock Options Outstanding

 

The following table summarizes changes in the number of outstanding stock options under the Director Plan and Stock Plan during the three years ended December 31, 2012. 

 

 

The fair value of awards issued under the Company’s stock option plan is estimated at grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.  The following table displays the assumptions used in the model.

 

 

Total unrecognized compensation expense was $161,000, $102,000, and $0 for the years ending December 31, 2012,  2011 and 2010, respectively, which is expected to be recognized over the next 3.0 years.  The aggregate intrinsic value of all outstanding options, exercisable options, and options expected to vest (the amount by which the market price of the stock on the last day of the period exceeded the market price of the stock on the date of grant) was $108,000 based on the Company’s stock price at December 31, 2012.  The intrinsic value of options exercised during the year was $59,000, $61,000 and $183,000 in 2012,  2011 and 2010, respectively.  Net cash proceeds from the exercise of all stock options were $86,000,  $73,000 and $0 for 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  The following table summarizes the status of stock options outstanding at December 31, 2012:

 

 

The Company receives an income tax benefit related to the gains received by officers and key employees who make disqualifying dispositions of stock received on exercise of qualified incentive stock options and on non-qualified options.  The amount of tax benefit received by the Company was $21,000, $22,000 and $35,000 in 2012,  2011 and 2010 respectively.  The tax benefit amounts have been credited to additional paid-in capital.

 

Deferred Stock Outstanding

 

The following table summarizes the changes in the number of deferred stock shares under the Stock Plan and 2011 Incentive Plan over the period December 31, 2010 to December 31,  2012:

 

 

The grant date fair value is calculated based on the Company’s closing stock price as of the grant date. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the total unrecognized compensation expense related to the deferred stock shares was $297,000 and $302,000, respectively and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years.

 

Compensation Expense

 

Share-based compensation expense is recognized based on the fair value of awards granted over the vesting period of the award.  Share-based compensation expense recognized for 2012,  2011 and 2010 was $303,000, $449,000 and $39,000 before income taxes and $197,000, $292,000 and $25,000 after income taxes, respectively. Share-based compensation expense is recorded as a part of selling, general and administrative expenses.

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

Under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) employees are able to acquire shares of common stock at 90% of the price at the end of each current quarterly plan term.  The most recent term ended December 31,  2012.  The ESPP is considered compensatory under current rules.  At December 31,  2012, after giving effect to the shares issued as of that date, 52,564 shares remain available for purchase under the ESPP.

 

Employee  Stock  Ownership  Plan (ESOP)

 

All eligible employees of the Company participate in the ESOP after completing one year of service.  Contributions are allocated to each participant based on compensation and vest 30% after three years of service and incrementally thereafter, with full vesting after seven years.  At December 31, 2012, the ESOP held 601,281 shares of the Company’s common stock, all of which have been allocated to the accounts of eligible employees.  Contributions to the plan are determined by the Board of Directors and can be made in cash or shares of the Company’s stock. The 2012 ESOP contribution was $463,819 for which the Company issued 44,598 shares in March 2013.  The 2011 ESOP contribution was $508,198 for which the Company issued 36,145 shares in 2012.  The Company’s 2010 ESOP contribution was $316,027 for which the Company issued 22,493 shares of common stock to the ESOP in 2011.