Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Since the completion of the CHS Transactions on April 30, 2010, the Board of Directors has adopted and the shareholders have approved two stock option award plans. The 2010 Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Restricted Stock and Stock Option Plans ("2010 Plan") was approved on July 28, 2010. The plan authorized the issuance of 2,767,171 stock options or restricted shares (on a post stock split basis). On April 8, 2011, the Board of Directors approved the Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan ("2011 LTIP"). The 2011 LTIP made available 2,893,341 shares of the Company's common stock that may be awarded to employees, directors or non-employee contractor's compensation in the form of stock options or restricted stock awards. Collectively, the 2010 Plan and the 2011 LTIP are referred to as the "Stock Plans." The Company does not hold any shares of its own stock as treasury shares. Accordingly, the vesting of restricted stock units and performance stock units and the exercise of stock options result in the issuance of additional new shares of the Company's stock.

Unvested options outstanding are scheduled to vest over five years with 20% vesting on the anniversary date of the grant each year. Stock options must be exercised within 10 years from date of grant. Stock options were issued with an exercise price which was equal to the market price of our common stock at the grant date. We account for forfeitures as they incur, rather than estimate expected forfeitures.

Stock Options

A summary of stock option activity under our Stock Plans for fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017 are as follows:



		Options Outstanding
		Number of Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price
Balance at March 31, 2016		433,726		$	8.07
	Granted	28,499		19.64
	Exercised	(47,484	)	6.77
	Forfeited	(2,802	)	19.58
Balance at March 31, 2017		411,939		$	8.94
	Exercised	(42,956	)	7.00
	Forfeited	(1,412	)	19.83
Balance at March 31, 2018		367,571		$	9.12
	Exercised	(37,906	)	10.44
	Forfeited	(279	)	21.52
Balance at March 31, 2019		329,386		$	8.96

For fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017 the intrinsic value of stock option exercises was $555, $648, and $627, respectively.



		Unvested Options
		Number of Shares			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Balance at March 31, 2016		$	40,810		$	7.39
	Granted	28,499			19.64
	Vested	(28,678		)	6.93
	Forfeited	(2,802		)	7.53
Balance at March 31, 2017		$	37,829		$	8.86
	Vested	(17,417		)	6.93
	Forfeited	(1,412		)	19.83
Balance at March 31, 2018		$	19,000		$	5.89
	Vested	(9,500		)	5.89
Balance at March 31, 2019		$	9,500		$	5.89

For fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, we recorded stock based compensation of $4,148, $3,519, and $3,402, respectively. Total unrecognized expense related to non-vested stock option awards was approximately $51 as of March 31, 2019. We anticipate this expense will be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 0.76 years.

The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2019:



	Options Outstanding						Options Vested and Exercisable
Exercise Price	Number Outstanding	Weighted Average Contractual Life (Years)	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value at March 31, 2019		Number Vested and Exercisable	Weighted Average Contractual Life (Years)	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value at March 31, 2019
$5.20	216,952	1.55	$	5.20	$	4,189,343	216,952	1.55	$	5.20	$	4,189,343
$9.82	13,339	1.91	9.82		195,950		13,339	1.91	9.82		195,950
$12.00	40,690	2.09	12.00		508,407		40,690	2.09	12.00		508,407
$19.64	28,499	7.76	19.64		138,790		18,999	7.76	19.64		92,525
$21.52	29,906	3.34	21.52		89,689		29,906	3.34	21.52		89,689
$5.20-$21.52	329,386	2.33	$	8.96	$	5,122,179	319,886	2.17	$	8.64	$	5,075,914

The aggregate intrinsic value in the preceding table represents the total intrinsic value based on our closing stock price of $24.51 as of March 31, 2019, which would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised as of that date.

Stock options are valued by using a Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model. We calculate the value of our stock option awards when they are granted. Accordingly, we update our valuation assumptions for volatility and the risk free interest rate each quarter that option grants are awarded. Annually, we prepare an analysis of the historical activity within our option plans as well as the demographic characteristics of the grantees of options within our stock option plan to determine the estimated life of the grants and possible ranges of estimated forfeiture. The expected life was determined using the simplified method for estimating expected option life, which qualify as "plain-vanilla" options. The risk-free interest rate is based on the rate of a zero-coupon U.S. Treasury instrument with a remaining term approximately equal to the expected term. We do not expect to pay dividends in the near term and therefore do not incorporate the dividend yield as part of our assumptions.

Restricted Stock Awards and Units

Restricted stock awards have been issued to members of our board of directors and restricted stock units have been issued to certain employees. For restricted stock awards, the actual common shares have been issued with voting rights and are included as part of our total common shares outstanding. The common shares may not be sold or exchanged until the vesting period is completed. For restricted stock units, no common shares are issued until the vesting period is completed. For restricted stock units, the Company allows its employees to withhold a portion of their units upon the vesting dates in order to satisfy their tax obligation. For both restricted stock awards and units, fair value is determined by the market value of our common stock on the date of the grant.

During fiscal 2015, we established a plan to issue our directors awards of fully vested common stock in lieu of restricted stock awards. During fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018, we issued 20,064 and 20,216 fully vested common shares which had a total fair value of $454 and $411 based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of issuance, respectively. As of March 31, 2019, there were no outstanding restricted stock awards.

The following table summarizes the activity with regard to unvested restricted stock units issued to employees during fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018, and fiscal 2017.



	Restricted Stock Units	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Grant Fair Value
Balance of unvested units at March 31, 2016		192,221		$	23.36
	Granted	135,855		18.65
	Released	(111,611	)	22.74
	Forfeited	(8,319	)	21.25
Balance of unvested units at March 31, 2017		208,146		$	20.64
	Granted	119,302		19.16
	Released	(88,084	)	21.51
	Forfeited	(10,252	)	20.05
Balance of unvested units at March 31, 2018		229,112		$	19.55
	Granted	115,378		23.44
	Released	(101,874	)	19.93
	Forfeited	(5,591	)	19.98
Balance of unvested units at March 31, 2019		237,025		$	21.26

Based on our closing stock price of $24.51, the aggregate intrinsic value of the unvested restricted stock units at March 31, 2019 was $5,809. Total unrecognized expense related to unvested restricted stock awards was approximately $3,058 as of March 31, 2019. We anticipate this expense to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.45 years.

Performance Stock Units. During fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, performance stock unit awards were issued to our executive officers and other members of management and had total estimated grant date fair values of $1,654, $1,420 and $881, respectively. For the fiscal 2019 awards, the performance indicator for these awards is a combination of stock price and the Company's Adjusted EBITDA over a three year period. The target number of shares is 11,533 and 46,032 for the stock price awards and Adjusted EBITDA awards, respectively. The stock price indicator measures our stock price compared to a pre-determined peer group of companies with similar business characteristics as ours. Since the stock price indicator is market based, we prepared a Monte Carlo valuation model to calculate the probable outcome of the market for our stock to arrive at the fair value. The fair value of the market based units will be expensed over three years, whether or not the market condition is met. The Adjusted EBITDA indicator establishes target for the combined total of Adjusted EBITDA for the three years ending March 31, 2021. Since this is a performance based stock award, the Company will make estimates of periodic expense until the Adjusted EBITDA target is known and the expense for actual number of shares earned is determinable. Additionally, during fiscal 2019, we made a one-time grant to our named executive officers of a target amount of 10,613 performance stock units based on the Adjusted EBITDA contribution of the acquired THS operations for the period beginning on October 30, 2017, the closing date of the THS acquisition, and ending on March 31, 2020. The total grant date fair value, as determined by the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant, was $250. The expense will be recognized ratably over the vesting period. At the end of the performance period, the performance stock units will be evaluated and the requisite number of shares will be issued. The possible number of shares that could be issued under such performance stock units ranges from zero to 15,920 in the aggregate. Shares that are not awarded after the end of the performance period will be forfeited.

During fiscal 2019 and 2017, performance stock awards that were scheduled to vest, did not meet the minimum market based indicator. Accordingly 14,660 and 50,799 of previously outstanding performance stock units were forfeited during fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2017, respectively. Fiscal 2019 performance stock award forfeitures will be transacted during the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. During fiscal 2018, there were no performance stock unit forfeitures. For performance stock units, the performance period will end on the third fiscal year end subsequent to the award being granted. It will then be determined how many shares of stock will be issued. In each year of the performance period, the possible number of shares will range from zero percent to two hundred percent of the target shares.

The following table summarized the target number of performance stock units outstanding and the minimum and maximum number of shares that can be earned as of March 31, 2019.



Fiscal Year Granted	Target	Minimum	Maximum
Fiscal 2017	47,486	—	94,972
Fiscal 2018	73,684	—	147,368
Fiscal 2019	68,178	—	131,050

In fiscal 2018 and 2017, there were no performance awards earned or released. In fiscal 2019, the performance objectives for 36,611 awards were earned and the shares will be issued in fiscal 2020.

At March 31, 2019, there was $1,622 in stock compensation that remained to be expensed, which will be recognized over a period of 1.76 years.