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Stock-Based Compensation
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation

At June 30, 2016, the Company had several stock-based compensation plans, including stock option plans, various cash settled liability plans and an employee stock savings plan. These plans resulted in an expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 of $1 million and $15 million, respectively (three and six months ended June 30, 2015 - recovery of $5 million and an expense of $24 million, respectively).

Regular options

In the six months ended June 30, 2016, under CP’s stock option plans, the Company issued 402,331 regular options at the weighted average price of $165.55 per share, based on the closing price on the grant date.

Pursuant to the employee plan, these regular options may be exercised upon vesting, which is between 12 months and 48 months after the grant date, and will expire after 10 years.










Under the fair value method, the fair value of the regular options at the grant date was approximately $16 million. The weighted average fair value assumptions were approximately:

For the six months ended June 30, 2016
Grant price
$165.55
Expected option life (years)(1)
5.25
Risk-free interest rate(2)
1.21%
Expected stock price volatility(3)
26.58%
Expected annual dividends per share(4)
$1.40
Expected forfeiture rate(5)
2.0%
Weighted-average grant date fair value per regular options granted during the period
$38.98
(1) Represents the period of time that awards are expected to be outstanding. Historical data on exercise behaviour, or when available, specific expectations regarding future exercise behaviour, were used to estimate the expected life of the option.
(2) Based on the implied yield available on zero-coupon government issues with an equivalent remaining term at the time of the grant.
(3) Based on the historical stock price volatility of the Company’s stock over a period commensurate with the expected term of the option.
(4) Determined by the current annual dividend at the time of grant. The Company does not employ different dividend yields throughout the contractual term of the option. On April 20, 2016, the Company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.50 per share, representing $2.00 on an annual basis.
(5) The Company estimated forfeitures based on past experience. This rate is monitored on a periodic basis.

Performance share unit (“PSU”) plan

In the six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company issued 147,157 PSUs with a grant date fair value of approximately $24 million. These units attract dividend equivalents in the form of additional units based on the dividends paid on the Company’s Common Shares. PSUs vest and are settled in cash, or in CP Common Shares, approximately three years after the grant date, contingent upon CP’s performance ("performance factor"). The fair value of PSUs is measured periodically until settlement, using a latticed-based valuation model.

The performance period for PSUs issued in the six months ended June 30, 2016 is January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018. The performance factors for these PSUs are Operating Ratio, Return on Invested Capital, Total Shareholder Return ("TSR") compared to the S&P/TSX 60 Index, and TSR compared to Class I railways.

The performance period for the PSUs issued in the fourth quarter of 2012 and in 2013 was January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. The performance factors for these PSUs were Operating Ratio, Free cash flow, TSR compared to the S&P/TSX 60 index, TSR compared to Class I railways. All performance factors met the 200% payout thresholds, in effect resulting in a target payout of 200% on 300,095 total outstanding awards as at December 31, 2015. A payout of $79 million on 217,179 outstanding awards occurred on December 31, 2015 and was calculated using the Company's average share price using the last 30 trading days preceding December 31, 2015. In the first quarter of 2016, final payouts occurred on the total outstanding awards, including dividends reinvested, totaling $31 million on 83,563 outstanding awards.

Deferred share unit (“DSU”) plan

In the six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company granted 25,050 DSUs with a grant date fair value of approximately $4 million. DSUs vest over various periods of up to 48 months and are only redeemable for a specified period after employment is terminated. An expense to income for DSUs is recognized over the vesting period for both the initial subscription price and the change in value between reporting periods.