Note 6 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

We account for stock-based compensation whereby share-based payment transactions with employees, such as stock options and restricted stock, are measured at estimated fair value at the date of grant. For awards subject to service conditions, compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period on a straight-line basis. Awards subject to performance conditions are attributed separately for each vesting tranche of the award and are recognized ratably from the service inception date to the vesting date for each tranche. Forfeitures are recognized when they occur.

The Company has outstanding stock options under the 2002 Employee Incentive Stock Option Plan totaling 10,000 shares. No options have been exercised in the three and nine months ended November 30, 2019. All options outstanding at November 30, 2019 were exercised in December 2019.

In July 2018, our shareholders approved the Company’s 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2019 LTI Plan”). The 2019 LTI Plan establishes up to 600,000 shares of restricted stock which can be granted to certain members of management based on exceeding specified net revenues and pre-tax performance metrics during fiscal years 2019, 2020 and 2021. Restricted shares granted under the 2019 LTI Plan “cliff vest” after five years.

The restricted share awards granted under the 2019 LTI Plan contain both service and performance conditions. The Company recognizes share compensation expense only for the portion of the restricted share awards that are considered probable of vesting. Shares are considered granted, and the service inception date begins, when a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions between the Company and the employee have been established. The fair value of these awards is determined based on the closing price of the shares on the grant date. The probability of restricted share awards granted with future performance conditions is evaluated at each reporting period and compensation expense is adjusted based on the probability assessment.

For certain awards that provide discretion to adjust the allocation of the restricted shares, the service-inception date for such awards could precede the grant date as a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions between the Company and the employee has not yet been established. For awards in which the service-inception date precedes the grant date, compensation cost is accrued beginning on the service-inception date. The Company estimates the award's fair value on each subsequent reporting date, until the grant date, based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock. On the grant date, the award's fair value is fixed, subject to the remaining performance conditions, and the cumulative amount of previously recognized compensation expense is adjusted to the fair value at the grant date.

During fiscal year 2019, the Company granted approximately 308,000 restricted shares under the 2019 LTI Plan with an average grant-date fair value of $9.94 per share. During the third fiscal quarter of 2020, the Company recognized $166,300 of compensation expense associated with the shares granted in fiscal year 2019. The Company recognized compensation expense totaling $498,800 in the first nine months of fiscal year 2020. The remaining compensation expense for these awards, totaling approximately $2,161,600, will be recognized ratably over the remaining vesting period of approximately 39 months.

A summary of compensation expense recognized in connection with restricted share awards follows:

	Three Months Ended November 30,				Nine Months Ended November 30,
	2019		2018		2019		2018

Share-based compensation expense	$	166,300	$	185,300	$	498,800	$	255,300