Note 9 - Stock Compensation Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Notes to Financial Statements

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Text Block]

Note 9 —    Stock Compensation Plans

In May 2017, Shareholders approved the Escalade, Incorporated 2017 Incentive Plan (2017 Incentive Plan), which is an incentive plan for key employees, directors and consultants with various equity-based incentives as described in the plan document. The 2017 Incentive Plan is a replacement for the 2007 Incentive Plan, which expired at the end of April 2017. All options issued and outstanding under the expired plans will remain in effect until exercised, expired or forfeited.

The 2017 Incentive Plan is administered by the Board of Directors or a committee thereof, which is authorized to determine, among other things, the key employees, directors or consultants who will receive awards under the plan, the amount and type of award, exercise prices or performance criteria, if applicable, and vesting schedules. Under the original terms of the plan and subject to various restrictions contained in the plan document, the total number of shares of common stock which may be issued pursuant to awards under the Plan may not exceed 1,661,598.

Restricted Stock Awards

During 2023, and pursuant to the 2017 Incentive Plan, the Company issued 30,921 shares of common stock with a fair market value of $395 thousand in lieu of accrued and unpaid annual cash incentives for fiscal year 2022 to certain officers. During 2023, and pursuant to the 2017 Incentive Plan, in lieu of cash payments of director fees, the Company awarded to certain directors 4,441 shares of common stock.

In 2023, the Company awarded 21,200 restricted stock units to directors and 145,563 restricted stock units to employees. The restricted stock units awarded to directors time vest over two years (one-half one year from grant date and one-half two years from grant date) provided that the director is still a director of the Company at the vest date. Director restricted stock units are subject to forfeiture, except for termination of services as a result of retirement, death or disability, if on the vesting date the director no longer holds a position with the Company. All of the 2023 restricted stock units awarded to employees time vest over three years (one-third one year from grant, one-third two years from grant and one-third three years from grant) provided that the employee is still employed by the Company on the vesting date. The Company has elected to account for forfeitures when they actually occur.

A summary of restricted stock awards activity is as follows:

	Number of Shares			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested stock units as of December 25, 2021		154,120		$	13.19
Granted		216,254			14.15
Vested		(97,189	)		12.16
Forfeited		(21,156	)		14.10
Non-vested stock units as of December 31, 2022		252,029		$	14.33
Granted		166,763			12.68
Vested		(107,031	)		13.97
Forfeited		(6,635	)		13.31
Non-vested stock units as of December 31, 2023		305,126		$	13.58

When vesting is dependent on certain market criteria, the fair value of restricted stock units is determined by the use of Monte Carlo techniques. The market price of the Company’s stock on the grant date is used to value restricted stock units where vesting is not contingent on market criteria. For fiscal years 2023, 2022, and 2021 no awards were granted that were contingent on market criteria. In 2023, 2022, and 2021 the Company recognized $2,008 thousand, $1,974 thousand, and $902 thousand respectively in compensation expense related to restricted stock units and as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there was $1,433 thousand and $1,415 thousand respectively, of unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted stock units. The unrecognized compensation expense of unvested restricted stock awards not yet recognized as of December 31, 2023 are expected to be recognized over the weighted average period of 1.33 years.