Stock Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Stock Based Compensation [Abstract]

Stock Based Compensation

Note 4. Stock Based Compensation

The Company follows ASC 718 in establishing standards for the accounting for transactions in which an entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services, as well as transactions in which an entity incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or services that are based on the fair value of the entity’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of those equity instruments. ASC 718 requires that the cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be recognized in the financial statements based on the fair value of the share-based payment. ASC 718 establishes fair value as the measurement objective in accounting for share-based payment transactions with employees, except for equity instruments held by employee share ownership plans.

Total stock-based compensation expense recognized in the statements of comprehensive income for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $101,492 and $55,653, respectively, before income taxes. The amount of this stock-based compensation expense related to non-qualified stock options (“NQSOs”) for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, was $7,059 and $8,255, respectively. The deferred tax benefit related to the NQSOs as of September 30, 2024 and 2023 was approximately $1,482 and $1,734, respectively. The remaining stock option expense in each year related to incentive stock options (“ISOs”) which are not deductible by the Company when exercised, assuming a qualifying disposition and as such no deferred tax benefit was established related to these amounts.

As of September 30, 2024, there was approximately $516,598 of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock option awards that is expected to be recognized as expense over the next 2 years, of which $471,027 relates to ISOs and $45,571 relates to NQSOs. The total deferred tax benefit related to these awards is expected to be $9,570.

The Company has one employee stock option plan under which options or stock awards may be granted, the 2017 Stock Option and Restricted Stock Plan (the "2017 Plan"). The Board of Directors may grant options to acquire shares of common stock to employees and non-employee directors of the Company at the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. The maximum aggregate number of shares of Common Stock subject to options or awards to non-employee directors is 133,000 and the maximum aggregate number of shares of Common Stock subject to options or awards granted to non-employee directors during any single fiscal year is the lesser of 13,300 and 33 1/3% of the total number of shares subject to options or awards granted in such fiscal year. The maximum number of shares subject to options or awards granted to any individual employee may not exceed 15,000 in a fiscal year. Generally, options granted have a two-year vesting period based on two years of continuous service and have a ten-year contractual life. Option grants provide for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control. Shares issued upon the exercise of options are from those held in Treasury. Options covering 400,000 shares are authorized for issuance under the 2017 Plan. As of September 30, 2024, options covering 41,825 shares have been exercised and options covering 353,706 shares are outstanding. Options covering 4,469 shares remain available for grant after factoring the cancelled shares, which are eligible to be re-granted. While no further grants of options may be made under the Company’s 2007 Stock Option and Restricted Stock Plan, as of September 30, 2024, 34,350 options were outstanding under such plan of which all are vested and exercisable.

ASC 718 requires the use of a valuation model to calculate the fair value of stock-based awards. The Company has elected to use the Black-Scholes option valuation model, which incorporates various assumptions including those for dividend yield, volatility, expected life and interest rates.

The table below outlines the weighted average assumptions that the Company used to calculate the fair value of each option award for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

	September 30, 2024		September 30, 2023
Dividend yield		3.79%		3.63%
Company’s expected volatility		33.33%		31.20%
Risk-free interest rate		4.35%		4.39%
Expected term		5.1 yrs		5.3 yrs
Weighted average fair value per share of options granted during the period	$	5.40	$	4.03

The Company declared and paid regular cash dividends of $0.25 per share for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and declared $0.15 cash dividends for the three months ended September 30, 2023. Expected stock price volatility is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The risk-free interest rate is based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent term approximating the expected life of the options. The expected option term (in years) represents the estimated period of time until exercise and is based on actual historical experience.

The following table summarizes stock option activity during the three months ended September 30, 2024:

	Employee Stock Option Plans
						Weighted
	Number of			Weighted		Average
	Shares			Average		Remaining		Aggregate
	Subject			Exercise		Contractual		Intrinsic
	to Option			Price		Term		Value
Balance at July 1, 2024		322,056		$	18.41		6.59
Granted		76,500		$	21.58		9.77
Exercised		(10,500	)	$	13.79		—
Forfeited or expired		—		$	—		—
Outstanding at September 30, 2024		388,056		$	19.16		6.98	$	4,243,194
Vested or expected to vest at September 30, 2024		369,401		$	19.12		6.85	$	4,052,125
Exercisable at September 30, 2024		232,656		$	19.14		5.39	$	2,548,534

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value (the difference between the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock as reported on the NYSE American on September 30, 2024 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders if all option holders had exercised their options on September 30, 2024. This amount changes based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock. The intrinsic value of options exercised during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $93,512 and $9,482, respectively.

The following table summarizes changes in non-vested stock options during the three months ended September 30, 2024:

	Weighted Number			Average
	of Shares			Grant Date
	Subject			Fair Value
	to Option			(per Option)
Non-vested at July 1, 2024		147,300		$	4.15
Granted		76,500		$	5.40
Vested		(68,400	)	$	4.11
Forfeited or expired		—		$	—
Non-vested at September 30, 2024		155,400		$	4.78