STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

6 Months Ended

May 01, 2011

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

NOTE C STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

The Company issues stock options and nonvested shares as part of its stock incentive plans for employees and non-employee directors.  The Company’s policy is to grant options with the exercise price equal to the market price of the common stock on the date of grant.  Options typically vest over periods ranging from six months to four years and expire ten years after the grant date.  The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense ratably over the shorter of the requisite service period or vesting period.  The fair value of stock-based compensation granted to retirement-eligible individuals is expensed at the time of grant.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company made a one-time grant of 100 stock options (pre-split) to each active, full-time employee of the Company on January 8, 2007.  This grant was to vest upon the earlier of five years or attainment of a closing stock price of $50.00 per share (pre-split) for five consecutive trading days, and had an expiration of ten years after the grant date.  During the first quarter of fiscal 2011, the options vested after the stock attained the required closing price per share for five consecutive trading days.

A reconciliation of the number of options outstanding and exercisable (in thousands) as of May 1, 2011, and changes during the six months then ended, is as follows:

	Shares		Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at October 31, 2010	22,048		$	16.47
Granted	2,648		24.95
Exercised	(3,673	)	15.42
Forfeitures	(16	)	18.71
Outstanding at May 1, 2011	21,007		$	17.72	6.0 years	$	245,517
Exercisable at May 1, 2011	14,698		$	16.46	4.9 years	$	190,365

The weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted, and the total intrinsic value of options exercised (in thousands) during the second quarter and first six months of fiscal years 2011 and 2010, are as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	May 1, 2011		April 25, 2010		May 1, 2011		April 25, 2010
Weighted-average grant date fair value	$	5.67	$	4.77	$	5.54	$	4.55
Intrinsic value of exercised options	$	20,648	$	9,451	$	39,187	$	19,225

The fair value of each option award is calculated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model utilizing the following weighted-average assumptions.

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	May 1, 2011		April 25, 2010		May 1, 2011		April 25, 2010
Risk-Free Interest Rate	3.2	%	3.6	%	3.0	%	3.4	%
Dividend Yield	2.0	%	2.2	%	2.0	%	2.2	%
Stock Price Volatility	21.0	%	22.0	%	21.0	%	22.0	%
Expected Option Life	8 years		8 years		8 years		8 years

As part of the annual valuation process, the Company reassesses the appropriateness of the inputs used in the valuation models.  The Company establishes the risk-free interest rate using stripped U.S. Treasury yields as of the grant date where the remaining term is approximately the expected life of the option.  The dividend yield is set based on the dividend rate approved by the Company’s Board of Directors and the stock price on the grant date.  The expected volatility assumption is set based primarily on historical volatility.  As a reasonableness test, implied volatility from exchange traded options is also examined to validate the volatility range obtained from the historical analysis.  The expected life assumption is set based on an analysis of past exercise behavior by option holders.  In performing the valuations for option grants, the Company has not stratified option holders as exercise behavior has historically been consistent across all employee groups.

The Company’s nonvested shares granted on or before September 26, 2010, vest after five years or upon retirement.  Nonvested shares granted after September 26, 2010, vest after one year.  A reconciliation of the nonvested shares (in thousands) as of May 1, 2011, and changes during the six months then ended, is as follows:

	Shares		Weighted- Average Grant- Date Fair Value
Nonvested at October 31, 2010	206		$	18.13
Granted	45		24.84
Vested	(20	)	16.77
Nonvested at May 1, 2011	231		$	19.55

The weighted-average grant date fair value of nonvested shares granted, the total fair value (in thousands) of nonvested shares granted, and the fair value (in thousands) of shares that have vested during the first six months of fiscal years 2011 and 2010, are as follows:

	Six Months Ended
	May 1, 2011		April 25, 2010
Weighted-average grant date fair value	$	24.84	$	19.56
Fair value of nonvested shares granted	$	1,118	$	978
Fair value of shares vested	$	335	$	189

Stock-based compensation expense, along with the related income tax benefit, for the second quarter and first six months of fiscal years 2011 and 2010 are presented in the table below.

	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	May 1, 2011			April 25, 2010			May 1, 2011			April 25, 2010
(in thousands)
Stock-based compensation expense recognized	$	4,002		$	3,824		$	12,242		$	9,186
Income tax benefit recognized	(1,520		)	(1,465		)	(4,650		)	(3,520		)
After-tax stock-based compensation expense	$	2,482		$	2,359		$	7,592		$	5,666

At May 1, 2011, there was $17.1 million of total unrecognized compensation expense from stock-based compensation arrangements granted under the plans.  This compensation is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 2.9 years.  During the second quarter and six months ended May 1, 2011, cash received from stock option exercises was $19.8 million and $43.8 million, respectively, compared to $7.8 million and $14.2 million for the second quarter and six months ended April 25, 2010.  The total tax benefit to be realized for tax deductions from these option exercises for the second quarter and six months ended May 1, 2011, was $7.9 million and $14.9 million, respectively, compared to $3.7 million and $7.4 million in the comparable periods in fiscal 2010.

Shares issued for option exercises and nonvested shares may be either authorized but unissued shares, or shares of treasury stock acquired in the open market or otherwise.