STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

9 Months Ended

Jul. 29, 2012

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

NOTE B                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 an 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-2011 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-2011 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 July 29, 2012, and changes during the nine months then ended, is as follows:

	Shares	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands)
Outstanding at October 30, 2011	19,932	$	17.89
Granted	2,642	29.42
Exercised	1,612	15.07
Forfeited	33	21.29
Outstanding at July 29, 2012	20,929	$	19.55	5.7 years	$	187,817
Exercisable at July 29, 2012	14,504	$	17.38	4.5 years	$	159,846

The weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted and the total intrinsic value of options exercised (in thousands) during the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal years 2012 and 2011 are as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	July 29, 2012		July 31, 2011		July 29, 2012		July 31, 2011
Weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted	N/A		N/A		$	5.64	$	5.54
Intrinsic value of exercised options	$	8,011	$	11,124	$	23,332	$	50,312

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.  No options were granted in the third quarter ending July 29, 2012, or July 31, 2011.

	Nine Months Ended
	July 29,  2012	July 31,  2011
Risk-Free Interest Rate	1.8%	3.0%
Dividend Yield	2.0%	2.0%
Stock Price Volatility	21.0%	21.0%
Expected Option Life	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 option 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 and non-employee director 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 July 29, 2012, and changes during the nine months then ended, is as follows:

	Shares	Weighted- Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at October 30, 2011	215	$  19.94
Granted	45	28.97
Vested	110	21.13
Forfeited	7	28.27
Nonvested at July 29, 2012	143	$  21.48

No nonvested shares were granted or vested in the third quarter ended July 29, 2012, or July 31, 2011.  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 nine months of fiscal years 2012 and 2011, are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended
	July 29, 2012	July 31, 2011
Weighted-average grant date fair value	$   28.97	$   24.84
Fair value of nonvested shares granted	$   1,304	$   1,118
Fair value of shares vested	$   2,324	$      335

Stock-based compensation expense, along with the related income tax benefit, for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal years 2012 and 2011 is presented in the table below.

	Three Months Ended		Nine Months Ended
(in thousands)	July 29, 2012	July 31, 2011	July 29, 2012	July 31, 2011
Stock-based compensation expense recognized	$  3,062	$  2,578	$ 14,191	$  14,820
Income tax benefit recognized	(1,161)	(979)	(5,381)	(5,629)
After-tax stock-based compensation expense	$  1,901	$  1,599	$   8,810	$   9,191

At July 29, 2012, there was $14.0 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 2.7 years.  During the third quarter and nine months ended July 29, 2012, cash received from stock option exercises was $3.9 million and $13.9 million, respectively, compared to $6.8 million and $50.5 million for the third quarter and nine months ended July 31, 2011.  The total tax benefit to be realized for tax deductions from these option exercises for the third quarter and nine months ended July 29, 2012, was $3.0 million and $8.8 million, respectively, compared to $4.2 million and $19.1 million in the comparable periods in fiscal 2011.

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.