Stock Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

The 2016 Management Equity Incentive Plan provides for various forms of stock-based compensation for eligible employees through May 2026 including stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and performance stock units. The 2017 Non-Employee Directors’ Equity Incentive Plan provides for grants of stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units to non-employee directors through May 2027.

Stock compensation expense, included in Selling, general and administrative expense in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, is as follows:


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)	2023		2022		2023		2022
Stock compensation expense	$	8,477	$	2,967	$	21,506	$	11,325
Income tax benefit	2,077		727		5,269		2,775
Stock compensation expense, net of tax	$	6,400	$	2,240	$	16,237	$	8,550

We have not capitalized any stock-based compensation expense.

A summary of stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, is as follows:


	Shares	Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at January 1, 2023	58,156	$	46.48

Exercised	(30,735)	46.86
Forfeited	(226)	49.44

Outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2023	27,195	$	46.02

Restricted stock awards and restricted stock units are valued at the market value of the stock on the grant date. A summary of restricted stock activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, is as follows:


	Shares	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested at January 1, 2023	145,886	$	137.36
Granted	74,004	140.37
Vested	(39,895)	124.51
Forfeited	(8,463)	141.17
Unvested at September 30, 2023	171,532	$	141.66

Performance stock units that have a market condition modifier are valued at an estimated fair value using a Monte Carlo model. The final number of shares to be issued for performance stock units granted in the first quarter of 2023 may range from 0% to 200% of the target award based on achieving the specified performance targets over the performance period plus an additional modifier based on total shareholder return ("TSR") over the performance period. The following weighted average assumptions were used in estimating the fair value of the performance stock units granted in the first quarter of 2023.


Fair value per unit			$131.46
Risk-free interest rate			4.4%
Expected dividend yield			1.43%
Expected volatility			36.7%
MSA stock beta			0.739

The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury Constant Maturity rates as of the grant date converted into an implied spot rate yield curve. Expected dividend yield is based on the most recent annualized dividend divided by the one year average closing share price. Expected volatility is based on the three year historical volatility preceding the grant date using daily stock prices. Expected life is based on historical stock option exercise data.

A summary of performance stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, is as follows:


	Shares	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested at January 1, 2023	178,760	$	146.28
Granted	77,654	132.39
Performance adjustments(a)	(3,009)	127.40
Vested	(53,407)	127.36
Forfeited	(10,146)	147.83
Unvested at September 30, 2023	189,852	$	146.14
(a)Performance adjustments relate primarily to the final number of shares issued for the 2020 performance unit awards which vested in the first quarter of 2023 at 94.9% of the target award based on both cumulative performance against EBITDA margin and revenue growth targets and MSA's TSR during the three-year performance period.