9. Stock Compensation

The Company’s Amended and Restated 2008 Incentive Stock Plan (the “2008 Plan”) authorizes the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors to issue up to 4,000,000 shares of various types of stock based awards including stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units and stock appreciation rights to key employees and directors. Options granted and outstanding vest over the requisite service period and expire ten years from the date of grant.

The following tables summarize stock option activity in the past three years:

Options granted in 2016, 2015, and 2014:

Year	Options		Exercise Price
2016		271,350	$	11.62
2015		208,200	$	18.67
2014		209,500	$	20.93

Options exercised in 2016, 2015, and 2014:

Year	Options		Exercise Price
2016		334,836	$9.00 to $14.77
2015		239,508	$9.97 to $17.02
2014		228,064	$9.97 to $17.02

In addition, options totaling 162,565, 71,567 and 43,252 expired or were forfeited during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Options outstanding and exercisable at December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014 were as follows:

Year	Outstanding		Range of Exercise Prices	Exercisable		Weighted Average Exercise Price
2016		1,183,830	$9.97 to $20.93		934,898	$	14.88
2015		1,409,881	$9.00 to $20.93		1,231,544	$	13.47
2014		1,512,756	$9.00 to $20.93		1,066,219	$	11.58

Stock compensation expense was approximately $3,357, $4,934 and $3,115 for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. These expenses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested share based compensation arrangements at December 31, 2016 was approximately $4,119 which will be recognized over the next three years, as such compensation is earned.

The fair value of options granted is estimated using an option pricing model based on assumptions set forth in the following table. The Company uses historical data to estimate employee exercise and departure behavior. The risk free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant and through the expected term. The dividend yield rate is based on the Company’s historical dividend yield. The expected volatility is derived from historical volatility of the Company’s shares and those of similar companies measured against the market as a whole. In 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company used the binomial lattice option pricing model based on assumptions set forth in the following table.

	2016			2015			2014
Risk free interest rate		1.80	%		2.10	%		2.80	%
Expected dividend yield		4.60	%		2.90	%		2.50	%
Expected life of award (years)	8.00				8.00			7.00
Expected volatility		50.00	%		50.00	%		50.00	%
Fair value per option	$	3.45		$	6.03		$	7.05

The following table provides a summary of stock option activity for the period ended December 31, 2016:

	Shares			Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Life (in Years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2015		1,409,881		$	14.12
Options granted		271,350			11.62
Options exercised		(334,836	)		9.66
Canceled or forfeited		(70,965	)		15.37
Expired		(91,600	)		17.05
Outstanding at December 31, 2016		1,183,830			14.50		6.20
Exercisable at December 31, 2016		934,898		$	14.88		5.47

The intrinsic value of a stock option is the amount by which the market value of the underlying stock exceeds the exercise price of the option. The intrinsic value of stock options exercised in 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $1,809, $1,151 and $1,744, respectively.

The following table provides a summary of combined restricted stock units and restricted stock activity for the year ended December 31, 2016:

	Shares			Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Unvested shares at December 31, 2015		229,390
Granted		247,594		$	11.85
Vested		(115,241	)		16.19
Forfeited		(30,333	)		14.69
Unvested shares at December 31, 2016		331,410

Restricted stock units are rights to receive shares of common stock, subject to forfeiture and other restrictions, which vest over a two or three year period. Restricted shares are considered to be non-vested shares under the accounting guidance for share-based payment and are not reflected as issued and outstanding shares until the restrictions lapse. At that time, the shares are released to the grantee and the Company records the issuance of the shares. Restricted stock awards are valued based on the market price of the underlying shares on the grant date. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. At December 31, 2016, restricted stock awards had vesting periods up through December 2019.

Included in the 2016 grants are 91,700 performance-based restricted stock units. The fair value of these awards is calculated using the market price of the underlying common stock on the date of grant. In determining fair value, the Company does not take into account performance-based vesting requirements. For these awards, the performance-based vesting requirements determines the number of shares that ultimately vest, which can vary from 0% to 200% of target depending on the level of achievement of established performance criteria. Compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period subject to adjustment based on the probable number of shares expected to vest under the performance condition.