STOCK OPTION AND BENEFIT PLANS

The Company’s incentive plan provides for equity and liability awards to employees and non-employee directors in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights (SARs), restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock awards, stock units, performance shares, performance units, and other stock-based or cash-based awards. Compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite employee service period, which is generally the vesting period, and is recorded as employee compensation expense in cost of goods sold, research, development and engineering, and selling, general and administrative expenses. Share-based compensation is recognized only for those awards that are expected to vest, with forfeitures estimated at the date of grant based on historical experience and future expectations.

In addition to service conditions, these SARs contain a performance condition. The additional performance condition is based upon the achievement of Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) goals relative to a peer group. All awards with performance conditions are measured over the vesting period and are charged to compensation expense over the requisite service period based on the number of shares expected to vest. The SARs cliff vest after a three-year period from date of grant and expire five years from date of grant.

On July 29, 2015, the Company granted 248,166 SARs under the 2010 Incentive Plan to certain key employees and outside directors at a strike price of $10.26 and a grant date fair value of $3.65, as of July 2, 2016, 240,833 remain outstanding. The grant date fair value for the awards granted during fiscal year 2016 were estimated using the Black Scholes option valuation method with the following weighted average assumptions as of July 29, 2015:



	Fiscal Year 2016
	July 29, 2015
Expected dividend yield	—%
Risk – free interest rate	1.39%
Expected volatility	43.66%
Expected life	4.00

On October 31, 2014, the Company granted 213,166 SARs under the 2010 Incentive Plan to certain key employees and outside directors at a strike price of $8.22 and a grant date fair value of $3.04, as of July 2, 2016, 205,833 remain outstanding. The grant date fair value for the awards granted during fiscal year 2016 were estimated using the Black Scholes option valuation method with the following weighted average assumptions as of October 31, 2014:



	Fiscal Year 2015
	October 31, 2014
Expected dividend yield	—%
Risk – free interest rate	1.39%
Expected volatility	45.67%
Expected life	4.00

On July 31, 2013, the Company granted 213,166 SARs under the 2010 Incentive Plan to certain key employees and outside directors at a strike price of $11.34 and a grant date fair value of $4.67, as of July 2, 2016, 200,833 remain outstanding. The grant date fair value for the awards granted during fiscal year 2014 were estimated using the Black Scholes option valuation method with the following weighted average assumptions as July 31, 2013:



	Fiscal Year 2014
	July 31, 2013
Expected dividend yield	—%
Risk – free interest rate	1.16%
Expected volatility	52.12%
Expected life	4.00

Subsequent to July 2, 2016, the Company granted 242,500 SARs with a strike price of $8.18 and a grant date fair value of $2.42.

Share-based compensation expense is recognized only for those awards that are expected to vest, with forfeitures estimated at the date of grant based on the Company’s historical experience and future expectations. This forfeiture rate will be revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from the amount estimated. Share-based compensation expense for fiscal years ended July 2, 2016, June 27, 2015 and June 28, 2014 was $0.8 million, $0.7 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

The Black-Scholes option valuation model is used by the Company for estimating the fair value of SARs. Option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions, particularly for the expected term and expected stock price volatility. Changes in these assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimates.

The intrinsic value for stock options and SARs exercised in fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $0.2 million, $1.9 million and $0.4 million, respectively.

As of July 2, 2016, total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested share-based compensation arrangements was approximately $0.9 million. This expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.79 years.

The following table summarizes the Company’s SARs activity for all plans from June 27, 2015 through July 2, 2016:



	SARs Available For Grant		SARs Outstanding		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years)
Balances, June 27, 2015	855,836		813,831		$	2,312	$	7.99	2.5
Shares authorized	—
SARs granted	(248,166	)	248,166				10.26
SARs forfeited	26,999		(26,999	)			9.48
SARs exercised	—		(63,333	)	165		4.56
Balances, July 2, 2016	634,669		971,665		$	339	$	8.75	2.4
Exercisable at July 2, 2016			324,166		$	339	$	6.37	0.7

Additional information regarding SARs outstanding and exercisable as of July 2, 2016, is as follows:



Range of Exercise Prices	Number Outstanding	Weighted Avg. Remaining Contractual Life (yrs.)	Weighted Avg. Exercise Price		Number Exercisable	Weighted Avg. Exercise Price
$4.40 – $6.40	129,333	0.0	$	4.77	129,333	$	4.77
6.41 – 8.41	400,666	1.1	7.84		194,833	7.44
8.42 – 10.42	240,833	3.7	10.26		—	—
10.43 – 11.34	200,833	2.1	11.34		—	—
$4.40 to $11.34	971,665	2.4	$	8.75	324,166	$	6.37

The Company has defined contribution plans available to U.S. employees who have attained age 21. Company contributions to the plans were approximately $0.6 million, $0.6 million, and $0.6 million during fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.