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Share-based Compensation
9 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Share-Based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]  
Share-based Compensation

9. Share-based Compensation

We may grant incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, SSARs, restricted shares, restricted stock units, and performance shares under our shareholder-approved Amended and Restated 2024 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2024 Plan) for up to three million common shares, plus 237,080 common shares, the number of shares that were remaining for grant under the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, as Amended and Restated (the 2020 Plan) as of the effective date of the 2024 Plan, plus the number of shares remaining for grant under the 2020 Plan that are forfeited, settled in cash, canceled or expired. The maximum aggregate number of common shares available for issuance under the 2024 Plan is 3.2 million. We may also grant shares under our shareholder-approved Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP) for up to 0.5 million common shares.

We may distribute authorized but unissued shares or treasury shares to satisfy share option and SSAR exercises or grants of restricted shares, restricted stock units, performance shares, or ESPP shares.

For SSARs, the exercise price must be set at least equal to the closing market price of our common shares on the date of grant. The maximum term of SSARs is seven years from the date of grant. The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors establishes the period over which SSARs subject to a service condition vest and the vesting criteria for SSARs subject to a market condition.

Restricted shares and restricted stock units, whether time-vested or performance-based, may be issued at no cost or at a purchase price that may be below their fair market value, but are subject to forfeiture and restrictions on their sale or other transfer. Performance-based grants may be conditioned upon the attainment of specified performance objectives and other

conditions, restrictions, and contingencies. Restricted shares have the right to receive dividends, if any, upon vesting, subject to the same forfeiture provisions that apply to the underlying grants.

We record compensation expense related to SSARs, restricted shares, restricted stock units, performance shares, and ESPP shares granted to certain employees and non-employee directors based on the fair value of the awards on the grant date. The fair value of restricted stock unit and restricted share grants subject only to a service condition is based on the closing price of our common shares on the grant date. For stock option and SSAR grants subject only to a service condition, we estimate the fair value on the grant date using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model with inputs including the closing market price at grant date, exercise price and assumptions regarding the risk-free interest rate, expected volatility of our common shares based on historical volatility, and expected term as estimated using the simplified method. We use the simplified method for SSAR grants because we believe historical exercise data does not provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term. For restricted stock unit, restricted share, and SSAR grants subject to a market condition, we estimate the fair value on the grant date through a lattice option pricing model that utilizes a Monte Carlo analysis with inputs including the closing market price at grant date, share price threshold, performance period term and assumptions regarding the risk-free interest rate and expected volatility of our common shares based on historical volatility. Inputs for SSAR grants subject to a market condition also include exercise price, remaining contractual term, and suboptimal exercise factor.

We record compensation expense for restricted stock units, restricted shares, and SSAR grants subject to a service condition using the graded vesting method. We record compensation expense for ESPP shares on a straight-line basis over the applicable offering period. We record compensation expense for SSAR grants subject only to a market condition over the derived service period, which is an output of the lattice option pricing model. Under the 2020 Plan, the fair value of performance shares is based on the closing price of our common shares on the settlement date of the performance award, for which we record compensation expense over the service period consistent with our annual bonus incentive plan as approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

The following table summarizes the share-based compensation expense for grants included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations:

 

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

 

Nine Months Ended
December 31,

 

(In thousands)

2024

 

 

2023

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Product development

 

2,293

 

 

 

1,878

 

 

 

7,199

 

 

 

4,743

 

Sales and marketing

 

541

 

 

 

228

 

 

 

1,115

 

 

 

487

 

General and administrative

 

1,384

 

 

 

1,532

 

 

 

4,342

 

 

 

4,259

 

Total share-based compensation expense

 

4,218

 

 

 

3,638

 

 

 

12,656

 

 

 

9,489

 

Stock-Settled Appreciation Rights

SSARs are rights granted to an employee to receive value equal to the difference between the price of our common shares on the date of exercise and the exercise price. The value is settled in common shares of Agilysys, Inc.

We use a Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model to estimate the fair value of service condition SSARs and a lattice option pricing model to estimate the fair value of market condition SSARs. There were no SSARs granted during the nine months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

The following table summarizes the activity during the nine months ended December 31, 2024 for SSARs awarded under the 2020 and 2016 Plans:

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

 

Number of
Rights

 

 

Weighted-Average Exercise Price

 

 

Remaining
Contractual
Term

 

 

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

(per right)

 

 

(in years)

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at April 1, 2024

 

 

1,297,339

 

 

$

27.63

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

 

(838,104

)

 

 

31.86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expired

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2024

 

 

459,235

 

 

$

19.91

 

 

 

2.8

 

 

$

51,342

 

Exercisable at December 31, 2024

 

 

459,235

 

 

$

19.91

 

 

 

2.8

 

 

$

51,342

 

Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2024

 

 

459,235

 

 

$

19.91

 

 

 

2.8

 

 

$

51,342

 

 

As of December 31, 2024, there was no unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to SSARs.

Restricted Shares

We granted shares to certain of our Directors, executives and key employees, the vesting of which is service-based. Certain restricted shares are also subject to a market condition. The following table summarizes the activity during the nine months ended December 31, 2024 for restricted shares granted under the 2020 Plan:

 

 

Number of Shares

 

 

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

(per share)

 

Outstanding at April 1, 2024

 

 

436,177

 

 

$

65.52

 

Granted

 

 

37,349

 

 

 

106.81

 

Vested

 

 

(213,436

)

 

 

60.20

 

Forfeited

 

 

(11,386

)

 

 

74.94

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2024

 

 

248,704

 

 

$

75.84

 

 

The weighted-average grant date fair value of the restricted shares includes grants subject only to a service condition and certain grants subject to both a service condition and a market condition. As of December 31, 2024, total unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to unvested restricted shares was $8.9 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average vesting period of 1.8 years.

Restricted Stock Units

We granted restricted stock units to certain of our Directors, executives and key employees, the vesting of which is service-based. Certain restricted stock units are also subject to a market condition. The following table summarizes the activity during nine months ended December 31, 2024 for restricted stock units awarded under the 2020 and 2024 Plans:

 

 

Number of Shares

 

 

Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

(per share)

 

Outstanding at April 1, 2024

 

 

56,547

 

 

$

70.03

 

Granted

 

 

135,777

 

 

137

 

Vested

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2024

 

 

192,324

 

 

$

117.64

 

As of December 31, 2024, total unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to non-vested restricted stock units was $18.7 million, which is expected to be recognized over the weighted-average vesting period of 2.7 years.

Performance Shares

Upon approval of the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, after achieving the performance conditions associated with our annual bonus plan, we granted 6,098 common shares to our Chief Executive Officer in May 2024 that vested immediately for a total value of $0.6 million.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan Shares

The ESPP permits participants to purchase common stock through regular payroll deductions, up to a specified percentage of their eligible compensation. The ESPP is compensatory because, among other provisions, it currently allows participants to purchase stock at up to a 15% discount from the lower of the closing price of a share of our common stock on the first or last trading day of the ESPP offering period. We measure share-based compensation expense for the ESPP based on the fair value of the ESPP grant at the beginning of the offering period. The fair value includes the value of the discount and the value associated with the call and put options that take advantage of the variability in the common stock price during the offering period. We estimate the value of the call and put options using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model with inputs including the closing market price of our common stock on the first date of the offering period and assumptions regarding the risk-free interest rate, expected term, and expected volatility of our common shares over the offering period based on historical volatility.

 

 

Offering Period Ended

 

 

Offering Period Ended

 

 

 

June 30, 2024

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

Grant date fair value

 

$

81.60

 

 

$

103.43

 

Risk-free interest rate over contractual term

 

 

5.36

%

 

 

4.91

%

Expected term (in years)

 

 

0.41

 

 

 

0.50

 

Expected volatility

 

 

47.41

%

 

 

40.93

%

The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield of a zero coupon U.S. Treasury bond whose maturity period approximates the expected term of the ESPP shares. The expected term is the offering period, which is typically six months.

We record amounts withheld from participants during each offering period in accrued salaries, wages and related benefits in the consolidated balance sheets until such shares are purchased. Amounts withheld from participants for the offering period ended December 31, 2024 totaled $0.5 million as of December 31, 2024.

As of December 31, 2024, there was no unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to the offering period ended December 31, 2024.