7.	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND STOCK OPTIONS

The 2012 and 2015 Plans

At the Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on July 8, 2015, the Company’s stockholders approved the Lakeland Industries, Inc. 2015 Stock Plan (the “2015 Plan”). The executive officers and all other employees and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries are eligible to participate in the 2015 Plan. The 2015 Plan is currently administered by the compensation committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (“Committee”), except that with respect to all non-employee director awards, the Committee shall be deemed to include the full Board. The 2015 Plan authorizes the issuance of awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other stock-based awards. The 2015 Plan also permits the grant of awards that qualify for “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the US Internal Revenue Code. The aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be issued under the 2015 Plan may not exceed 100,000 shares. Awards covering no more than 20,000 shares of common stock may be awarded to any plan participant in any one calendar year. Under the 2015 Plan, as of January 31, 2017, the Company granted awards for up to an aggregate of 99,270 restricted shares assuming maximum award levels are achieved.

The 2015 Plan, which terminates in July 2017, is the successor to the Company’s 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2012 Plan”). The Company’s 2012 Plan authorized the issuance of up to a maximum of 310,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to employees and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries in the form of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other share-based awards. Under the 2012 Plan, as of January 31, 2017, the Company issued 293,166 fully vested shares of common stock and 721 restricted shares which will continue to vest according to the terms of the 2012 Plan.

Under the 2012 Plan and the 2015 Plan, the Company generally awards eligible employees and directors with either performance-based or time-based restricted shares. Performance-based restricted shares are awarded at either baseline (target), maximum or zero amounts. The number of restricted shares subject to any award is not tied to a formula or comparable company target ranges, but rather is determined at the discretion of the Committee at the end of the applicable performance period, which is two years under the 2015 Plan and had been three years under the 2012 Plan. The Company recognizes expense related to performance-based restricted share awards over the requisite performance period using the straight-line attribution method based on the most probable outcome (baseline, maximum or zero) at the end of the performance period and the price of the Company’s common stock price at the date of grant.

In addition to the performance-based awards, the Company also grants time-based vesting awards which vest either two or three years after date of issuance, subject to continuous employment and certain other conditions.

As of January 31, 2017, unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to share-based stock awards totaled $206 pursuant to the 2012 Plan and $472,913 pursuant to the 2015 Plan, before income taxes, based on the maximum performance award level. Such unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to restricted stock awards totaled $206 for the 2012 Plan and $197,283 for the 2015 Plan at the baseline performance level. During FY17, the Company changed the estimated performance award level of the 2012 and 2015 stock plans from maximum to baseline. As of January 31, 2017, the cost of these non-vested awards is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of three years for the 2012 Plan and two years for the 2015 Plan.

The Company recognized total stock-based compensation costs of $276,000 and $585,987 for the year ended January 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, of which $(9,354) and $332,691 result from the 2012 Plan, and $285,354 and $253,296 result from the 2015 Plan. These amounts are reflected in operating expenses. The total income tax benefit recognized for stock-based compensation arrangements was $99,360 and $210,955 for the year ended January 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

									Outstanding
	Outstanding								Unvested
	Unvested Grants								Grants at
	at Maximum at		Granted		Becoming		Forfeited		Maximum at
Shares under 2015 and 2012	Beginning of		during		Vested during		during		End of
Stock Plan	FY17		FY17		FY17		FY17		FY17
Restricted stock grants – employees		72,999		—		—		5,380		67,619
Matching award program		3,000		—		3,000		—		—
Bonus in stock - employees		2,500		—		—		2,500		—
Retainer in stock - directors		30,764		5,221		3,613		—		32,372
Total restricted stock plans		109,263		5,221		6,613		7,880		99,991

Weighted average grant date fair value	$	9.93	$	10.19	$	6.68	$	9.68	$	10.18

Other Compensation Plans/Programs

The Company previously awarded stock-based options to non-employee directors under its Non-employee Directors’ Option Plan (the “Directors’ Plan”) which expired on December 31, 2012. All stock option awards granted under the Directors’ Plan were fully vested at January 31, 2017. During the year ended January 31, 2017 there have been no forfeitures and 5,000 shares exercised at an exercise price of $8.28 per share, and there were no options outstanding.

The Company utilized a matching award program pursuant to the 2012 Restricted Stock Plan to which all employees were entitled to receive one share of restricted stock for each two shares of the Company’s common stock purchased on the open market. Such restricted shares were subject to a one year vesting period. The valuation was based on the stock price at the grant date and is amortized to expense over the vesting period, which approximates the performance period.

Pursuant to the Company’s director restrictive stock program, all directors are eligible to elect to receive any director fees in shares of restricted stock. Such restricted shares are subject to a two year vesting period. The valuation is based on the stock price at the grant date and is amortized to expense over the two year period, which approximates the performance period. Since the director is giving up cash for unvested shares, the amount of shares awarded is 133% of the cash amount based on the grant date stock price.

Stock Repurchase Program

On July 19, 2016, the Company’s board of directors approved a stock repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to $2,500,000 of its outstanding common stock. The Company has not repurchased any stock under this program as of the date of this filing.

Warrants

In October 2014, the Company issued a five-year warrant that is immediately exercisable to purchase up to 55,500 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $11.00 per share. As of January 31, 2017 and 2016, the warrant to purchase up to 55,500 shares remains outstanding.