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SHARE BASED COMPENSATION
9 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2016
SHARE BASED COMPENSATION [Abstract]  
SHARE BASED COMPENSATION
NOTE 12 • SHARE BASED COMPENSATION

Share based awards are provided to officers, non-officer employees and trustees under our 2015 Incentive Plan approved by shareholders on September 15, 2015, which allows for awards in the form of cash and unrestricted and restricted Common Shares, up to an aggregate of 4,250,000 shares, over the ten year period in which the plan will be in effect. Through January 31, 2016, awards under the 2015 Incentive Plan consisted of restricted and unrestricted Common Shares.

Prior to the approval of our 2015 Incentive Plan, share based awards were provided to officers, non-officer employees and trustees under the our 2008 Incentive Award Plan, which was approved by shareholders on September 16, 2008, which allowed for awards in the form of cash and unrestricted and restricted Common Shares, up to an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares, over the period in which the plan will be in effect. Through January 31, 2016, awards under the 2008 Incentive Award Plan consisted of cash and restricted and unrestricted Common Shares.

Long-Term Incentive Plan

Under the 2008 Incentive Award Plan, our officers and non-officer employees could earn share awards under the Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) adopted pursuant to the plan, which was a backward-looking program that measured performance over a one-year performance period beginning on the first day of each fiscal year. Such awards were payable to the extent deemed earned in shares, 50% of which vested on the last day of the performance period and 50% of which vested on the first anniversary of the end of the performance period. Such awards utilized the sole performance metric of the three-year average of the annual absolute total shareholder return (“TSR”).
 
Under the 2015 Incentive Plan, our officers and non-officer employees may earn share awards under a revised long-term incentive plan, a forward-looking program that measures long-term performance over the stated performance period. Such awards are payable to the extent deemed earned in shares, 50% of which will vest at the conclusion of the performance period and 50% of which will vest on the first anniversary of the end of the performance period. To accommodate the transition from the 2008 Incentive Award Plan to the 2015 Incentive Plan, performance periods for such awards granted on September 16, 2015 (“2016 LTIP Awards”) included one-year, two-year and three-year periods beginning on May 1, 2015. Going forward, it is anticipated that LTIP awards will be issued with a three-year performance period. The 2016 LTIP Awards utilize the performance metrics of relative TSR for 67% of the award and absolute TSR for 33% of the award. The 2016 LTIP Awards for performance periods of one, two and three years were 380,498; 353,535 and 353,535 shares, respectively.

In connection with the LTIP awards, we recognize compensation expense ratably (over 31.5 months for the 50% unrestricted shares and over 43.5 months for the 50% restricted shares) based on the grant date fair value, as determined using a binomial model employing the Monte Carlo simulation, and regardless of whether the market conditions are achieved and the LTIP awards ultimately vest.  The market conditions utilized for the 2016 LTIP Awards are absolute TSR (1/3 weighting) and relative TSR measured against the MSCI US REIT Index (2/3 weighting). The model evaluates the LTIP awards for changing TSR over the vesting periods, and uses random simulations that are based on past share characteristics as well as distribution growth and other factors. The assumptions used to value the LTIP awards were an expected volatility of 16.6%, a risk-free interest rate of 1.13% and an expected life of 3 years.  We based the expected volatility on the historical volatility of our daily closing share price. The share price at the grant date, September 16, 2015, was $7.13.  We based the risk-free interest rate on the interest rates on U.S. treasury bonds with a maturity equal to the remaining performance period of the LTIP award. We based the expected term on the performance period of the LTIP award.

The calculated grant date fair value as a percentage of the officers’ base salary for the 2016 LTIP Awards with a three-year performance period beginning on May 1, 2015 ranged from approximately 42% to 85% for the portion of the awards based on relative TSR and from 5% to 10% for the portion of the awards based on absolute TSR. For the transition 2016 LTIP Awards with a one-year performance period beginning on May 1, 2015, the calculated grant date fair value as a percentage of the officers’ base salary ranged from approximately 46% to 96% for the portion of the awards based on relative TSR and from 5% to 10% for the portion of the awards based on absolute TSR. For the transition 2016 LTIP Awards with a two-year performance period beginning on May 1, 2015, the calculated grant date fair value as a percentage of the officers’ base salary ranged from approximately 43% to 86% for the portion of the awards based on relative TSR and from 5% to 10% for the portion of the awards based on absolute TSR.

Total Compensation Expense

Share-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated financial statements for all outstanding share based awards was approximately $787,000 and $260,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and $1.4 million and $1.9 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Restricted Share Awards

No share awards vested during the nine months ended January 31, 2016 and 2015.  The total unvested restricted share awards at January 31, 2016 was 107,536 shares, which had a weighted average grant date fair value of $7.17 per share.
 
As of January 31, 2016, the total compensation cost related to non-vested share awards not yet recognized was approximately $96,000, which we expect to recognize during the remainder of fiscal year 2016.