Stock-based Payment Compensation

3 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2015

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

NOTE 8 – Stock-based Payment Compensation

The Company recognizes compensation expense for stock option awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. The following is a summary of activity for the Company’s stock options for the three months ended October 31, 2015:



(In thousands, except per share and term data)	Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (In years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding as of July 31, 2015	21,011		$	23.65	5.78	$	261,339
Grants of options	10		34.94
Exercises	(31	)	12.02
Forfeitures or expirations	(1	)	35.45
Outstanding as of October 31, 2015	20,989		$	23.67	5.54	$	264,104
Exercisable as of October 31, 2015	14,802		$	18.79	4.22	$	257,895

The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and the quoted price of the Company’s common stock. The number of options that were in-the-money was 19,799,832 at October 31, 2015.

The table below sets forth the stock-based payment compensation recognized by the Company:



	Three months ended October 31,
(In thousands)	2015		2014
General and administrative	$	4,728	$	3,820
Yard operations	686		546
Total stock-based payment compensation	$	5,414	$	4,366

In accordance with ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation, the Company made an estimate of expected forfeitures and recognized compensation cost only for those equity awards expected to vest.

In October 2013, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, subject to stockholder approval (which was subsequently obtained at the December 16, 2013 annual meeting of stockholders), approved the grant to each of A. Jayson Adair, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, and Vincent W. Mitz, the Company’s President, of nonqualified stock options to purchase 2,000,000 and 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, respectively, at an exercise price of $35.62 per share, which equaled the closing price of the Company’s common stock on December 16, 2013, the effective date of grant. Such grants were made in lieu of any cash salary or bonus compensation in excess of $1.00 per year or the grant of any additional equity incentives for a five-year period. Each option will become exercisable over five years, subject to continued service by Mr. Adair and Mr. Mitz, with 20% vesting on April 15, 2015 and December 16, 2014, respectively, and the balance vesting monthly over the subsequent four years. Each option will become fully vested, assuming continued service on April 15, 2019 and December 16, 2018, respectively. If, upon or following a change in control, either the Company or a successor entity terminates the executive’s service without cause, or the executive resigns for good reason (as defined in the option agreement), then 100% of the shares subject to his stock option will immediately vest. On June 2, 2015, the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors approved the amendment of each of the stand-alone stock option agreements, by and between the Company and A. Jayson Adair and Vincent W. Mitz, respectively, to remove the provision providing at times prior to a "change in control" for the immediate vesting in full of the underlying option upon an involuntary termination of Mr. Adair or Mr. Mitz, as applicable, without "cause." The fair value of each option at the date of grant was $11.43. The total estimated compensation expense to be recognized by the Company over the five year estimated service period for these options is $40.0 million. The Company recognized $1.9 million in compensation expenses for these grants in the three months ended October 31, 2015 and 2014.