Share-Based Compensation

9 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Share-Based Compensation [Abstract]

Share-Based Compensation

9. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

Sysco provides compensation benefits to employees and non-employee directors under several share-based payment arrangements including various employee stock incentive plans, the Employees' Stock Purchase Plan, and various non-employee director plans.

Stock Incentive Plans

In the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012, options to purchase 6,390,952 shares were granted to employees from the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan. The fair value of each option award is estimated as of the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. The weighted average grant-date fair value per share of options granted during the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012 was $3.64.

In the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012, 1,443,356 restricted stock units were granted to employees from the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan. Some of these restricted stock units were granted with dividend equivalents. The fair value of each restricted stock unit award granted with a dividend equivalent is based on the company's stock price as of the date of grant. For restricted stock unit awards granted without dividend equivalents, the fair value was reduced by the present value of expected dividends during the vesting period. The weighted average grant-date fair value per share of restricted stock units granted during the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012 was $27.23.

In the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012, restricted awards in the amount of 63,657 shares were granted to non-employee directors from the 2009 Non-Employee Directors Stock Plan. The non-employee directors may elect to receive these awards in restricted stock shares that will vest at the end of the award's stated vesting period or as deferred units which convert into shares of Sysco common stock upon a date selected by the non-employee director that is subsequent to the award's stated vesting date. The fair value of the restricted awards is based on the company's stock price as of the date of grant. The weighted average grant-date fair value per share of restricted awards granted during the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012 was $27.65.

Under the 2009 Non-Employee Directors Stock Plan, non-employee directors may elect to receive up to 100% of their annual directors' fees in Sysco common stock on either an annual or deferred basis. Sysco provides a matching grant of 50% of the number of shares received for the stock election subject to certain limitations. In the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012, 31,397 shares with a weighted average grant date fair value of $28.46 were issued for these elections in the form of fully vested common stock or deferred units.

Employees' Stock Purchase Plan

Plan participants purchased 1,266,699 shares of Sysco common stock under the Sysco Employees' Stock Purchase Plan during the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012.

The weighted average fair value per share of employee stock purchase rights issued pursuant to the Employees' Stock Purchase Plan was $4.28 during the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012. The fair value of the stock purchase rights is estimated as the difference between the stock price and the employee purchase price.

All Share-Based Payment Arrangements

The total share-based compensation cost that has been recognized in results of operations was $54.3 million and $48.5 million for the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011, respectively.

As of March 31, 2012, there was $75.7 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to share-based compensation arrangements. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.50 years.