EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

NOTE 11 EARNINGS (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE

ASC 260, Earnings per Share, requires companies to treat unvested share-based payment awards that have non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents as a separate class of securities in calculating earnings per share. We have granted and expect to continue to grant to employees restricted stock grants that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends. Such grants are considered participating securities under ASC 260. As such, we are required to include these grants in the calculation of our basic earnings per share and calculate basic earnings per share using the two-class method. The two-class method of computing earnings per share is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock and participating security according to dividends declared (or accumulated) and participation rights in undistributed earnings.

Basic earnings per share is computed utilizing the two-class method and is calculated based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the periods presented.

Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the periods utilizing the two-class method for stock options, non-vested restricted stock and performance units.

Under the two-class method of calculating earnings per share, dividends paid and a portion of undistributed net income, but not losses, are allocated to unvested restricted stock grants that receive dividends, which are considered participating securities.

Prior to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, Income from discontinued operations was presented as a separate line item on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. To conform with the current fiscal year presentation, we reclassified amounts previously presented in Income from discontinued operations to Other within Other income (expense) on our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021. To conform with the current fiscal year presentation, basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for continuing and discontinued operations are presented in the aggregate, for the years ended September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021, as presented below.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:


	September 30,
(in thousands, except per share amounts)	2023		2022		2021
Numerator:


Net income (loss)	$	434,100	$	6,953	$	(326,150)

Adjustment for basic earnings (loss) per share:
Earnings allocated to unvested shareholders	(5,863)		(1,508)		(1,350)



Numerator for basic earnings (loss) per share	428,237		5,445		(327,500)

Adjustment for diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Effect of reallocating undistributed earnings of unvested shareholders	12		—		—



Numerator for diluted earnings (loss) per share	$	428,249	$	5,445	$	(327,500)

Denominator:
Denominator for basic earnings (loss) per share - weighted-average shares	102,447		105,891		107,818
Effect of dilutive shares from restricted stock and performance share units	405		664		—
Denominator for diluted earnings (loss) per share - adjusted weighted-average shares	102,852		106,555		107,818




Basic earnings (loss) per common share	$	4.18	$	0.05	$	(3.04)




Diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$	4.16	$	0.05	$	(3.04)

We had a net loss for fiscal year 2021. Accordingly, our diluted earnings per share calculation for that year was equivalent to our basic earnings per share calculation since diluted earnings per share excludes any assumed vesting of equity awards. These were excluded because they were deemed to be anti-dilutive, meaning their inclusion would have reduced the reported net loss per share in the applicable period.

The following potentially dilutive average shares attributable to outstanding equity awards were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings (loss) per share because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:


(in thousands, except per share amounts)	2023		2022		2021
Potentially dilutive shares excluded as anti-dilutive	2,451		2,543		3,894
Weighted-average price per share	$	62.08	$	62.36	$	57.23