Stock-based Compensation Plans

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

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

Stock-based Compensation Plans

We have granted various forms of stock-based compensation, including stock options, restricted stock units and both cash-settled and stock-settled performance-based restricted stock units (“PRSUs”) under our Amended and Restated 2006 Mueller Water Products, Inc. Stock Incentive Plan (the “2006 Stock Plan”).

A PRSU award represents a target number of units that may be paid out at the end of a multi-year award cycle consisting of a series of annual performance periods coinciding with our fiscal years. After we determine the financial performance targets related to PRSUs for a given performance period, typically during the first quarter of that fiscal year, we consider that portion of a PRSU award to be granted. Thus, each award consists of a grant in the year of award and grants in the designated following years. Settlement will range from zero to two times the number of PRSUs granted, depending on our financial performance against the targets. As determined at the date of award, PRSUs may settle in cash-value equivalent of, or directly in, shares of our common stock.

The stock-settled PRSUs awarded in 2014 settled in the quarter ended December 31, 2016 with an issuance of 263,410 shares of our common stock. This settlement reflected payouts of 1.021 times target for the 2016 performance period, zero times target for the 2015 performance period and two times target for the 2014 performance period.

We awarded 177,861 stock-settled PRSUs in the quarter ended December 31, 2016 that will settle in three years.

In addition to the PRSU activity, 255,414 restricted stock units vested during the quarter ended December 31, 2016.

We have granted cash-settled Phantom Plan instruments under the Mueller Water Products, Inc. Phantom Plan (“Phantom Plan”). At December 31, 2016, the outstanding Phantom Plan instruments had a fair value of $13.31 per instrument and our liability for Phantom Plan instruments was $1.5 million.

We granted stock-based compensation awards under the 2006 Stock Plan, the Mueller Water Products, Inc. 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the Phantom Plan during the three months ended December 31, 2016 as follows.



	Number granted	Weighted average grant date fair value per instrument		Total grant date fair value (in millions)
Restricted stock units	177,861	$	13.26	$	2.4
Employee stock purchase plan instruments	39,231	2.34		0.1
Phantom Plan awards	187,115	13.26		2.5
PRSUs: 2017 award	59,285	13.26		0.8
2016 award	73,826	13.26		1.0
2015 award	68,556	13.26		0.9
				$	7.7

Income from continuing operations included stock-based compensation expense of $2.7 million and $1.9 million during the three months ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. At December 31, 2016, there was approximately $13.6 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to stock-based compensation arrangements, and 192,402 PRSUs that have been awarded for the 2018 and 2019 performance periods, for which performance goals have not been set.

We excluded 323,010 and 1,042,254 of stock-based compensation instruments from the calculations of diluted earnings per share for the quarters ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, since their inclusion would have been antidilutive.