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STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION AND STOCK OWNERSHIP PLANS
6 Months Ended
Mar. 28, 2025
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION AND STOCK OWNERSHIP PLANS STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION AND STOCK OWNERSHIP PLANS
The Company’s current stock ownership plans allow for issuance of stock options to acquire shares of Class A common stock by key executives and non-employee directors. Current plans also allow for issuance of shares of restricted stock, restricted stock units or stock appreciation rights in lieu of stock options.

Under the Company’s 2023 Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Plan and the 2020 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the only plans where shares currently remain available for future equity incentive awards) there were a total of 284,109 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock available for future grant to non-employee directors and key executives at March 28, 2025. Share awards previously made under the Company's 2012 Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Plan, which no longer allow for additional share grants, also remain outstanding.
 
Non-vested Stock

All shares of non-vested restricted stock awarded by the Company have been granted in the form of shares of Class A common stock at their fair market value on the date of grant and vest within one year from the date of grant for stock granted to directors and within a period ranging from one to four years from the date of grant for stock granted to officers and employees, based on the terms of the agreement with such officer or employee.  The fair value at date of grant is based on the number of shares granted and the average of the Company’s high and low Class A common stock price on the date of grant or, if the Company’s Class A shares did not trade on the date of grant, the average of the Company’s high and low Class A common stock price on the last preceding date on which the Company’s Class A shares traded.
A summary of non-vested stock activity for the six months ended March 28, 2025 related to the Company’s stock ownership plans is as follows:
 SharesWeighted Average
Grant Price
Non-vested stock at September 27, 202456,389 $59.69 
Non-vested stock grants67,312 30.20 
Restricted stock vested(24,357)54.60 
Forfeitures(3,690)54.20 
Non-vested stock at March 28, 202595,654 40.44 
 
Non-vested stock grantees may elect to reimburse the Company for withholding taxes due as a result of the vesting of shares by tendering a portion of the vested shares back to the Company.  Shares tendered back to the Company were 1,609 and 2,330 during the six month periods ended March 28, 2025 and March 29, 2024, respectively.

Stock compensation expense, net of forfeitures, related to non-vested stock was $462 and $322 for the three month periods ended March 28, 2025 and March 29, 2024, respectively, and $816 and $750 for the six month periods ended March 28, 2025 and March 29, 2024, respectively. Unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock as of March 28, 2025 was $2,369, which amount will be amortized to expense through December 2027 or adjusted for changes in future estimated or actual forfeitures.

The fair value of restricted stock vested during the six month periods ended March 28, 2025 and March 29, 2024 was $690 and $919, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units

All restricted stock units (RSUs) awarded by the Company have been granted in the form of units payable in shares of Class A common stock upon vesting. The units are valued at the fair market value of a share of Class A common stock on the date of grant and vest within one year from the date of grant for RSUs granted to directors, and subject to satisfaction of applicable performance criteria, three years from the date of grant for RSUs granted to employees.  The fair value at the date of grant is based on the number of units granted and the average of the Company’s high and low Class A common stock trading price on the date of grant or, if the Company’s Class A shares did not trade on the date of grant, the average of the Company’s high and low Class A common stock trading price on the last preceding date on which the Company’s Class A shares traded.

A summary of RSU activity for the six months ended March 28, 2025 follows:
 Number of RSUsWeighted Average
Grant Price
RSUs at September 27, 202484,192 $64.58 
RSUs granted57,792 33.14 
RSUs vested and canceled due to performance targets not being met(17,041)101.22 
RSU's forfeited(3,690)54.20 
RSUs at March 28, 2025121,253 44.76 
 
Stock compensation expense, net of forfeitures, related to RSUs was $160 and $276 for the three and six month periods ended March 28, 2025, respectively. The Company recognized income related to RSUs of $579 and $440 for the three and six month periods ended March 29, 2024, respectively, as a result of reversing compensation expense previously recognized, due to an expectation that performance conditions wouldn't be met for certain awards. Unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested RSUs as of March 28, 2025 was $1,596, which amount will be amortized to expense through September 2027 or adjusted for changes in future estimated or actual forfeitures.    

RSU grantees may elect to reimburse the Company for withholding taxes due as a result of the vesting of units and issuance of unrestricted shares of Class A common stock by tendering a portion of such unrestricted shares back to the Company. Because performance criteria was not met, the RSUs expiring in the six month period ended March 28,
2025 were canceled so shares tendered back to the Company for this purpose were 0 during the six month period ended March 28, 2025. Shares tendered back to the Company for the reimbursement of withholding taxes were 2,331 during the six month period ended March 29, 2024.

The fair value of restricted stock units recognized as a tax deduction during the six month periods ended March 28, 2025 and March 29, 2024 was $0 and $1,015, respectively.

Compensation expense related to units earned by employees (as opposed to grants to outside directors) is based upon the attainment of certain Company financial goals related to cumulative net sales and cumulative operating profit over a three-year performance period. Awards are only paid if at least 80% of the target levels are met and maximum payouts are made if 120% or more of target levels are achieved. The payouts for achievement at the threshold levels of performance are equal to 50% of the target award amount. The payouts for achievement at maximum levels of performance are equal to 150% of the target award amount, which payout level was increased to 200% of the target award amount for the RSU awards issued to employees for the fiscal 2025 – 2027 performance period. To the extent earned, awards are issued in shares of Company Class A common stock after the end of the three-year performance period.

Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan

The Company’s shareholders have adopted the Johnson Outdoors Inc. 2009 Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan, which was most recently amended on March 2, 2017, and which provides for the issuance of shares of Class A common stock at a purchase price of not less than 85% of the fair market value of such shares on the date of grant or on the date of purchase, whichever is lower.
During the three month period ended March 28, 2025, the Company issued 0 shares of Class A common stock and recognized $128 of expense in connection with the Employees' Stock Purchase Plan. During the six month period ended March 28, 2025, the Company issued 0 shares of Class A common stock and recognized $165 of expense in connection with the Employees' Stock Purchase Plan. During the three month period ended March 29, 2024, the Company issued 0 shares of Class A common stock and recognized $77 of expense in connection with the Plan. During the six month period ended March 29, 2024, the Company issued 0 shares of Class A common stock and recognized $108 of expense in connection with the Plan.