Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

v3.22.4
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Description of Plans
Pursuant to the Kontoor Brands, Inc. 2019 Stock Compensation Plan (the "2019 Plan"), the Company is authorized to grant equity-based awards to officers, key employees and nonemployee members of the Board of Directors in the form of options, time-based restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based restricted stock units ("PRSUs") and restricted stock awards ("RSAs"). The 2019 Plan also allowed for the issuance of replacement grants related to the conversion of VF Corporation ("VF") awards for employees that transferred from VF to the Company (defined below as “Converted Awards”). A maximum of 7.5 million shares of Common Stock, plus shares subject to Converted Awards, may be issued under the 2019 Plan. As of December 2022, 4.2 million shares remained available for future grants. Shares distributed under the 2019 Plan are issued from Kontoor's authorized but unissued Common Stock. As discussed in Note 15 to the Company's financial statements, the Company has a Repurchase Program which allows it to purchase shares on the open market to offset outstanding share dilution caused by awards under equity compensation programs.
Substantially all of the Company’s outstanding awards are classified as equity awards, which are accounted for within "stockholders’ equity" in the Company's balance sheets. Compensation cost for all awards expected to vest is recognized over the shorter of the requisite service period or the vesting period, including accelerated recognition for retirement-eligible employees. Awards that do not vest are forfeited.
Conversion at Separation
We completed a spin-off transaction from VF on May 22, 2019 (the "Separation") and began to trade as a standalone public company on May 23, 2019. Prior to the Separation, certain Company employees participated in the VF amended and restated 1996 Stock Compensation Plan (the "VF Plan"). In accordance with the terms of the Separation, share-based awards granted to Company employees under the VF Plan ("VF Awards") were converted at the time of Separation to options, RSUs, PRSUs and RSAs totaling approximately 2.4 million shares of Kontoor Common Stock (the "Converted Awards"). Certain stock option and PRSU awards were retained by VF and settled in accordance with their original terms under the VF Plan.
Stock-based Compensation Expense
For the years ended December 2022, December 2021 and December 2020, stock-based compensation includes expense related to grants under the 2019 Plan including the Converted Awards. For the years ended December 2021 and December 2020, stock-based compensation also includes expense related to grants remaining under the VF Plan.
The following table presents total stock-based compensation expense and the associated income tax benefits recognized in the statements of operations for all awards:
Year Ended December
(In thousands) 2022 2021 2020
Stock-based compensation expense $ 21,891  $ 38,516  $ 15,948 
Income tax benefits 2,571  5,201  2,769 
There were no material amounts of stock-based compensation costs included in inventory at December 2022, December 2021 and December 2020.
At December 2022, there was $15.1 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to all stock-based compensation arrangements that will be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.3 years.
During 2022, there were 287,630 shares withheld to settle employee tax withholding related to vesting of awards.
Restricted Stock Units
Kontoor grants RSUs to certain key employees and nonemployee members of the Board of Directors. Each employee RSU entitles the holder to one share of Kontoor Common Stock and typically vests over a three-year period. Each RSU granted to a nonemployee member of the Board of Directors vests upon grant and will be settled in one share of Kontoor Common Stock one year from the date of grant.
Kontoor also grants PRSUs that enable employees to receive shares of Kontoor Common Stock. Each PRSU has a potential final payout ranging from zero to two shares of Kontoor Common Stock. The number of shares earned by participants, if any, is based on achievement of performance goals ranging from one to three years as set by the Talent and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Shares earned will be issued to participants following the conclusion of their final performance period, which is typically three years. Compensation expense for all PRSUs expected to vest is recognized over the shorter of the requisite service period or the vesting period, including accelerated recognition for retirement-eligible employees, when attainment of the performance goal is deemed probable.
For PRSUs, the actual number of shares earned may also be adjusted upward or downward by 25% of the target award based on how Kontoor’s total shareholder return (“TSR”) over a three-year period compares to the TSR for companies included in a Company-selected peer group for the 2022 grants, and the Russell 3000 Index for the 2020 and 2021 grants. The grant date fair value of the TSR-based adjustment was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation technique that incorporates option-pricing model inputs, which was $4.03, $5.73 and $0.00 per share for 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Dividend equivalents on the RSUs and PRSUs accumulate during the vesting period, are payable in additional shares of Kontoor Common Stock when the RSUs and PRSUs vest and are subject to the same risk of forfeiture as the RSUs and PRSUs.
The grant date fair value of RSUs and PRSUs is equal to the per share fair market value of the underlying Kontoor Common Stock on each grant date.
The following table presents PRSU and RSU activity from December 2021 to December 2022:
  Performance-based Nonperformance-based
  Number Outstanding Weighted Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Number Outstanding Weighted Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Outstanding at December 2021 885,331  $ 42.44  564,689  $ 33.42 
Granted (1)
455,239  40.79  335,914  39.92 
Issued as Common Stock (503,915) 42.57  (356,122) 32.07 
Forfeited/canceled (37,304) 43.44  (26,015) 41.96 
Outstanding at December 2022 799,351  $ 43.00  518,466  $ 38.21 
Vested at December 2022 289,320  $ 45.60  27,581  $  
(1) Granted activity includes new awards granted during the year and dividend equivalents for both PRSUs and RSUs, as well as changes due to performance and market condition achievement for PRSUs.
During the third quarter of 2020, management concluded that the Company was not probable of achieving the minimum thresholds of the 2020 performance period goals associated with its PRSU awards and recorded a $2.2 million adjustment to reverse all stock compensation expense previously recorded for these awards. On December 15, 2020, the Talent and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors modified the 2020 performance goals, which affected approximately 270,000 shares held by approximately 200 employees. The modified awards had a fair value of $42.99 per share based on the fair market value of the underlying Kontoor Common Stock on the modification date, and the value of the modified awards was recognized as compensation expense from the modification date through the shorter of the remaining requisite service period or the vesting period, including accelerated recognition for retirement eligible employees, for all vested awards. The total value of the modified awards was $8.8 million, of which $1.2 million, $4.1 million and $2.9 million was recorded as compensation expense during 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, related to units that vested.
The weighted average fair value of PRSUs granted during the years ended December 2022 and December 2021 was $40.79 and $49.70 per share, respectively, which was equal to the fair market value of the underlying Kontoor Common Stock on each grant date.
The weighted average fair value of RSUs granted during the years ended December 2022 and December 2021 was $39.92 and $48.09 per share, respectively, which was equal to the fair market value of the underlying Kontoor Common Stock on each grant date.
At December 2022, the fair value of PRSUs and RSUs outstanding was $32.0 million and $20.7 million, respectively.
Restricted Stock Awards
Prior to the Separation, VF granted RSAs of VF Common Stock to certain members of management with vesting periods of up to five years from the grant date. Dividends accumulate in the form of additional RSAs and are subject to the same risk of forfeiture as the RSAs. These awards were converted to Kontoor RSAs at the Separation. They generally have the same terms and conditions as the original awards and are being amortized ratably over the remaining vesting periods. No new RSAs have been granted by the Company subsequent to the Separation.
The following table presents RSA activity from December 2021 to December 2022:
Nonvested Shares Outstanding Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 2021 2,052  $ 30.84 
Vested (2,052) 30.84 
Nonvested shares at December 2022   $  
The fair value of RSAs that vested during the years ended December 2022 and December 2021 was $0.1 million and $5.6 million, respectively.
Stock Options
Prior to the Separation, VF granted stock options to employees that transferred from VF to the Company with the Separation. All employee stock options were included in the Converted Awards as discussed above except for retirement eligible employees, whose options remained with VF. The adjusted exercise price and outstanding quantities of the Converted Awards are included in the table below and no new stock options have been granted by the Company subsequent to the Separation.
Employee stock options vest in equal annual installments over three years, and compensation cost is recognized ratably over the shorter of the requisite service period or the vesting period, including accelerated recognition for retirement-eligible employees. All options have ten-year terms.
The following table presents stock option activity for the year ended December 2022:
Number of Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years) Aggregate Intrinsic Value
(In thousands)
Outstanding at December 2021 1,273,629  $ 26.52  4.7 $ 31,494 
Exercised (55,760) 22.73 
Forfeited/cancelled (4,961) 25.87 
Outstanding at December 2022 1,212,908  $ 26.70  3.7 $ 16,121 
Exercisable at December 2022 1,212,908  $ 26.70  3.7 $ 16,121 
The total fair value of stock options that vested during 2022 was not significant. The total fair value of stock options that vested during 2021 was $3.5 million. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during 2022 and 2021 was $1.0 million and $5.5 million, respectively.