Agilent accounts for share-based awards in accordance with the provisions of the authoritative accounting guidance which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to our employees and directors including employee stock option awards, restricted stock units, employee stock purchases made under our employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) and performance share awards granted to selected members of our senior management under the long-term performance plan (“LTPP”) based on estimated fair values.

 

The impact on our results for share-based compensation was as follows:

The following assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of the options and LTPP grants.

 

In connection with the separation of Keysight on November 1, 2014 and in accordance with the Employee Matters Agreement we made certain adjustments to the exercise price and number of our share-based compensation awards with the intention of preserving the intrinsic value of the awards prior to the separation. Exercisable and non-exercisable stock options converted to those of the entity where the employee is working post-separation. Restricted stock units awards and long-term performance plan grants were adjusted to provide holders restricted stock units and long-term performance plan grants in the company that employs such employee following the separation. These adjustments to our stock-based compensation awards did not have a material impact on compensation expense.

The fair value of share-based awards for employee stock option awards was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Shares granted under the LTPP were valued using a Monte Carlo simulation model. Both the Black-Scholes and Monte Carlo simulation fair value models require the use of highly subjective and complex assumptions, including the option’s expected life and the price volatility of the underlying stock. Due to the separation of Keysight on November 1, 2014, expected volatility for grants of options in fiscal 2015 was based on a 5.5 year average historical stock price volatility of a group of our peer companies.   For the volatility of our 2015 LTPP grants, we used the 3 year average historical stock price volatility of a group of our peer companies.   We believe our historical volatility prior to the separation of Keysight is no longer relevant to use.   For the grants of options and LTPP prior to November 1, 2014, the expected stock price volatility assumption was determined using the historical volatility of Agilent’s stock over the most recent historical period equivalent to the expected life of the stock options and LTPP.

In developing our estimated life of our employees' stock options of 5.5 years, we considered the separation of Keysight and the historical option exercise behavior for our executive employees who were granted the majority of the options in the annual grants made which we believe is representative of future behavior.