11. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION AND EQUITY

Equity Incentive Plan

The Company’s 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (“2023 Plan”) provides for the grant of up to an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of restricted stock, restricted share units, stock options, stock appreciation rights, dividend or dividend equivalent rights, stock awards and other awards valued in whole or in part by reference to or otherwise based on the Company’s common stock, to officers, employees and directors of the Company. The 2023 Plan replaced the prior 2019 Equity Incentive Plan and was approved by the Company’s shareholders at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Restricted Stock Units

The Company grants restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to employees in connection with a long-term incentive plan and from time to time for special recognition. Awards with time-based vesting requirements primarily vest ratably over a three-year period. Awards with performance-based vesting requirements cliff vest after a three-year performance cycle and only after the achievement of certain performance criteria over that cycle. The number of shares ultimately issued for the performance-based units may vary from 0% to 200% of their target amount based on the achievement of defined performance targets. Compensation expense recognized for RSUs granted to employees totaled $1.3 and $1.0, respectively, for the three months ended April 4, 2026, and March 29, 2025.

The Helios Technologies, Inc. Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy compensates Non-Employee Directors for their board service with cash awards and equity-based compensation through grants of RSUs, issued pursuant to the 2023 Plan, which vest over a one-year period. Directors were granted 4,297 and 7,820 RSUs during the three months ended April 4, 2026, and March 29, 2025, respectively. The Company recognized director stock compensation expense on the RSUs of $0.3 and $0.3 for the three months ended April 4, 2026, and March 29, 2025, respectively.

Included in the nonvested balance at April 4, 2026, are 57,118 nonvested performance-based RSUs.

The Company had $8.2 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the RSU awards as of April 4, 2026. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.0 years.

Stock Options

In 2022, the Company granted stock options with market-based vesting conditions to its officers. As of April 4, 2026, there were 5,334 unvested options and 2,666 vested unexercised options. The exercise price per share is $50.60, which is equal to the market price of Helios stock on the grant date. The options vest upon the later of the achievement of defined stock prices or two years from the grant date. The options have met their required service periods, which ranged from one to two years from the grant date. These options have a 10-year expiration. The grant date fair value of the options totaled $2.3 and was estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation.

The Company has also granted stock options with only time-based vesting conditions to its officers. As of April 4, 2026, there were 31,160 unvested options and 2,027 vested unexercised options. The exercise prices per share, which range from $35.04 to $55.03, are equal to the market price of Helios stock on the respective grant dates. The options vested ratably over a three-year period and have a 10-year expiration. The grant date fair value of the options totaled $1.2 and was estimated using a Black Scholes valuation model. In 2025, no options with time based vesting conditions were exercised.

In February 2025, the Company granted stock options with performance vesting conditions to its officers and employees. Performance-based vesting requirements cliff vest after a three-year performance cycle and only after the achievement of certain performance criteria over that cycle. The number of options ultimately issued for the performance-based units may vary from 0% to 225% of their target amount based on the achievement of defined performance targets. These options have an exercise price per share of $39.80 which is equal to the market price of Helios stock on the grant date. The options have a 10-year expiration. The grant date fair value of the options totaled $2.5 and was estimated using a Black Scholes valuation model. As of April 4, 2026, there are 114,699 unvested options.

In March 2026, the Company granted stock options with performance-based vesting conditions to its officers and employees. Option awards with performance-based vesting requirements cliff vest after a three-year performance cycle and only after the achievement of certain performance criteria over that cycle. The number of options ultimately issued for the performance-based units may vary from 0% to 225% of their target amount, based on the achievement of defined performance targets. These options have an exercise price per share of $67.61 which is equal to the market price of Helios stock on the grant date. The options have a 10-year expiration. The grant date fair value of the options totaled $3.2 and was estimated using a Black Scholes valuation model. As of April 4, 2026, there are 98,136 unvested options.

Share Repurchase Plan

On February 20, 2025, the Board approved a multi-year share repurchase program (the "Share Repurchase Program"), authorizing the Company to repurchase up to $100.0 of our outstanding common stock. The Company may purchase shares at management’s discretion from time to time in the open market, through privately negotiated transactions, through investment banking institutions or through other means in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. To the extent that the Company repurchases its shares, the amount and timing of any repurchases are subject to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, general business and market conditions, share price, regulatory and legal requirements and capital availability. The program does not obligate the Company to acquire a minimum number of shares. We expect the Share Repurchase Program to be funded with cash on hand and cash generated from operations. As of April 4, 2026, the Company has repurchased 400,000 shares under the Share Repurchase Program. As of April 4, 2026, the Company has $81.9 million of remaining availability to repurchase outstanding common stock under its Share Repurchase Program.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

The Company maintains an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) in which U.S. employees are eligible to participate. Employees who choose to participate are granted an opportunity to purchase common stock at 85 percent of market value on the first or last day of the quarterly purchase period, whichever is lower. Employees in the United Kingdom (“UK”), under a separate plan, are granted an opportunity to purchase the Company’s common stock at market value, on the first or last day of the quarterly purchase period, whichever is lower, with the Company issuing one additional free share of common stock for each six shares purchased by the employee under the plan.

Employees purchased 9,858 shares at a weighted average price of $46.57 and 17,440 shares at a weighted average price of $27.41, under the ESPP and UK plans during the three months ended April 4, 2026, and March 29, 2025, respectively. The Company recognized $0.2 and $0.1 in compensation expense during the three months ended April 4, 2026, and March 29, 2025, respectively.