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NASDAQ OMX Stockholders' Equity
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
NASDAQ OMX Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]  
NASDAQ OMX Stockholders' Equity

11. NASDAQ OMX Stockholders’ Equity

Common Stock

At March  31, 2014,  300,000,000 shares of our common stock were authorized,  216,181,636 shares were issued and 170,568,534 shares were outstanding. The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share, except that our certificate of incorporation limits the ability of any person to vote in excess of 5.0% of the then-outstanding shares of NASDAQ OMX common stock. This limitation does not apply to persons exempted from this limitation by our board of directors prior to the time such person owns more than 5.0% of the then-outstanding shares of NASDAQ OMX common stock.

Common Stock in Treasury, at Cost

We account for the purchase of treasury stock under the cost method with the shares of stock repurchased reflected as a reduction to NASDAQ OMX stockholders’ equity and included in common stock in treasury, at cost in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. When treasury shares are reissued, they are recorded at the average cost of the treasury shares acquired. We held 45,613,102 shares of common stock in treasury as of March  31, 2014 and 45,062,071 shares as of December 31, 2013. 

Share Repurchase Program

In the third quarter of 2012, our board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $300 million of our outstanding common stock. These purchases may be made from time to time at prevailing market prices in open market purchases, privately-negotiated transactions, block purchase techniques or otherwise, as determined by our management. The purchases are funded from existing cash balances. The share repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time. 

During the first three months of 2013, we repurchased 321,000 shares of our common stock at an average price of $31.12, for an aggregate purchase price of $10 million. The shares repurchased under the share repurchase program are available for general corporate purposes. As of March  31, 2014, the remaining amount authorized for share repurchases under the program was $215 million. 

Other Repurchases of Common Stock

During the three months ended March  31, 2014, we repurchased 551,919 shares of our common stock in settlement of employee tax withholding obligations due upon the vesting of restricted stock.

Preferred Stock

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 30,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, issuable from time to time in one or more series. At March  31, 2014, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding. At December 31, 2013,  1,600,000 shares of series A convertible preferred stock were issued and none were outstanding.

Cash Dividends on Common Stock

During the three months ended March  31, 2014, our board of directors declared the following cash dividends:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Declaration Date

 

Dividend Per
Common Share

 

Record Date

 

Total Amount(1)

 

Payment Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

January 30, 2014

 

$

0.13 

 

March 14, 2014

 

$

22 

 

March 28, 2014

March 26, 2014

 

$

0.15 

 

June 13, 2014

 

$

26 

 

June 27, 2014

 

(1)   These amounts were recorded in retained earnings in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2014.  

In March 2014, the board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share on our outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable on June 27, 2014 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 13, 2014. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by the board of directors.