NOTE 7 – Stock Repurchases

On September 22, 2011, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a 40 million share increase in the stock repurchase program, bringing the total current authorization to 98 million shares. The repurchases may be effected through solicited or unsolicited transactions in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. No time limit has been placed on the duration of the stock repurchase program. Subject to applicable securities laws, such repurchases will be made at such times and in such amounts as the Company deems appropriate and may be discontinued at any time. The Company did not repurchase any shares of its common stock under the program during the six months ended January 31, 2017 or 2016. As of January 31, 2017, the total number of shares repurchased under the program was 53,456,801, and 44,543,199 shares were available for repurchase under the program.

On July 9, 2015, the Company completed a modified “Dutch Auction” tender offer, or tender offer, to purchase up to 13,888,888 shares of its common stock at a price not greater than $36.00 nor less than $34.75 per share. In connection with the tender offer, the Company accepted for payment an aggregate of 6,254,061 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $36.00 per share for a total value of $225.1 million. Additionally, on December 30, 2015, the Company completed a modified “Dutch Auction” tender offer, or tender offer, to purchase up to 7,317,073 shares of its common stock at a price not greater than $41.00 nor less than $38.00 per share. In connection with the tender offer, the Company accepted for payment an aggregate of 8,333,333 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $39.00 per share for a total value of $325.0 million. The Company’s directors and executive officers did not participate in the tender offers. The shares repurchased as a result of the tender offers were not part of the Company’s stock repurchase program.

In fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016, certain executive officers and other employees exercised stock options through cashless exercises. A portion of the options exercised were net settled in satisfaction of the exercise price and federal and state statutory tax withholding requirements. The Company remitted $134.6 million for the six months ended January 31, 2017 to the proper taxing authorities in satisfaction of the employees’ statutory withholding requirements.

The exercised stock options, utilizing a cashless exercise, are summarized in the following table:



Period	Options Exercised	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Shares Net Settled for Exercise	Shares Withheld for Taxes⁽¹⁾	Net Shares to Employees	Weighted Average Share Price for Withholding		Tax Withholding (in 000s)
FY 2016—Q4	1,130,000	$	18.64	410,648	293,152	426,200	$	51.30	$	15,039
FY 2017—Q1	9,000,000	15.39		2,704,486	2,627,661	3,667,853	51.23		134,615


(1)	Shares withheld for taxes are treated as a repurchase of shares for accounting purposes but do not count against the Company’s stock repurchase program.