Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

The following table presents Income tax expense and the effective tax rate:



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2019			2018			2019			2018
	(Dollars in thousands)
Income tax expense	$	39,568		$	40,621		$	109,825		$	95,320
Effective tax rate	20		%	23		%	19		%	19		%

The effective tax rate for each of the periods in the table above differed from the statutory federal rate of 21% due to a lower foreign effective tax rate, offset by state income taxes and U.S. taxes on foreign earnings, net of foreign tax credits. Additionally, income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 was reduced by $14.6 million of excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation. Income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 was reduced by $12.6 million of tax benefits recognized related to changes to provisional amounts previously recognized for the impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”), and $7.2 million of excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company completed the repatriation of $249.0 million of cash held by foreign subsidiaries, net of $13.1 million of foreign withholding taxes which were previously accrued in 2018.