Shareholders' Equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Shareholders’ Equity

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company has only non-qualified stock options outstanding under its equity compensation plans. All outstanding stock options have performance-based vesting provisions specific to each option grant that tie the vesting of the applicable stock options to the Company’s financial performance. The Company’s stock options vest at a rate of 50 percent when a specified diluted earnings per share target is achieved, and the remaining 50 percent when a second, higher specified diluted earnings per share target is achieved. Options do not vest due to the passage of time but solely as a result of achievement of the financial vesting targets. Options granted in December 2017 and thereafter include a service condition which requires a minimum two or four year waiting period from the grant date along with the attainment of the applicable financial vesting target. Earnings per share targets exclude the impact of stock-based compensation and are established at time of grant. The targets are measured annually on December 31. The amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized in the period is based upon management’s estimate of when the earnings per share targets may be achieved. Any change in management’s estimate could result in the remaining amount of stock-based compensation expense to be accelerated, spread out over a longer period, or reversed. This may cause volatility in the recognition of stock-based compensation expense in future periods and could materially affect the Company’s earnings.

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense in its Consolidated Financial Statements in the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, as follows:



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
Stock-based compensation expense	$	5,038		$	5,195
Less: Deferred tax benefit	(946		)	(1,103		)
Stock-based compensation expense, net of tax	$	4,092		$	4,092

As of March 31, 2019, there was approximately $62,232 of unrecognized compensation cost remaining related to unvested employee stock options that management expects will vest and is being amortized.

The Company issues new common shares associated with the exercise of stock options. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $9,601. The total options exercisable as of March 31, 2019 had an intrinsic value of $170,509. The total intrinsic value for options exercisable is calculated as the difference between the market value of the Company’s common stock as of March 31, 2019 and the weighted average exercise price of the options. The market value of the Company’s common stock as of March 31, 2019 was $52.25 as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC. The weighted average exercise price of the options exercisable as of March 31, 2019 was $33.36. Total options that were outstanding as of March 31, 2019 were 15,347,000. Total options that were exercisable as of March 31, 2019 were 9,024,000.

Common Stock Buyback

The Company’s Board of Directors, under multiple authorizations, has authorized the repurchase of the Company’s common stock on the open market or through private transactions. The Company purchased 1,725,000 shares at a total cost of $88,791 during the three months ended March 31, 2019, which reduced the total shares outstanding of common stock. The cost of stock purchases during the period includes the cost of certain transactions that settled in the following quarter. As of March 31, 2019, the Company had approximately $127,088 of authorization remaining for the purchase of common stock under the program.

The Company immediately retires its common stock when purchased. Upon retirement, the Company reduces Capital in excess of par value for the average capital per share outstanding and the remainder is charged against Retained earnings. If the Company reduces its Retained earnings to zero, any subsequent purchases of common stock will be charged entirely to Capital in excess of par value.