Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

Cash Dividends — The Company paid cash dividends during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 as follows:

2018:	Per Share		Total
			(in thousands)
Paid on March 22, 2018	$	0.02	$	4,443
Paid on June 21, 2018		0.04		8,832
Paid on September 20, 2018		0.04		8,685
	$	0.10	$	21,960

2017:	Per Share		Total
			(in thousands)
Paid on March 22, 2017	$	0.02	$	3,326
Paid on June 22, 2017		0.02		4,269
Paid on September 21, 2017		0.02		4,271
Total cash dividends	$	0.06	$	11,866

Treasury Stock Acquisition

Treasury stock acquisitions during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

	Shares		Cost
Treasury shares at beginning of period		43,802,611	$	918,711
Purchases pursuant to stock buyback program		5,515,853		100,500
Acquisitions pursuant to long-term incentive plan (1)		561,807		11,155
Treasury shares at end of period		49,880,271	$	1,030,366

(1)

The Company withheld 561,807 shares in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 with respect to employees’ tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted shares. These shares were acquired at fair market value pursuant to the terms of the Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan and not pursuant to the stock buyback program.