Note 12 - Earnings Per Share

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Notes to Financial Statements

Earnings Per Share [Text Block]

1 2. EARNINGS PER SHARE :

Basic earnings per share

(“EPS”) were computed by dividing income from continuing operations by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS differs from basic EPS due to the assumed conversions of potentially dilutive options and restricted shares that were outstanding during the period.

Each share of Class

 A Common Stock ranks equal to each share of Class B Common Stock with respect to receipt of any dividends or distributions declared on shares of common stock and the right to receive proceeds on liquidation or dissolution of the Company after payment of its indebtedness and liquidation preference payments to holders of any preferred shares. However, holders of Class A Common Stock have

1/20th

of

one

vote per share on all matters requiring a shareholder vote, while holders of Class B Common Stock have

one

full vote per share.

The following is a re

conciliation of the numerators and the denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations for income from continuing operations (in thousands, except per share amounts):

	201 7		201 6		201 5
Numerator-
Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per share −
Net income available to common shareholders	$	172,129	$	40,582	$	66,053
Denominator-
Denominator for basic earnings per share – weighted average shares outstanding		39,627		39,938		40,271
Effect of dilutive securities −
Employee and director stock options and restricted share awards		1,353		665		822
Denominator for diluted earnings per share − adjusted weighted average shares outstanding and assumed conversions		40,980		40,603		41,093
Basic earnings per common share	$	4.34	$	1.02	$	1.64
Diluted earnings per common share and common share equivalents	$	4.20	$	1.00	$	1.96

Options to purchase shares of common stock that were outstanding for the years ended

December

 

31,

2017,

2016

and

2015

that were

not

included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would have been anti-dilutive are as follows (in thousands):

	201 7		201 6		201 5
A nti-dilutive options – weighted average		449		2,043		1,186