3. INDEBTEDNESS

Convertible Senior Notes

In December 2014, we issued $143.8 million of our Notes in a registered public offering. After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other expenses (including the net cost of the bond hedge and warrant, discussed below), the net proceeds from the offering were approximately $122.6 million. The Notes pay 3.0% interest semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, starting on June 1, 2015, and are due December 1, 2019. The Notes are convertible into 2,068,792 shares of common stock, based on an initial conversion price of $69.48 per share.

The Notes are convertible at the option of the holder (i) during any calendar quarter beginning after March 31, 2015, if the last reported sale price of the common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day, (ii) during the five business days after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes for each trading day of such period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of our common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; and (iii) on or after June 1, 2019 until the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date.

Upon conversion by the holders, we may elect to settle such conversion in shares of our common stock, cash, or a combination thereof. As a result of our cash conversion option, we separately accounted for the value of the embedded conversion option as a debt discount (with an offset to APIC) of $33.6 million. The value of the embedded conversion option was determined based on the estimated fair value of the debt without the conversion feature, which was determined using market comparables to estimate the fair value of similar non-convertible debt (Note 7); the debt discount is being amortized as additional non-cash interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the Notes.

Offering costs of $5.5 million were allocated to the debt and equity components in proportion to the allocation of proceeds to the components, as deferred financing costs and equity issuance costs, respectively. The deferred financing costs of $4.2 million are being amortized as additional non-cash interest expense using the straight-line method over the term of the debt, since this method was not significantly different from the effective interest method. Pursuant to guidance issued by the FASB in April 2015, we have classified the deferred financing costs as a direct deduction to the net carrying value of our Convertible Debt. The $1.3 million portion allocated to equity issuance costs was charged to APIC.

A portion of the offering proceeds was used to simultaneously enter into “bond hedge” (or purchased call) and “warrant” (or written call) transactions with an affiliate of one of the offering underwriters (collectively, the “Call Option Overlay”). We entered into the Call Option Overlay to synthetically raise the initial conversion price of the Notes to $96.21 per share and reduce the potential common stock dilution that may arise from the conversion of the Notes. The exercise price of the bond hedge is $69.48 per share, with an underlying 2,068,792 common shares; the exercise price of the warrant is $96.21 per share of our common stock, also with an underlying 2,068,792 common shares. Because the bond hedge and warrant are both indexed to our common stock and otherwise would be classified as equity, we recorded both elements as equity, resulting in a net reduction to APIC of $15.6 million.

The carrying value of the Notes is as follows as of December 31:

(in thousands)	2015		2014
Principal amount	$	143,750	$	143,750
Unamortized debt discount		(27,016)		(33,059)
Deferred financing costs		(3,307)		(4,151)
Net Carrying value	$	113,427	$	106,540

The following table sets forth the components of total interest expense related to the Notes recognized in the accompanying consolidated statements of earnings for the year ended December 31:

(in thousands)	2015		2014
Contractual coupon	$	4,312	$	252
Amortization of debt discount		6,043		489
Amortization of finance fees		844		70
Capitalized interest		(56)		-
	$	11,143	$	811

The effective interest rate on the Notes as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 was 7.8% and 7.7%, respectively, on an annualized basis.