Stock Repurchases

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Stock Repurchases

Stock Repurchases:

Our Board of Directors has authorized a total of $1.4 billion towards the repurchase of shares of our common stock (collectively referred to as the "Share Repurchase Plans"). The Share Repurchase Plans authorize open market repurchase transactions and do not have an expiration date. There were no additional share repurchase authorizations in the first three months of 2016. As of March 31, 2016, $196.2 million of shares may yet be repurchased under the Share Repurchase Plans.

On February 10, 2016, the Company entered into a Fixed Dollar Accelerated Share Repurchase Transaction (the “ASR Agreement”) with Merrill Lynch International (“Merrill Lynch”), acting through its agent, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated to effect an accelerated stock buyback of the Company’s common stock (the “Common Stock”).

Under the ASR Agreement, on February 10, 2016, the Company paid Merrill Lynch an initial purchase price of $200 million, and Merrill Lynch delivered to the Company a total of 1.3 million shares of Common Stock, representing approximately 75% of the shares expected to be purchased under the ASR Agreement.

We also repurchased 0.1 million shares for $16.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 from employees who surrendered their shares to satisfy minimum tax withholding obligations upon the exercise of long-term incentive awards.