8. Shareholders' Equity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Notes

8. Shareholders' Equity

8. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Company had authorized 20,000,000 common stock shares with par value of $0.01 per share.  At both dates, the number of shares issued was 10,153,633, and the total number of outstanding shares was 10,091,822, with the 61,811 remainder representing shares held in Treasury.

On December 10, 2015, the Board declared a special dividend of $0.85 per share to all Shareholders of record as of December 21, 2015, and payable on or before January 6, 2016. The Company paid its transfer agent $8,578,000 on January 5, 2016, and the transfer agent paid the shareholders on January 6, 2016.

On December 10, 2014, the Board declared a special dividend of $0.49 per share to all Shareholders of record as of December 22, 2014, which was paid on January 5, 2015, in the amount of $4,945,000.

On April 4, 2014, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized an extension of its stock repurchase program without expiration, up to a maximum amount of $1,000,000. The original program established in December of 2007 authorized the purchase of up to $5,000,000 of its common stock. The purchases may be made from time-to-time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, depending on market and business conditions. The Board retained the right to cancel, extend, or expand the share buyback program, at any time and from time-to-time.  Since inception, the Company has purchased a total of 61,811 shares for approximately $932,000, or approximately $15 per share. The Company did not make any stock repurchases during 2016, or for the full year ended December 31, 2015.