Equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Equity

Equity

The decrease in common stock during the three months ended March 31, 2019, was primarily due to the repurchases of 4.7 million shares, partially offset by the issuance of 1.0 million shares of the Company’s common stock under the Company’s stock-based compensation plans. The total net decrease was 3.7 million shares.

The Company announced a $0.005 (1/2 cent) per share increase in its quarterly cash dividend rate during the first quarter of 2019. As such, the Company recorded a cash dividend of $0.115 during the first quarter of 2019 as compared to a cash dividend of $0.110 per share during the first quarter of 2018. The first quarter 2019 dividend of $29.4 million was declared on March 8, 2019, and was paid on April 24, 2019.