Equity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Equity

Equity

The decrease in common stock during the nine months ended September 30, 2019, was primarily due to the repurchases of 11.4 million shares, partially offset by the issuance of 5.1 million shares of the Company’s common stock under the Company’s stock-based compensation plans. The total net decrease was 6.3 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 third quarter of 2019 as compared to a cash dividend of $0.110 per share during the third quarter of 2018. The third quarter 2019 dividend of $29.1 million was declared on August 27, 2019, and was paid on October 23, 2019.