Note

Employee Benefit Plans

We sponsor defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all U.S. employees. Net periodic pension cost for the plans consisted of the following for the

three

and

nine

months ended

September

30,

2018

and

2017

(in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2018			2017
Service cost	$	1,252		$	1,196
Interest cost		1,377			1,339
Expected return on plan assets		(1,634	)		(1,462	)
Amortization of prior service cost		15			(84	)
Amortization of net loss		931			1,033
Net periodic pension cost	$	1,941		$	2,022

	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2018			2017
Service cost	$	3,756		$	3,588
Interest cost		4,131			4,017
Expected return on plan assets		(4,902	)		(4,386	)
Amortization of prior service cost		45			(252	)
Amortization of net loss		2,793			3,099
Net periodic pension cost	$	5,823		$	6,066

For the

three

- and

nine

-month periods ended

September

30,

2018,

the service cost component of net periodic pension cost is included in the same line items of our condensed consolidated financial statements as other employee compensation costs, and the net expense of

$0.7

million and

$2.1

million, respectively, related to all other components of net periodic pension cost is included in other (expense) income on our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). For the

three

- and

nine

-month periods ended

September

30,

2017,

all components of net periodic pension cost are included in the same line items of our condensed consolidated financial statements as other employee compensation costs.

April 2018

and

July 2018,

we made cash contributions of

$1.3

million and

$1.2

million, respectively, to our defined benefit plans. In

September 2018

we contributed

$5.5

million in shares of our common stock. We are

not

required to make additional contributions to our defined benefit plans in

2018.

We expect to contribute approximately

$0.5

illion to our unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan during

2018.