Our board of directors has adopted a dividend policy under which we have paid, and in the future intend to pay, quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. The amount and timing of future dividends will continue to be subject to the approval of our board of directors, in its sole discretion, and to applicable legal requirements.

In fiscal year 2017 and in the first six months of 2018, our board of directors declared the following dividends:

Declaration Date

Dividend
Per Share

Record Date

Total
Amount

Payment Date

February 15, 2017

0.5500

March 15, 2017

145,235

April 3, 2017

May 24, 2017

0.5500

June 15, 2017

145,417

July 3, 2017

July 27, 2017

0.5500

September 15, 2017

146,772

October 2, 2017

October 24, 2017

0.5875

December 15, 2017

166,319

January 2, 2018

February 14, 2018

0.5875

March 15, 2018

167,969

April 2, 2018

May 24, 2018

0.5875

June 15, 2018

168,078

July 2, 2018

At The Market (ATM) Equity Program

As described in greater detail in Note 13 to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report, we entered into a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with a syndicate of 10 banks (the “Agents”) pursuant to which we may sell, from time to time, up to an aggregate sales price of $500,000 of our common stock through the Agents (the “At The Market (ATM) Equity Program”). There were no shares of common stock sold under the At The Market (ATM) Equity Program during the three months ended June 30, 2018. During the six months ended June 30, 2018 under the At The Market (ATM) Equity Program, we sold an aggregate of 273,486 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of approximately $8,800, generating net proceeds of $8,716, after deducting commissions of $90. As of June 30, 2018 the remaining aggregate sale price of shares of our common stock available for distribution under the At The Market (ATM) Equity Program was approximately $431,200.

Equity Offering

On December 12, 2017, we entered into an underwriting agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") with a syndicate of 16 banks (the “Underwriters”) related to the public offering by us of 14,500,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) of our common stock (the “Equity Offering”). The offering price to the public for the Equity Offering was $37.00 per share, and we agreed to pay the Underwriters an underwriting commission of $1.38195 per share. The net proceeds to us from the Equity Offering, after deducting underwriters' commissions, was $516,462. At December 31, 2017, the net proceeds of the Equity Offering, together with the net proceeds from the 5¹/₄% Notes, were used to temporarily repay borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and invest in money market funds.

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, we granted the Underwriters a 30-day option to purchase from us up to an additional 2,175,000 shares of common stock (the “Option Shares”) at the public offering price, less the underwriting commission and less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by us and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Option Shares (the “Over-Allotment Option"). On January 10, 2018, the Underwriters exercised the Over-Allotment Option in its entirety. The net proceeds to us from the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, after deducting underwriters' commissions and the per share value of the dividend we declared on our common stock on October 24, 2017 (for which the record date was December 15, 2017) which was paid on January 2, 2018, was approximately $76,200. The net proceeds of the Equity Offering and the Over-Allotment Option, together with the net proceeds from the issuance of the 5¹/₄% Notes, were used to finance the purchase price of the IODC Transaction, and to pay related fees and expenses.