STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

10. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

On August 18, 2016, our board of directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to 500,000 shares of its outstanding common stock over a 12-month period beginning on August 19, 2016 through August 18, 2017. The plan authorized purchases to be made from time to time in the open market, or in privately negotiated transactions, subject to availability. Any repurchased shares will have the status of treasury shares and may be used, when needed, for general corporate purposes.

During the nine months ended December 31, 2016, we purchased 328,481 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average cost of $81.62 per share for a total purchase price of $26.8 million under the share repurchase plan. We also purchased 29,736 shares of common stock at a value of $2.6 million to satisfy tax withholding obligations relating to the vesting of employees’ restricted stock.

During the nine months ended December 31, 2015, we did not purchase any shares of our outstanding common stock under the share repurchase plan; however, we did purchase 30,447 shares of common stock at a value of $2.5 million to satisfy tax withholding obligations relating to the vesting of employees’ restricted stock.

Since the inception of our initial repurchase program on September 20, 2001 to December 31, 2016, we have repurchased approximately 6.0 million shares of our outstanding common stock at an average cost of $24.44 per share for a total purchase price of $147.3 million.