Capital Stock

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2024

Capital Stock [Abstract]

Capital Stock

7. CAPITAL STOCK

Our common stock is 100% owned by active and retired employees, and there is no public trading market for our common stock.  Since 1928, substantially all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock have been held of record by voting trustees under successive voting trust agreements. A new Voting Trust Agreement was established effective March 3, 2017, which expires by its terms on March 1, 2027 because under applicable New York law, a voting trust may not have a term greater than ten years. At June 30, 2024, approximately 83% of our outstanding common stock was held in the voting trust. The participation of shareholders in the voting trust is voluntary at the time the voting trust is created, but is irrevocable during its term. Shareholders who elect not to participate in the voting trust hold their common stock as shareholders of record. Shareholders may elect to participate in the voting trust at any time during the term of the voting trust.

No holder of our common stock or voting trust interests representing our common stock ("common stock", "common shares", or "shares") may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any shares without first offering us the option to purchase those shares at the price at which they were issued.  We also have the option to purchase at the issue price the common shares of any shareholder who ceases to be an employee for any reason other than death or "retirement" (as defined in our amended restated certificate of incorporation), and on the first anniversary of any holder's death. In the past, we have always exercised these purchase options, and we expect to continue to do so in the foreseeable future. However, we can make no assurance that we will continue to exercise our purchase option in the future.  All outstanding shares have been issued at $20.00 per share.

Cash dividends paid were $9.7 million and $8.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Cash dividends paid were $19.4 million and $16.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

We also have authorized 10,000,000 shares of Delegated Authority Preferred Stock (“preferred stock”), par value one cent ($0.01). The preferred stock may be issued in one or more series, with the designations, relative rights, preferences, and limitations of shares of each such series being fixed by a resolution of our Board of Directors. There were no shares of preferred stock outstanding at June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.