SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

NOTE 5 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

        On September 30, 2013, we had 106,716,970 outstanding preferred stock purchase rights ("Rights") pursuant to the terms of the Rights Agreement dated January 8, 1996, as amended by Amendment No. 1 dated December 8, 2005. As adjusted for the two-for-one stock splits in fiscal 1998 and fiscal 2006, and as long as the Rights are not separately transferable, one-half Right attaches to each share of our common stock. Under the terms of the Rights Agreement each Right entitles the holder thereof to purchase one full unit consisting of one one-thousandth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock ("Preferred Stock"), without par value, at a price of $250 per unit. The exercise price and the number of units of Preferred Stock issuable on exercise of the Rights are subject to adjustment in certain cases to prevent dilution. The Rights will be attached to the common stock certificates and are not exercisable or transferable apart from the common stock, until ten business days after a person acquires 15 percent or more of the outstanding common stock or ten business days following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that would result in a person owning 15 percent or more of the outstanding common stock. In that event, each holder of a Right (other than the acquiring person) shall have the right to receive, upon exercise of the Right, common stock of the Company having a value equal to two times the exercise price of the Right. In the event we are acquired in a merger or certain other business combination transactions (including one in which we are the surviving corporation), or more than 50 percent of our assets or earning power is sold or transferred, each holder of a Right shall have the right to receive, upon exercise of the Right, common stock of the acquiring company having a value equal to two times the exercise price of the Right. The Rights are redeemable under certain circumstances at $0.01 per Right and will expire, unless earlier redeemed, on January 31, 2016.

        The Company has authorization from the Board of Directors for the repurchase of up to four million common shares in any calendar year. The repurchases may be made using our cash and cash equivalents or other available sources. During fiscal 2012, we purchased 1,747,819 common shares at an aggregate cost of $77.6 million, which are held as treasury shares. We had no purchases of common shares in fiscal 2013.