STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Equity [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Dividends

The following table provides details of dividend payments, excluding dividend equivalent rights for unvested stock awards, in 2020 and 2021 under our Board approved quarterly cash dividend policy:

Record Date	Payment Date	Amount per Share		Total Amount
				(in millions)
2020 payments
12/31/2019	1/31/2020	$	0.550	$	73
3/31/2020	4/24/2020	0.625		83
6/30/2020	7/31/2020	0.625		83
9/30/2020	10/30/2020	0.625		83
2021 payments
12/31/2020	1/29/2021	$	0.625	$	81
3/31/2021	4/30/2021	0.700		90
6/30/2021	7/30/2021	0.700		90
9/30/2021	10/29/2021	0.700		90

In October 2021, the Board declared a cash dividend of $0.70 per share payable on January 28, 2022 to stockholders of record on December 31, 2021.

Stock Repurchases

Our Board of Directors may authorize the purchase of our common stock shares. Under the share repurchase authorization, shares may be purchased from time to time at prevailing prices in the open market, by block purchases, through plans designed to comply with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or in privately-negotiated transactions, including pursuant to accelerated share repurchase agreements with investment banks, subject to certain regulatory restrictions on volume, pricing, and timing.

On July 30, 2019, the Board of Directors replaced a previous share repurchase authorization of up to $3 billion (of which approximately $1.03 billion remained unused) with a new authorization for repurchases of up to $3 billion of our common shares exclusive of shares repurchased in connection with employee stock plans, expiring on June 30, 2022.

On July 31, 2019, we entered into an accelerated stock repurchase agreement, the July 2019 ASR, with Citibank, N.A., or Citi, to repurchase $1 billion of our common stock. On August 2, 2019, we made a payment of $1 billion to Citi and received an initial delivery of 2.7 million shares of our common stock. We recorded the payment to Citi as a reduction to stockholders’ equity, consisting of an $800 million increase in treasury stock, which reflects the value of the initial 2.7 million shares received upon initial settlement, and a $200 million decrease in capital in excess of par value, which reflects the value of stock held back by Citi pending final settlement of the July 2019 ASR. Upon final settlement of the July 2019 ASR on December 26, 2019, we received an additional 0.7 million shares as determined by the average daily volume weighted-averages share price of our common stock during the term of the agreement, less a discount, of $296.19, bringing the total shares received under the July 2019 ASR to 3.4 million. In addition, upon settlement we reclassified the $200 million value of stock initially held back by Citi from capital in excess of par value to treasury stock.

On December 22, 2020, we entered into separate accelerated stock repurchase agreements, ("the December 2020 ASR Agreements"), with Citibank, N.A., or Citi, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, or JPM, to repurchase $1.75 billion of our common stock as part of the $3 billion repurchase program authorized by the Board of Directors on July 30, 2019. On December 23, 2020, in accordance with the December 2020 ASR Agreements, we made a payment of $1.75 billion ($875 million to Citi and $875 million to JPM) and received an initial delivery of 3.8 million shares of our common stock (1.9 million shares each from Citi and JPM). We recorded the payments to Citi and JPM as a reduction to stockholders’ equity, consisting of an $1.5 billion increase in treasury stock, which reflects the value of the initial 3.8 million shares received upon initial settlement, and a $262.5 million decrease in capital in excess of par value, which reflects the value of stock held back by Citi and JPM pending final settlement of the December 2020 ASR Agreements. Upon final settlement of the December 2020 ASR agreements with Citi and JPM on May 4, 2021 and May 5, 2021, respectively, we received an additional 0.3 million shares and 0.3 million shares, respectively, as determined by the average daily volume weighted-averages share price of our common stock during the term of the agreement, less a discount, of $400.07 and $401.49, respectively, bringing the total shares received under the December 2020 ASR agreements to 4.4 million. In addition, upon settlement we reclassified the $262.5 million value of stock initially held back by Citi and JPM from capital in excess of par value to treasury stock.

On February 18, 2021, the Board of Directors replaced the previous share repurchase authorization of up to $3 billion (of which approximately $250 million remained unused) with a new authorization for repurchases of up to $3 billion of our common shares exclusive of shares repurchased in connection with employee stock plans, expiring as of February 18, 2024. Our remaining repurchase authorization was $3 billion as of November 2, 2021.

In connection with employee stock plans, we acquired 0.09 million common shares for $36 million and 0.08 million common shares for $30 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Noncontrolling interests

Noncontrolling interests of $22 million as of September 30, 2021 relate to the minority ownership held by third party investors in certain of our Home Solutions businesses as a result of our Kindred at Home acquisition.