Stockholders' Equity

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2012

Stock Repurchase Program [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]

Stockholders’ Equity

The Company’s authorized capital stock consists of 400 million shares of common stock, $.01 par value per share and 15 million shares of preferred stock, $.01 par value per share. At October 31, 2012, the Company had 168.6 million shares of common stock issued and outstanding (excluding 0.1 million shares of treasury stock), 11.7 million shares of common stock reserved for outstanding stock options and restricted stock units, 5.5 million shares of common stock reserved for future stock option and award issuances, 5.9 million reserved for the conversion of its 0.5% senior notes and 0.6 million shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan. As of October 31, 2012, the Company had issued no shares of preferred stock.

Issuance of Common Stock

In fiscal 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company issued 1,350, 1,250 and 1,250 shares of restricted common stock, respectively, pursuant to its stock incentive plans to certain outside directors. The Company is amortizing the fair market value of the awards on the date of grant over the period of time that each award vests. At October 31, 2012, 1,975 shares of the restricted stock awards were unvested.

Stock Repurchase Program

In March 2003, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 20 million shares of its common stock from time to time, in open market transactions or otherwise, for the purpose of providing shares for its various benefit plans.

The following table provides information about the Company’s share repurchase program for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	2012		2011		2010
Number of shares purchased (in thousands)	20		3,068		31
Average price per share	$	25.62	$	16.00	$	19.24
Remaining authorization at October 31(in thousands)	8,766		8,786		11,855

Stockholder Rights Plan and Transfer Restriction

In June 2007, the Company adopted a shareholder rights plan (“2007 Rights Plan”). The rights issued pursuant to the 2007 Rights Plan will become exercisable upon the earlier of (i) ten days following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons has acquired, or obtained the right to acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock or (ii) ten business days following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that would result in a person or group beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock. No rights were exercisable at October 31, 2012.

On March 17, 2010, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted a Certificate of Amendment to the Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (the “Certificate of Amendment”). The Certificate of Amendment includes an amendment approved by the Company’s stockholders at the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders' that restricts certain transfers of the Company’s common stock in order to preserve the tax treatment of the Company’s net operating and unrealized tax losses. The Certificate of Amendment’s transfer restrictions generally restrict any direct or indirect transfer of the Company’s common stock if the effect would be to increase the direct or indirect ownership of any Person (as defined in the Certificate of Amendment) from less than 4.95% to 4.95% or more of the Company’s common stock or increase the ownership percentage of a person owning or deemed to own 4.95% or more of the Company’s common stock. Any direct or indirect transfer attempted in violation of this restriction would be void as of the date of the prohibited transfer as to the purported transferee.