STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

NOTE 6.            STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY    

During the six months ended June 30, 2014 the Company paid $30.6 million or $0.21 per share in cash dividends compared to $26.3 million or $0.18 per share during the same period in 2013.

During the second quarter ended June 30, 2014, the Company repurchased 0.2 million shares from the open market of its $1 par value common stock at a weighted average price of $29.86 per share compared to 0.2 million shares purchased at a weighted average price of $24.41 during the same period in 2013. For the six month period ended June 30, 2014, the Company repurchased 0.2 million shares from the open market of its $1 par value common stock at a weighted average price of $29.47 per share compared to 0.2 million shares purchased at a weighted average price of $24.41 during the same period in 2013.

The Company repurchased $0.4 million of common stock for each of the second quarters ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and repurchased $6.1 million and $4.9 million of common stock for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, from employees for the payment of taxes on vesting restricted shares.

As more fully discussed in Note 14 of the Company’s notes to the consolidated financial statements in its 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K, stock options, time lapse restricted shares (TLRS’s) and restricted stock units have been issued to officers and other management employees under the Company’s Employee Stock Incentive Plans.  The Company issues new shares from its authorized but unissued share pool. At June 30, 2014, approximately 3.6 million shares of the Company’s common stock were reserved for issuance.

Stock Options

Stock options generally vest over a five-year period and expire ten years from the issuance date. For the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company did not issue any shares of common stock under exercise of stock options by employees with one thousand shares issued for the same period in 2013.

The Company had no options outstanding under the Company’s stock option plan as of June 30, 2014 or December 31, 2013.

The aggregate intrinsic value of options exercised during the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 was zero and $20 thousand, respectively. There were no options exercised for the second quarters ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Time Lapse Restricted Shares and Restricted Stock Units

The following table summarizes the components of the Company’s stock-based compensation programs recorded as expense:

	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	June 30,						June 30,
(in thousands)	2014			2013			2014			2013
Time lapse restricted stock:
Pre-tax compensation expense	$	2,602		$	2,546		$	5,367		$	5,092
Tax benefit		(1,001	)		(980	)		(2,066	)		(1,960	)
Restricted stock expense, net of tax	$	1,601		$	1,566		$	3,301		$	3,132

The Company recognized a tax benefit of approximately $1.1 million and $0.4 million during the second quarters ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and approximately $4.5 million and $3.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, related to the vesting of restricted shares which have been recorded as increases to paid-in capital.

The following table summarizes information on unvested restricted stock outstanding as of June 30, 2014:

	Number of Shares			Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Unvested Restricted Stock Units at December 31, 2013		2,454		$	18.75
Forfeited		(79	)		21.60
Vested		(674	)		15.42
Granted		411			28.74
Unvested Restricted Stock Units at June 30, 2014		2,112		$	21.64

At June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had $35.5 million and $30.7 million of total unrecognized compensation cost, respectively, related to time-lapse restricted shares that are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 4.0 years and 3.8 years, respectively.