NOTE 15 CAPITAL STOCK

We have 199 million authorized shares of common stock. The number of shares of common stock and treasury stock and the share activity were as follows:


	Common Shares		Treasury Shares
	2018	2017	2018	2017
Balance at the beginning of the year	66,742,490	66,012,843	4,881,889	3,865,863
Employee option exercises	1,182,547	1,173,936	(502,005)	(394,991)
Restricted stock vestings	39,691	67,708	—	—
Common stock repurchases	—	—	45,000	1,411,017
Common stock repurchased and retired	(623,412)	(511,997)	—	—
Balance at the end of the year	67,341,316	66,742,490	4,424,884	4,881,889

The cash dividends paid on the common stock for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 aggregated $82.3 million, $79.9 million and $76.7 million, respectively.