Note 4 - Earnings Per Share

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Notes to Financial Statements

Earnings Per Share [Text Block]

NOTE

4

- EARNINGS PER SHARE

The following information was used in the computation of EPS on a basic and diluted basis:

	Three months ended
	March 31,
	2018		2017
Net income	$	10,549,961	$	9,184,965
Basic EPS	$	0.76	$	0.70
Diluted EPS	$	0.74	$	0.68
Weighted average common shares outstanding		13,888,661		13,133,382
Weighted average common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options and under the employee stock purchase plan		316,923		355,035
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares outstanding		14,205,584		13,488,417

The increase in weighted average common shares outstanding when comparing the

three

months ended

March 31, 2018

to

March 31, 2017

was primarily due to the common stock issuance discussed in Note

2

to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form

10

-K for the year ended

December 31, 2017.