Cash used for financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 increased approximately $4.9 million compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2018 primarily due to both an increase in open market share repurchases and an increase in common stock dividends paid to shareholders in 2019 compared to the prior year.
Financial Condition and Liquidity
The Company believes that the liquidity provided by existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, its overall strong capitalization and cash generated by operations will provide sufficient capital to meet the Company’s requirements for at least the next twelve months. The Company’s decisions about the amount of cash to be used for investing and financing purposes are influenced by its capital position and the expected amount of cash to be provided by operations.
Cash Requirements
The Company currently expects that capital expenditures in 2019 will be approximately $3.2 million, of which $2.0 million has been spent through September 30, 2019.
The Company participates in a multiple employer Retirement Income Plan, sponsored by RPC, Inc. (“RPC”). The Company did not make a cash contribution to this plan in the third quarter of 2019 and does not expect to make any additional contributions for the remainder of 2019.
As of September 30, 2019, the Company has repurchased a total of 6,492,649 shares in the open market under the Company stock repurchase program, which began in 2002. There are 1,757,351 shares that remain available for repurchase under the current authorization. There were 85,354 shares repurchased under this program during the three months ended September 30, 2019.
On October 22, 2019, the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per share and a special year-end cash dividend of $0.10 per share. Both dividends are payable December 10, 2019 to common stockholders of record at the close of business November 11, 2019. The Company expects to continue to pay cash dividends to common stockholders, subject to industry conditions and Marine Product’s earnings, financial condition, and other relevant factors.
OFF BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
To assist dealers in obtaining financing for the purchase of its boats for inventory, the Company has entered into agreements with various third-party floor plan lenders whereby the Company guarantees varying amounts of debt for qualifying dealers on boats in inventory. The Company’s obligation under these guarantees becomes effective in the case of a default under the financing arrangement between the dealer and the third-party lender. The agreements provide for the return of all repossessed boats to the Company in a new and unused condition as defined, in exchange for the Company’s assumption of specified percentages of the debt obligation on those boats, up to certain contractually determined dollar limits which vary by lender. The Company had repurchases of dealer inventory totaling $3.4 million under contractual agreements during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and no repurchases during the nine months ended September 30, 2018.
As previously noted, the Company recorded the repurchase of inventory totaling $3.4 million as a result of dealer defaults. At September 30, 2019, there was $2.7 million payable to floor plan lenders in connection with these repurchases and was recorded in accrued expenses. During the third quarter of 2019, the Company redistributed $3.1 million of these boats among existing and replacement dealers. The remaining repurchased boats are included in inventory as of September 30, 2019 and are recorded at a net realizable value of $0.3 million. The Company recorded $0.1 million of costs associated with these repurchases.
Management continues to monitor the risk of defaults and resulting repurchase obligations based in part on information provided by the third-party floor plan lenders and will adjust the guarantee liability at the end of each reporting period based on information reasonably available at that time.