We reported net income of $1,248,084 for the third quarter of 2018 or $0.32 per share, compared to $669,883 or $0.17 per share, for the third quarter of 2017. For the first nine months of 2018 net income was $3,399,925 or $0.87 per share, compared to $2,480,715 or $0.62 per share, in the first nine months of 2017.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash and cash equivalents were $30,488,854 at August 4, 2018 compared to $27,910,504 at November 4, 2017. Certificates of deposit were $2,006,436 at August 4, 2018. We had no certificates of deposit at November 4, 2017. Short-term investments were $557,448 at August 4, 2018 compared to $627,087 at November 4, 2017. Working capital was $36,515,997 at August 4, 2018 as compared to $36,403,372 at November 4, 2017. In November 2017, the Company purchased the land and building for one existing retail sales center for $330,000. In January 2018, the Company repurchased 4,500 shares of its common stock at $21.00 per share. In February 2018, the Company repurchased, from a related party, 100,000 shares of its common stock at $20.22 per share. In April 2018, the Company sold its Belleview facility (property held for sale) for net proceeds of $589,530. A cash dividend was paid from our cash reserves in April 2018 in the amount of $778,614.In the second quarter of 2018, the Company repurchased an additional 19,000 shares of its common stock for an average price of $20.65. We own the entire inventory for our Prestige retail sales centers which includes new,pre-owned and repossessed or foreclosed homes and do not incur any third party floor plan financing expenses. The Company has no material commitments for capital expenditures.
We view our liquidity as our total cash and short term investments. We currently have no line of credit facility and we do not believe that such a facility is currently necessary for our operations. We have no debt. We also have approximately $3.3 million of cash surrender value of life insurance which we could access as an additional source of liquidity, though we have not currently viewed this to be necessary. As of August 4, 2018, the Company continued to report a strong balance sheet which included total assets of approximately $55 million and stockholders’ equity of approximately $47 million.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In Item 7 of our Form10-K, under the heading “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates,” we have provided a discussion of the critical accounting policies and estimates that management believes affect its more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements. No significant changes have occurred since that time.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this report are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although Nobility believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competitive pricing pressures at both the wholesale and retail levels, increasing material costs, uncertain economic conditions, changes in market demand, changes in interest rates, availability of financing for retail and wholesale purchasers, consumer confidence, adverse weather conditions that reduce sales at retail centers, the risk of manufacturing plant shutdowns due to storms or other factors, the impact of marketing and cost-management programs, reliance on the Florida economy, possible labor shortages, possible materials shortages, increasing labor cost, cyclical nature of the manufactured housing industry, impact of fuel costs, catastrophic events impacting insurance
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