Stockholders' equity | Stockholders' Equity Common Stock The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending shares of common stock outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019: SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 DECEMBER 31, 2019 Balance, beginning of period 134,706,154 125,279,455 Issuance of common stock 1,292,324 9,251,440 Nonvested share-based awards, net of withheld shares 55,462 175,259 Balance, end of period 136,053,940 134,706,154 At-The-Market Equity Offering Program On February 14, 2020, the Company entered into sales agreements with six investment banks to allow sales under its at-the-market equity offering program of up to an aggregate of $500.0 million of common stock. The Company sold 1,268,237 shares under the Company's at-the market equity offering program during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The sales generated $39.9 million in net proceeds at prices to the public ranging from $30.50 to $36.15 per share (weighted average of $31.86 per share). The sales occurred during the following time periods: • During the first quarter of 2020, the Company sold 196,250 shares generating approximately $7.0 million in net proceeds at prices to the public ranging from $33.00 to $36.15 per share (weighted average of $36.09 per share). • During the second quarter of 2020, the Company sold 1,071,987 shares generating approximately $32.9 million in net proceeds at prices to the public ranging from $30.50 to $31.29 per share (weighted average of $31.08 per share). In addition, the Company has entered into three forward equity agreements totaling 3.6 million shares at a weighted average price of $31.30 per share: • In the second quarter of 2020, the Company entered into a forward equity agreement for a total of 1,579,371 shares at a weighted average price of $31.66 per share, subject to adjustments as provided in the forward equity agreements. This agreement matures in June 2021. • In the third quarter of 2020, the Company entered into a forward equity agreement for a total of 764,472 shares at a weighted average price of $31.84 per share, subject to adjustments as provided in the forward equity agreements. This agreement matures in July 2021. • In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company entered into a forward equity agreement for a total of 1,235,129 shares at a weighted average price of $30.52 per share, subject to adjustments as provided in the forward equity agreements. This agreement matures in October 2021. After taking into account the forward equity contracts discussed above, the Company has approximately $347.6 million remaining available to be sold under the current sales agreements at the date of this filing. Common Stock Dividends During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company declared and paid common stock dividends totaling $0.90 per share. On November 3, 2020, the Company declared a quarterly common stock dividend in the amount of $0.30 per share payable on December 1, 2020 to stockholders of record on November 16, 2020. Earnings Per Common Share The Company uses the two-class method of computing net earnings per common shares. The Company's nonvested share-based awards are considered participating securities pursuant to the two-class method. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company entered into forward sale agreements to sell approximately 2.3 million shares of common stock through the Company's at-the-market equity offering program. The Company considered the accounting guidance governing financial instruments and derivatives to account for these agreements and concluded that it was not a liability as it did not embody obligations to repurchase our shares of common stock nor did it embody obligations to issue a variable number of shares for which the monetary value was predominately fixed, varying with something other than the fair value of the shares, or varying inversely in relation to the shares. In addition, the Company evaluated whether the agreements met the derivative and hedging guidance scope exception to be accounted for as an equity instrument and concluded that the agreements can be classified as equity. The Company used the treasury method to determine the dilution from the forward equity agreements during the period of time prior to settlement. The number of weighted-average shares outstanding used in the computation of earnings per common share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 included the effect from the assumed issuance of 2.3 million shares of common stock pursuant to the settlement of the forward equity agreements at the contractual price, less the assumed repurchase of the common stock at the average market price using the proceeds of approximately $72.7 million, adjusted for costs to borrow. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, 137,757 and 51,133 weighted-average incremental shares of common stock were excluded from the computation of weighted-average common shares outstanding - diluted, as the impact was anti-dilutive. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, Dollars in thousands, except per share data 2020 2019 2020 2019 Weighted average common shares outstanding Weighted average common shares outstanding 136,048,781 129,865,985 135,393,798 128,348,638 Non-vested shares (1,739,364) (1,775,911) (1,731,658) (1,777,743) Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic 134,309,417 128,090,074 133,662,140 126,570,895 Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic 134,309,417 128,090,074 133,662,140 126,570,895 Dilutive effect of forward equity shares — — — — Dilutive effect of employee stock purchase plan 47,810 78,610 74,029 85,690 Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted 134,357,227 128,168,684 133,736,169 126,656,585 Net Income $ 8,230 $ 2,601 $ 88,058 $ 11,975 Dividends paid on nonvested share-based awards (522) (534) (1,561) (1,603) Net income applicable to common stockholders $ 7,708 $ 2,067 $ 86,497 $ 10,372 Basic earnings per common share - net income $ 0.06 $ 0.02 $ 0.65 $ 0.08 Diluted earnings per common share - net income $ 0.06 $ 0.02 $ 0.65 $ 0.08 Incentive Plans A summary of the activity under the Company's share-based incentive plans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 is included in the table below. THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Share-based awards, beginning of period 1,739,258 1,778,134 1,754,066 1,769,863 Granted 188 — 79,025 89,767 Vested 1 — (204,548) (93,645) (286,044) Share-based awards, end of period 1,739,446 1,573,586 1,739,446 1,573,586 1 The Company's former Executive Chairman, David R. Emery, died on September 30, 2019 resulting in the accelerated vesting of 204,548 outstanding nonvested share-based awards. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company withheld 23,563 and 100,036 shares of common stock, respectively, from participants to pay estimated withholding taxes related to shares that vested. In addition to the share-based incentive plans, the Company maintains the 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "Purchase Plan"). A summary of the activity under the Purchase Plan for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 is included in the table below. THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Outstanding and exercisable, beginning of period 361,719 363,218 332,659 328,533 Granted — — 212,716 235,572 Exercised (3,504) (9,927) (17,871) (28,943) Forfeited (6,659) (11,762) (36,154) (51,559) Expired — — (139,794) (142,074) Outstanding and exercisable, end of period 351,556 341,529 351,556 341,529 |