Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]  
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

NOTE 12. STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company paid $39.4 million, or $0.08 per share, in cash dividends compared to $39.3 million, or $0.08 per share, during the same period in 2020.

During the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and during the same period in 2020, the Company did not repurchase shares on the open market.

The Company repurchases shares from employees for the payment of their taxes on restricted shares that have vested. The Company repurchased $9.3 million and $8.0 million for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

As more fully discussed in Note 17 of the Company’s notes to the consolidated financial statements in its 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, time-lapse restricted shares and restricted stock units have been issued to officers and other management employees under the Company’s Employee Stock Incentive Plans. The Company issues new shares from its authorized but unissued share pool. At March 31, 2021, approximately 6.6 million shares of the Company’s common stock were reserved for issuance.

Time Lapse Restricted Shares

The following table summarizes the components of the Company’s stock-based compensation programs recorded as expense:

    Three Months Ended  
    March 31,  
(in thousands)   2021     2020  
Time lapse restricted stock:                
Pre-tax compensation expense   $ 3,921     $ 3,819  
Tax benefit     (886 )     (837 )
Restricted stock expense, net of tax   $ 3,035     $ 2,982  

The following table summarizes information on unvested restricted stock outstanding as of March 31, 2021:

(number of shares in thousands)   Number of
Shares		     Average Grant-
Date Fair Value		  
Unvested Restricted Stock at December 31, 2020     2,870     $ 20.36  
Forfeited     (10 )     22.44  
Vested     (774 )     16.16  
Granted     778       37.04  
Unvested Restricted Stock at March 31, 2021     2,864     $ 26.02  

At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company had $65.2 million and $40.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost, respectively, related to time-lapse restricted shares that are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 4.5 years.