Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Common Stock Repurchases

v2.4.0.8
Common Stock Repurchases
6 Months Ended
Jun. 28, 2014
Common Stock Repurchases [Abstract]  
Common Stock Repurchases [Text Block]
Note 16: Common Stock Repurchases
Common Stock Repurchase Program
We have an ongoing authorization, originally approved by our Board of Directors in 2005, and subsequently amended, to repurchase up to $45 billion in shares of our common stock in open market or negotiated transactions. As of June 28, 2014, $490 million remained available for repurchase under the existing repurchase authorization limit. In July 2014, the Board of Directors authorized an increase of $20 billion to our common stock repurchase program.
During the second quarter of 2014, we repurchased 75.8 million shares of common stock at a cost of $2.2 billion (23.3 million shares of common stock at a cost of $550 million during the second quarter of 2013). During the first six months of 2014, we repurchased 97.9 million shares of common stock at a cost of $2.7 billion (48.5 million shares of common stock at a cost of $1.1 billion in the first six months of 2013). We have repurchased 4.5 billion shares of common stock at a cost of $94 billion since the program began in 1990.
Restricted Stock Unit Withholdings
We issue restricted stock units as part of our equity incentive plans. For the majority of restricted stock units granted, the number of shares of common stock issued on the date the restricted stock units vest is net of the minimum statutory withholding requirements that we pay in cash to the appropriate taxing authorities on behalf of our employees. In our consolidated condensed financial statements, we also treat shares of common stock withheld for tax purposes on behalf of our employees in connection with the vesting of restricted stock units as common stock repurchases because they reduce the number of shares that would have been issued upon vesting. These withheld shares of common stock are not considered common stock repurchases under our authorized common stock repurchase plan. During the first six months of 2014, we withheld 11.3 million shares of common stock to satisfy $299 million (12.3 million shares of common stock to satisfy $272 million during the first six months of 2013) of employees’ tax obligations.