Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "IPGP". As of February 20, 2024, there were 46,098,133 shares of our common stock outstanding held by 30 holders of record, which does not include beneficial owners of common stock whose shares are held in the names of various securities brokers, dealers and registered clearing agencies.
Stock Price Performance Graph
The following Stock Price Performance Graph and related information includes comparisons required by the SEC. The graph does not constitute "soliciting material" and should not be deemed "filed" or incorporated by reference into any other filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference into such filing.
The following graph presents the cumulative shareholder returns for our Common Stock compared with the Russell 3000 Index and the S&P Composite 1500 - Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components Index. We include the Russell 3000 Index because we became a member of this index in 2022. We include the S&P Composite 1500 - Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components Index because outstanding performance stock units awarded to executive officers and outstanding at December 31, 2023 use this index when comparing total shareholder return and due to our being an index member, industry similarities, our internal use to monitor executive compensation, and the fact that it contains several direct competitors.
Base Period 5-Year Cumulative Total Return
12/31/2018 12/31/2019 12/31/2020 12/31/2021 12/31/2022 12/31/2023
IPG Photonics Corporation $ 100.00 $ 127.92 $ 197.54 $ 151.95 $ 83.56 $ 95.81
Russell 3000 Index $ 100.00 $ 128.54 $ 152.73 $ 189.39 $ 150.61 $ 186.68
S&P Composite 1500 - Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components Index $ 100.00 $ 132.66 $ 164.30 $ 212.24 $ 166.02 $ 199.92
The above graph represents and compares the value, through December 31, 2023, of a hypothetical investment of $100 made at the closing price on December 31, 2018 in each of (i) our common stock, (ii) Russell 3000 Index, and (iii) the S&P Composite 1500 - Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components Index, in each case assuming the reinvestment of dividends. The stock price performance shown in this graph is not necessarily indicative of, and not is intended to suggest, future stock price performance.
30
Table of Contents
Dividends
We currently intend to retain future earnings for use in our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board, taking into account any contractual and legal restrictions on our payment of dividends.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
None.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table shows repurchases of our common stock in the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023:
Date Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased
Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit)
Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs
Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
October 1, 2023 — October 31, 2023 340,488 (1), (2) $ 93.14 339,946 $ 122,307
November 1, 2023 — November 30, 2023 242,335 (1), (2) 92.30 241,676 100,000
December 1, 2023 — December 31, 2023 87,273 (2) 108.65 87,273 90,518
Total 670,096 $ 94.86 668,895 $ 90,518
(1) In 2012, our Board approved "withhold to cover" as a tax payment method for vesting of restricted stock awards for certain employees. Pursuant to the "withhold to cover" method, we withheld from such employees the shares noted in the table above to cover tax withholding related to the vesting of their awards. For the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company withheld 1,201 shares at an average price of $93.87.
(2) On May 2, 2023, we announced that our Board authorized the purchase of up to $200 million of IPG common stock (the "May 2023 authorization"), exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. Share repurchases under this purchase authorization were made periodically in open-market transactions using our working capital. On February 13, 2024, we announced that our Board authorized the purchase of up to $300 million of IPG common stock, exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. Share repurchases under these authorizations may be made periodically in open-market transactions, and are subject to market conditions, legal requirements and other factors. The share purchase program authorizations do not obligate us to repurchase any dollar amount or number of our shares, and repurchases could be commenced or suspended from time to time without prior notice.
We repurchased 668,895 shares in the fourth quarter of 2023 under the May 2023 authorization.
ITEM 6. RESERVED