{"pre_text": ["flows of the company 2019s subsidiaries , the receipt of dividends and repayments of indebtedness from the company 2019s subsidiaries , compliance with delaware corporate and other laws , compliance with the contractual provisions of debt and other agreements , and other factors .", "the company 2019s dividend rate on its common stock is determined by the board of directors on a quarterly basis and takes into consideration , among other factors , current and possible future developments that may affect the company 2019s income and cash flows .", "when dividends on common stock are declared , they are typically paid in march , june , september and december .", "historically , dividends have been paid quarterly to holders of record less than 30 days prior to the distribution date .", "since the dividends on the company 2019s common stock are not cumulative , only declared dividends are paid .", "during 2018 , 2017 and 2016 , the company paid $ 319 million , $ 289 million and $ 261 million in cash dividends , respectively .", "the following table provides the per share cash dividends paid for the years ended december 31: ."], "post_text": ["on december 7 , 2018 , the company 2019s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend payment of $ 0.455 per share payable on march 1 , 2019 , to shareholders of record as of february 7 , 2019 .", "equity forward transaction see note 4 2014acquisitions and divestitures for information regarding the forward sale agreements entered into by the company on april 11 , 2018 , and the subsequent settlement of these agreements on june 7 , 2018 .", "regulatory restrictions the issuance of long-term debt or equity securities by the company or american water capital corp .", "( 201cawcc 201d ) , the company 2019s wholly owned financing subsidiary , does not require authorization of any state puc if no guarantee or pledge of the regulated subsidiaries is utilized .", "however , state puc authorization is required to issue long-term debt at most of the company 2019s regulated subsidiaries .", "the company 2019s regulated subsidiaries normally obtain the required approvals on a periodic basis to cover their anticipated financing needs for a period of time or in connection with a specific financing .", "under applicable law , the company 2019s subsidiaries can pay dividends only from retained , undistributed or current earnings .", "a significant loss recorded at a subsidiary may limit the dividends that the subsidiary can distribute to american water .", "furthermore , the ability of the company 2019s subsidiaries to pay upstream dividends or repay indebtedness to american water is subject to compliance with applicable regulatory restrictions and financial obligations , including , for example , debt service and preferred and preference stock dividends , as well as applicable corporate , tax and other laws and regulations , and other agreements or covenants made or entered into by the company and its subsidiaries .", "note 10 : stock based compensation the company has granted stock options , stock units and dividend equivalents to non-employee directors , officers and other key employees of the company pursuant to the terms of its 2007 omnibus equity compensation plan ( the 201c2007 plan 201d ) .", "stock units under the 2007 plan generally vest based on ( i ) continued employment with the company ( 201crsus 201d ) , or ( ii ) continued employment with the company where distribution of the shares is subject to the satisfaction in whole or in part of stated performance-based goals ( 201cpsus 201d ) .", "the total aggregate number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2007 plan is 15.5 million .", "as of ."], "table": [["", "2018", "2017", "2016"], ["december", "$ 0.455", "$ 0.415", "$ 0.375"], ["september", "$ 0.455", "$ 0.415", "$ 0.375"], ["june", "$ 0.455", "$ 0.415", "$ 0.375"], ["march", "$ 0.415", "$ 0.375", "$ 0.34"]], "table_ori": [["", "2018", "2017", "2016"], ["December", "$0.455", "$0.415", "$0.375"], ["September", "$0.455", "$0.415", "$0.375"], ["June", "$0.455", "$0.415", "$0.375"], ["March", "$0.415", "$0.375", "$0.34"]]}

Question: during 2018 , 2017 and 2016 , what did the company pay ( millions ) in cash dividends?
Evidence:
text_5: during 2018 , 2017 and 2016 , the company paid $ 319 million , $ 289 million and $ 261 million in cash dividends , respectively .
Program: add(319, 289), add(#0, 261)
Answer:
str_answer: 866
exe_answer: 869