Table:
|  | Fiscal |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  | 2019 | 2018 |
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $181,401 | $236,111 |
| Purchases of property and equipment | (83,283) | (90,757) |
| Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired | (18,881) | (45,448) |
| Proceeds from sale of discontinued operation (the Hull Business) | — | 25,000 |
| Proceeds from sales of other entities | — | 6,250 |
| Borrowings, net of repayments | 263 | (173,252) |
| Issuance of shares under employee stock plans | 11,811 | 10,574 |
| Repurchase of common stock | (77,410) | (100,000) |
| Net settlement of restricted common stock | (15,179) | (36,320) |
Paragraphs:
Sources and Uses of Cash
Historically, our primary source of cash has been provided by operations. Other sources of cash in the past three fiscal years include proceeds from our Euro Term Loan used to finance our acquisition of Rofin, proceeds received from the sale of our stock through our employee stock purchase plan as well as borrowings under our revolving credit facility (‘‘Revolving Credit Facility’’). Our historical uses of cash have primarily been for acquisitions of businesses and technologies, the repurchase of our common stock, capital expenditures and debt issuance costs. Supplemental information pertaining to our historical sources and uses of cash is presented as follows and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and notes thereto (in thousands):
Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $54.7 million in fiscal 2019 compared to fiscal 2018. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2019 was primarily due to lower net income and lower cash flows from income taxes payable and deferred taxes, partially offset by higher cash flows from accounts receivable, inventories, deferred revenue and accrued payroll. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short term investments combined with cash to be provided by operating activities and amounts available under our Revolving Credit Facility will be adequate to cover our working capital needs and planned capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months to the extent such items are known or are reasonably determinable based on current business and market conditions. However, we may elect to finance certain of our capital expenditure requirements through other sources of capital. We continue to follow our strategy to further strengthen our financial position by using available cash flow to fund operations.
Question:
In which year was the Issuance of shares under employee stock plans larger?
Answer: Because 11,811>10,574, the answer is: 2019.