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: .
in the fourth quarter of 2018 vs . 2017 , what was the increase in the cash dividend per share?
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 .