13. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

On June 14, 2018, the Company entered into a continuous equity offering program (“2018 Equity Program”) with multiple sales agents, pursuant to which the Company was permitted to sell up to $300 million in aggregate offering price of shares of the Company’s common stock. The 2018 Equity Program was replaced on December 29, 2020, when the Company entered into a continuous equity offering program (“2020 Equity Program”) with multiple sales agents, pursuant to which the Company was permitted to sell up to $500 million in aggregate offering price of shares of the Company’s common stock. The 2020 Equity Program was replaced on June 15, 2021 when the Company entered into a new continuous equity offering program ("2021 Equity Program") with multiple sales agents pursuant to which the Company is permitted to sell up to $500 million in aggregate offering price of shares of the Company's stock. Actual sales under this continuous equity offering program will depend on a variety of factors and conditions, including, but not limited to, market conditions, the trading price of the Company’s common stock, and determinations of the appropriate sources of funding for the Company. The Company expects to offer, sell and issue shares of common stock under this equity program from time to time based on various factors and conditions, although the Company is under no obligation to sell any shares under this equity program.

During the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, the Company issued 3,740,684 shares of common stock under the 2020 Equity Program and the 2021 Equity Program at a weighted average issue price of $88.91 per share, generating net proceeds of $328.9 million after deducting $3.3 million of sales commissions paid to the sales agents, as well as other expenses of $0.4 million. The Company used such proceeds primarily to fund a portion of the acquisition of the 33 storage facilities during the six months ended June 30, 2021.

During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company issued 285,605 shares of common stock under the 2018 Equity Program at a weighted average issue price of $76.17 per share, generating net proceeds of $21.5 million after deducting $0.2 million of sales commissions paid to the sales agents, as well as other expenses of $0.1 million. The Company used such proceeds to fund a portion of the acquisition of the six storage facilities during the six months ended June 30, 2020.

On August 2, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $200 million of the Company’s outstanding common shares (“Buyback Program”). The Buyback Program allows the Company to purchase shares of its common stock in accordance with applicable securities laws on the open market, through privately negotiated transactions, or through other methods of acquiring shares. The Buyback Program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. The Company did not repurchase any outstanding common shares under the Buyback Program during the six months ended June 30, 2021 or during the six months ended June 30, 2020.

In 2013, the Company implemented a Dividend Reinvestment Plan which was suspended by the Company’s Board of Directors in 2017. As a result, the Company did not issue any shares under the Dividend Reinvestment Plan during the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.

On January 4, 2021, the Company announced a three-for-two stock split of the Company’s common stock, to be made in the form of a 50% stock dividend. Shareholders of record at the close of business on January 15, 2021 received one additional share of Company stock for every two shares owned. These additional shares were distributed on January 27, 2021, with cash distributed in lieu of fractional shares based on the closing price on the record date.