these adjustments for kcp & l , as well as those related to the acquired assets and liabilities of great plains energy and its other direct subsidiaries , are only reflected on evergy 's consolidated financial statements . see note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for more information regarding the merger . common stock repurchase program in july 2018 , the evergy board authorized the repurchase of up to 60 million shares of evergy 's common stock . although this repurchase authorization has no expiration date , evergy expects to repurchase approximately 60 million shares by mid-2020 . evergy plans to utilize various methods to effectuate the share repurchase program , including but not limited to , a series of transactions that may include asrs , open market transactions or other means , subject to market conditions and applicable legal requirements . the repurchase program may be suspended , discontinued or resumed at any time . for 2018 , evergy had total repurchases of common stock of approximately $ 1,042 million and had repurchased 16.4 million shares under the repurchase program . these repurchase totals include shares repurchased under asr agreements , one of which had not reached final settlement as of december 31 , 2018 , and are discussed further below . in august 2018 , evergy entered into two asr agreements with financial institutions to purchase $ 450.0 million of evergy common stock . the asr agreements reached final settlement in the fourth quarter of 2018 and resulted in the delivery of 7.9 million shares to evergy based on the average daily volume weighted-average price of evergy common stock during the term of the asr agreements , less a negotiated discount . 30 in november 2018 , evergy entered into an asr agreement with a financial institution to purchase $ 475.0 million of evergy common stock . in december 2018 , the financial institution delivered to evergy 6.4 million shares of common stock , representing a partial settlement of the contract , based on then-current market prices and evergy paid a total of $ 475.0 million . the final number of shares of evergy common stock that evergy may receive or be required to remit upon settlement of the asr agreement will be based on the average daily volume weighted-average price of evergy common stock during the term of the asr agreement , less a negotiated discount . final settlement of the asr agreement will occur by march 2019 , but may occur earlier at the option of the financial institution . evergy expects that the final settlement of the asr agreement will result in the delivery of additional shares of common stock to evergy at no additional cost . see note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for more information regarding evergy 's common stock repurchase program . missouri legislation on june 1 , 2018 , missouri senate bill ( s.b . ) 564 was signed into law by the governor of missouri . most notably , s.b . 564 includes a pisa provision that can be elected by missouri electric utilities to defer to a regulatory asset and recover 85 % of depreciation expense and associated return on investment for qualifying electric plant rate base additions . qualifying electric plant includes all rate base additions with the exception of new coal , nuclear or natural gas generating units or rate base additions that increase revenues by allowing service to new customer premises . the deferred depreciation and return recorded in the associated regulatory asset , except for any prudence disallowances , is required to be included in determining the utility 's rate base during subsequent general rate proceedings subject to a 3 % compound annual growth rate limitation on future electric rates compared with the utility 's rates in effect prior to electing pisa . utilities that elect the pisa provision can make qualifying deferrals of depreciation and return through december 2023 , with a potential extension through december 2028 subject to mpsc approval . except under certain circumstances , utilities that elect the pisa provision must keep base rates constant for three years following the utilities ' last general rate case . kcp & l and gmo have elected the pisa provision of s.b . 564 effective as of january 1 , 2019. regulatory proceedings see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for information regarding regulatory proceedings . plant retirements in 2017 , westar energy announced plans to retire unit 7 at tecumseh energy center , units 3 and 4 at murray gill energy center and units 1 and 2 at gordon evans energy center , subject to the completion of the merger in 2018. in 2017 , kcp & l and gmo also announced plans to retire kcp & l 's montrose station and gmo 's sibley station . in the fourth quarter of 2018 , westar energy , kcp & l and gmo retired these stations consistent with their previously announced plans . strategy evergy expects to continue operating its vertically integrated utilities within the currently existing regulatory frameworks . evergy 's objectives are to deliver value to shareholders through earnings and dividend growth ; serve customers and communities with reliable service , clean energy and fewer and lower rate increases ; and maintain a rewarding and challenging work environment for employees . significant elements of evergy 's strategy to achieve these objectives include : the realization of a total of approximately $ 550 million of potential net savings from 2018 through 2022 resulting from synergies that are expected to be created as a result of the merger ; the repurchase of approximately 60 million outstanding shares of evergy common stock by mid-2020 ; anticipated rate base investment of approximately $ 6 billion from 2018 through 2022 ; the continued growth of evergy 's renewable energy portfolio as the evergy companies retire older and less efficient fossil fuel plants ; and 31 implementation of the rate orders received by the kcc story_separator_special_tag 36 management believes that utility gross margin provides a meaningful basis for evaluating the evergy companies ' operations across periods compared with operating revenues because utility gross margin excludes the revenue effect of fluctuations in these expenses . utility gross margin is used internally to measure performance against budget and in reports for management and the evergy board . the evergy companies ' definition of utility gross margin may differ from similar terms used by other companies . the following tables summarize evergy 's utility gross margin and mwhs sold . utility gross margin 2018 change 2017 change 2016 retail revenues ( millions ) residential $ 1,578.8 $ 777.5 $ 801.3 $ ( 23.9 ) $ 825.2 commercial 1,356.4 644.7 711.7 ( 16.9 ) 728.6 industrial 527.8 114.9 412.9 7.1 405.8 other retail revenues 30.6 7.8 22.8 0.8 22.0 total electric retail 3,493.6 1,544.9 1,948.7 ( 32.9 ) 1,981.6 wholesale revenues 404.4 73.2 331.2 14.9 316.3 transmission revenues 308.1 23.3 284.8 26.1 258.7 other revenues 69.8 63.5 6.3 0.8 5.5 operating revenues 4,275.9 1,704.9 2,571.0 8.9 2,562.1 fuel and purchased power ( 1,078.7 ) ( 537.2 ) ( 541.5 ) ( 32.0 ) ( 509.5 ) spp network transmission costs ( 259.9 ) ( 12.0 ) ( 247.9 ) ( 15.1 ) ( 232.8 ) utility gross margin ( a ) $ 2,937.3 $ 1,155.7 $ 1,781.6 $ ( 38.2 ) $ 1,819.8 ( a ) utility gross margin is a non-gaap financial measure . see explanation of utility gross margin above . replace_table_token_13_th evergy 's utility gross margin increased $ 1,155.7 million in 2018 compared to 2017 driven by : an $ 1,181.5 million increase due to the inclusion of kcp & l 's and gmo 's utility gross margin beginning in june 2018 ; and a $ 75.0 million increase primarily due to higher westar energy retail sales driven by warmer spring and summer weather and colder winter weather . for 2018 compared to 2017 , cooling degree days increased 31 % and heating degree days increased 23 % ; partially offset by a $ 69.8 million provision for rate refund recorded at westar energy for the change in the corporate income tax rate caused by the passage of the tcja . see note 19 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information ; and a $ 31.0 million reduction in revenue recorded at westar energy for one-time and annual bill credits as a result of conditions in the kcc merger order . see note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information . evergy 's utility gross margin decreased $ 38.2 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily due to lower westar energy retail sales driven by milder weather . for 2017 compared to 2016 , cooling degree days decreased 13 % . 37 other operating expenses ( including operating and maintenance expense and taxes other than income tax ) evergy 's other operating expenses increased $ 653.8 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily driven by : a $ 453.0 million increase in operating and maintenance expense due to the inclusion of kcp & l 's and gmo 's operating and maintenance expenses beginning in june 2018 , excluding the deferral of merger transition costs discussed below ; $ 69.5 million of merger-related costs incurred following the close of the merger in june 2018 , consisting of : ◦ $ 24.7 million of unconditional charitable contributions and community support recorded by evergy in accordance with conditions in the kcc and mpsc merger orders ; ◦ $ 44.2 million of westar energy change in control payments , westar energy voluntary severance and the recording of unrecognized equity compensations costs and the incremental fair value associated with the vesting of outstanding westar energy equity compensation awards in accordance with the amended merger agreement ; and ◦ $ 48.4 million of merger consulting fees and fees for other outside services incurred , primarily consisting of merger success fees ; partially offset by ◦ a $ 47.8 million decrease in operating and maintenance expense due to the deferral of merger transition costs to a regulatory asset in june 2018 for future recovery by westar energy , kcp & l and gmo in accordance with the kcc and mpsc merger orders ; a $ 95.3 million increase in taxes other than income taxes due to the inclusion of kcp & l and gmo amounts beginning in june 2018 ; $ 12.3 million of obsolete inventory write-offs for westar energy 's unit 7 at tecumseh energy center , units 3 and 4 at murray gill energy center and units 1 and 2 at gordon evans energy center , which were retired in the fourth quarter of 2018 ; and a $ 5.5 million increase due to westar energy 's 47 % share of voluntary severance expenses incurred related to the wolf creek voluntary exit program . evergy 's other operating expenses decreased $ 47.8 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily driven by : a $ 24.2 million decrease in westar energy 's property tax expense due to a decrease in amortization of the regulatory asset comprised of actual costs incurred for property taxes in the prior year in excess of amounts collected in prices in the prior year , which is mostly offset in retail revenues ; an $ 8.6 million decrease in westar energy 's transmission and distribution expense due to higher grid resiliency costs in 2016 and receiving credit for assisting other utilities with mutual aid during an active hurricane season , which offsets operating and maintenance expense ; a $ 7.1 million decrease in westar energy 's employee at-risk compensation that is payable only upon meeting pre-established operating and financial objectives ; a $ 5.8 million decrease in westar energy 's nuclear operating and maintenance costs primarily due to receiving a legal settlement related to wolf creek in 2017 ; and a $ 4.9 million decrease in westar energy 's operating and maintenance expense at coal fired

cash flows from ( used in ) investing activities evergy 's cash flows from investing activities increased $ 978.2 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to the inclusion of $ 1,154.2 million of cash acquired from great plains energy as of the merger date . evergy 's cash flows used in investing activities decreased $ 213.3 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily driven by a $ 322.3 million decrease in additions to westar energy 's property , plant and equipment primarily related to the construction of western plains wind farm in 2016 ; partially offset by receiving $ 110.5 million less proceeds from westar energy coli investments than in 2016. cash flows from ( used in ) financing activities evergy 's cash flows used in financing activities increased $ 1,406.8 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to the repurchase of common stock of $ 1,042.3 million as a result of evergy 's share repurchase program in 2018 ; an increase in cash dividends paid of $ 251.9 million due to an increase in outstanding shares of common stock following the close of the merger and a $ 0.06 and $ 0.075 per share increase in the quarterly dividends paid in september 2018 and december 2018 , respectively ; an increase in retirements of long-term debt of $ 270.8 million ; partially offset by an increase in collateralized short-term debt , net of $ 185.0 million due to westar energy 's receivable sale facility that was entered into in december 2018. evergy 's cash flows from financing activities decreased $ 321.8 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily due to westar energy issuing $ 207.5 million less in commercial paper ; westar energy issuing $ 162.0 million less in long-term debt of vies ; westar energy issuing $ 100.1 million less in long-term debt ; westar energy 's redemption of $ 75.0 million more in long-term debt and paying


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```cash flows from ( used in ) investing activities evergy 's cash flows from investing activities increased $ 978.2 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to the inclusion of $ 1,154.2 million of cash acquired from great plains energy as of the merger date . evergy 's cash flows used in investing activities decreased $ 213.3 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily driven by a $ 322.3 million decrease in additions to westar energy 's property , plant and equipment primarily related to the construction of western plains wind farm in 2016 ; partially offset by receiving $ 110.5 million less proceeds from westar energy coli investments than in 2016. cash flows from ( used in ) financing activities evergy 's cash flows used in financing activities increased $ 1,406.8 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to the repurchase of common stock of $ 1,042.3 million as a result of evergy 's share repurchase program in 2018 ; an increase in cash dividends paid of $ 251.9 million due to an increase in outstanding shares of common stock following the close of the merger and a $ 0.06 and $ 0.075 per share increase in the quarterly dividends paid in september 2018 and december 2018 , respectively ; an increase in retirements of long-term debt of $ 270.8 million ; partially offset by an increase in collateralized short-term debt , net of $ 185.0 million due to westar energy 's receivable sale facility that was entered into in december 2018. evergy 's cash flows from financing activities decreased $ 321.8 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily due to westar energy issuing $ 207.5 million less in commercial paper ; westar energy issuing $ 162.0 million less in long-term debt of vies ; westar energy issuing $ 100.1 million less in long-term debt ; westar energy 's redemption of $ 75.0 million more in long-term debt and paying
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 Suspicious Activity Report : these adjustments for kcp & l , as well as those related to the acquired assets and liabilities of great plains energy and its other direct subsidiaries , are only reflected on evergy 's consolidated financial statements . see note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for more information regarding the merger . common stock repurchase program in july 2018 , the evergy board authorized the repurchase of up to 60 million shares of evergy 's common stock . although this repurchase authorization has no expiration date , evergy expects to repurchase approximately 60 million shares by mid-2020 . evergy plans to utilize various methods to effectuate the share repurchase program , including but not limited to , a series of transactions that may include asrs , open market transactions or other means , subject to market conditions and applicable legal requirements . the repurchase program may be suspended , discontinued or resumed at any time . for 2018 , evergy had total repurchases of common stock of approximately $ 1,042 million and had repurchased 16.4 million shares under the repurchase program . these repurchase totals include shares repurchased under asr agreements , one of which had not reached final settlement as of december 31 , 2018 , and are discussed further below . in august 2018 , evergy entered into two asr agreements with financial institutions to purchase $ 450.0 million of evergy common stock . the asr agreements reached final settlement in the fourth quarter of 2018 and resulted in the delivery of 7.9 million shares to evergy based on the average daily volume weighted-average price of evergy common stock during the term of the asr agreements , less a negotiated discount . 30 in november 2018 , evergy entered into an asr agreement with a financial institution to purchase $ 475.0 million of evergy common stock . in december 2018 , the financial institution delivered to evergy 6.4 million shares of common stock , representing a partial settlement of the contract , based on then-current market prices and evergy paid a total of $ 475.0 million . the final number of shares of evergy common stock that evergy may receive or be required to remit upon settlement of the asr agreement will be based on the average daily volume weighted-average price of evergy common stock during the term of the asr agreement , less a negotiated discount . final settlement of the asr agreement will occur by march 2019 , but may occur earlier at the option of the financial institution . evergy expects that the final settlement of the asr agreement will result in the delivery of additional shares of common stock to evergy at no additional cost . see note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for more information regarding evergy 's common stock repurchase program . missouri legislation on june 1 , 2018 , missouri senate bill ( s.b . ) 564 was signed into law by the governor of missouri . most notably , s.b . 564 includes a pisa provision that can be elected by missouri electric utilities to defer to a regulatory asset and recover 85 % of depreciation expense and associated return on investment for qualifying electric plant rate base additions . qualifying electric plant includes all rate base additions with the exception of new coal , nuclear or natural gas generating units or rate base additions that increase revenues by allowing service to new customer premises . the deferred depreciation and return recorded in the associated regulatory asset , except for any prudence disallowances , is required to be included in determining the utility 's rate base during subsequent general rate proceedings subject to a 3 % compound annual growth rate limitation on future electric rates compared with the utility 's rates in effect prior to electing pisa . utilities that elect the pisa provision can make qualifying deferrals of depreciation and return through december 2023 , with a potential extension through december 2028 subject to mpsc approval . except under certain circumstances , utilities that elect the pisa provision must keep base rates constant for three years following the utilities ' last general rate case . kcp & l and gmo have elected the pisa provision of s.b . 564 effective as of january 1 , 2019. regulatory proceedings see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for information regarding regulatory proceedings . plant retirements in 2017 , westar energy announced plans to retire unit 7 at tecumseh energy center , units 3 and 4 at murray gill energy center and units 1 and 2 at gordon evans energy center , subject to the completion of the merger in 2018. in 2017 , kcp & l and gmo also announced plans to retire kcp & l 's montrose station and gmo 's sibley station . in the fourth quarter of 2018 , westar energy , kcp & l and gmo retired these stations consistent with their previously announced plans . strategy evergy expects to continue operating its vertically integrated utilities within the currently existing regulatory frameworks . evergy 's objectives are to deliver value to shareholders through earnings and dividend growth ; serve customers and communities with reliable service , clean energy and fewer and lower rate increases ; and maintain a rewarding and challenging work environment for employees . significant elements of evergy 's strategy to achieve these objectives include : the realization of a total of approximately $ 550 million of potential net savings from 2018 through 2022 resulting from synergies that are expected to be created as a result of the merger ; the repurchase of approximately 60 million outstanding shares of evergy common stock by mid-2020 ; anticipated rate base investment of approximately $ 6 billion from 2018 through 2022 ; the continued growth of evergy 's renewable energy portfolio as the evergy companies retire older and less efficient fossil fuel plants ; and 31 implementation of the rate orders received by the kcc story_separator_special_tag 36 management believes that utility gross margin provides a meaningful basis for evaluating the evergy companies ' operations across periods compared with operating revenues because utility gross margin excludes the revenue effect of fluctuations in these expenses . utility gross margin is used internally to measure performance against budget and in reports for management and the evergy board . the evergy companies ' definition of utility gross margin may differ from similar terms used by other companies . the following tables summarize evergy 's utility gross margin and mwhs sold . utility gross margin 2018 change 2017 change 2016 retail revenues ( millions ) residential $ 1,578.8 $ 777.5 $ 801.3 $ ( 23.9 ) $ 825.2 commercial 1,356.4 644.7 711.7 ( 16.9 ) 728.6 industrial 527.8 114.9 412.9 7.1 405.8 other retail revenues 30.6 7.8 22.8 0.8 22.0 total electric retail 3,493.6 1,544.9 1,948.7 ( 32.9 ) 1,981.6 wholesale revenues 404.4 73.2 331.2 14.9 316.3 transmission revenues 308.1 23.3 284.8 26.1 258.7 other revenues 69.8 63.5 6.3 0.8 5.5 operating revenues 4,275.9 1,704.9 2,571.0 8.9 2,562.1 fuel and purchased power ( 1,078.7 ) ( 537.2 ) ( 541.5 ) ( 32.0 ) ( 509.5 ) spp network transmission costs ( 259.9 ) ( 12.0 ) ( 247.9 ) ( 15.1 ) ( 232.8 ) utility gross margin ( a ) $ 2,937.3 $ 1,155.7 $ 1,781.6 $ ( 38.2 ) $ 1,819.8 ( a ) utility gross margin is a non-gaap financial measure . see explanation of utility gross margin above . replace_table_token_13_th evergy 's utility gross margin increased $ 1,155.7 million in 2018 compared to 2017 driven by : an $ 1,181.5 million increase due to the inclusion of kcp & l 's and gmo 's utility gross margin beginning in june 2018 ; and a $ 75.0 million increase primarily due to higher westar energy retail sales driven by warmer spring and summer weather and colder winter weather . for 2018 compared to 2017 , cooling degree days increased 31 % and heating degree days increased 23 % ; partially offset by a $ 69.8 million provision for rate refund recorded at westar energy for the change in the corporate income tax rate caused by the passage of the tcja . see note 19 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information ; and a $ 31.0 million reduction in revenue recorded at westar energy for one-time and annual bill credits as a result of conditions in the kcc merger order . see note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information . evergy 's utility gross margin decreased $ 38.2 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily due to lower westar energy retail sales driven by milder weather . for 2017 compared to 2016 , cooling degree days decreased 13 % . 37 other operating expenses ( including operating and maintenance expense and taxes other than income tax ) evergy 's other operating expenses increased $ 653.8 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily driven by : a $ 453.0 million increase in operating and maintenance expense due to the inclusion of kcp & l 's and gmo 's operating and maintenance expenses beginning in june 2018 , excluding the deferral of merger transition costs discussed below ; $ 69.5 million of merger-related costs incurred following the close of the merger in june 2018 , consisting of : ◦ $ 24.7 million of unconditional charitable contributions and community support recorded by evergy in accordance with conditions in the kcc and mpsc merger orders ; ◦ $ 44.2 million of westar energy change in control payments , westar energy voluntary severance and the recording of unrecognized equity compensations costs and the incremental fair value associated with the vesting of outstanding westar energy equity compensation awards in accordance with the amended merger agreement ; and ◦ $ 48.4 million of merger consulting fees and fees for other outside services incurred , primarily consisting of merger success fees ; partially offset by ◦ a $ 47.8 million decrease in operating and maintenance expense due to the deferral of merger transition costs to a regulatory asset in june 2018 for future recovery by westar energy , kcp & l and gmo in accordance with the kcc and mpsc merger orders ; a $ 95.3 million increase in taxes other than income taxes due to the inclusion of kcp & l and gmo amounts beginning in june 2018 ; $ 12.3 million of obsolete inventory write-offs for westar energy 's unit 7 at tecumseh energy center , units 3 and 4 at murray gill energy center and units 1 and 2 at gordon evans energy center , which were retired in the fourth quarter of 2018 ; and a $ 5.5 million increase due to westar energy 's 47 % share of voluntary severance expenses incurred related to the wolf creek voluntary exit program . evergy 's other operating expenses decreased $ 47.8 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily driven by : a $ 24.2 million decrease in westar energy 's property tax expense due to a decrease in amortization of the regulatory asset comprised of actual costs incurred for property taxes in the prior year in excess of amounts collected in prices in the prior year , which is mostly offset in retail revenues ; an $ 8.6 million decrease in westar energy 's transmission and distribution expense due to higher grid resiliency costs in 2016 and receiving credit for assisting other utilities with mutual aid during an active hurricane season , which offsets operating and maintenance expense ; a $ 7.1 million decrease in westar energy 's employee at-risk compensation that is payable only upon meeting pre-established operating and financial objectives ; a $ 5.8 million decrease in westar energy 's nuclear operating and maintenance costs primarily due to receiving a legal settlement related to wolf creek in 2017 ; and a $ 4.9 million decrease in westar energy 's operating and maintenance expense at coal fired

