; on july 6 , 2017 , we , through certain of our subsidiaries , amended and restated our $ 500 million , asset-based senior secured loan facility , extending the maturity to july 2022 and amending certain other terms ; on august 31 , 2017 , we announced that our board of directors ( the `` board `` ) had approved a new share repurchase program authorizing us to repurchase up to $ 1.0 billion of our common stock over an approximate four-year period expiring on september 30 , 2021 ( the `` 2017 share repurchase program `` ) and terminated the 2014 share repurchase program . during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , we repurchased and subsequently retired approximately 16.1 million shares of our common stock under the 2014 share repurchase program at an aggregate cost of $ 346.1 million ; and during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , we recorded a charge of $ 4.0 million for estimated casualty losses resulting from hurricanes that affected areas of the u.s. and puerto rico in august and september . overview description of business at september 30 , 2017 , we operated primarily through two business units , sally beauty supply , or sbs , and beauty systems group , or bsg . we believe we are the largest open-line distributor of professional beauty supplies in the u.s. based on store count . as of september 30 , 2017 , we had 4,963 company-operated stores and supplied 187 franchised stores primarily in north america and selected south american and european countries . within bsg , we also have one of the largest networks of distributor sales consultants for professional beauty products in north america . we offer a wide variety of leading third-party branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies , including hair color products , hair care products , styling tools , skin and nail care products and other beauty items . sbs targets retail consumers and salon professionals , while bsg exclusively targets salons and salon professionals . for the year ended september 30 , 2017 , our consolidated net sales and operating earnings were $ 3,938.3 million and $ 478.6 million , respectively . as of september 30 , 2017 , sbs had 3,763 company-operated retail stores ( generally , under the sally beauty banner ) , 2,883 of which are located in the u.s. ( including puerto rico ) , with the remaining 880 company-operated stores located in canada , mexico , the united kingdom , ireland , belgium , france , germany , the netherlands , spain , chile and peru . sbs also supplied 19 franchised stores located in the united kingdom , belgium and certain other european countries . in the u.s. and canada , our sbs stores average approximately 1,700 square feet in size and are located primarily in strip shopping centers . our sbs stores carry an extensive selection of professional beauty supplies for both retail customers and salon professionals , featuring an average of 8,000 skus of beauty products across a variety of product categories including hair color , hair care , skin and nail care , styling tools and other beauty items . our sbs stores carry leading third-party brands , such as opi® , china glaze® , wella® , clairol® , conair® and hot shot tools® , as well as an extensive selection of exclusive-label merchandise . store formats , including average size and product selection , for sbs outside the u.s. and canada vary by marketplace . for the year ended september 30 , 2017 , sbs 's net sales were $ 2,345.1 million , representing 59.5 % of consolidated net sales . as of september 30 , 2017 , bsg had 1,200 company-operated stores ( generally , under the cosmoprof banner ) , supplied 168 franchised stores and had a sales force of approximately 829 distributor sales consultants who train , educate and sell exclusively to salons and salon professionals in the u.s. , canada and mexico . company-operated bsg stores average approximately 2,600 square feet in size and are primarily located in secondary strip shopping centers . bsg stores provide a comprehensive selection of 40 beauty products featuring an average of 10,500 skus that include hair color and care , skin and nail care , styling tools and other beauty items . through bsg 's large store base and sales force , bsg is able to access a significant portion of the highly fragmented u.s. salon industry . bsg stores carry leading third-party brands such as paul mitchell® , wella® , matrix® , schwarzkopf® , kenra® , goldwell® , joico® and aquage® , intended for use in salons and for resale by the salons to their consumers . bsg is also the exclusive source for certain well-known third-party branded products pursuant to exclusive distribution agreements with certain suppliers within specified geographic territories . for the year ended september 30 , 2017 , bsg 's net sales were $ 1,593.2 million , representing 40.5 % of consolidated net sales . key industry and business trends we operate primarily within the large and growing u.s. beauty supply industry . we believe that a number of key industry and business trends and characteristics will influence our business and our financial results going forward . these key trends and characteristics are discussed elsewhere in this annual report . see `` key industry and business trends `` in item 1 of this annual report . restructuring plans in february 2017 , we announced that our board of directors had approved a comprehensive restructuring plan ( the `` 2017 restructuring plan `` ) for our businesses that includes a wide range of organizational efficiency initiatives and other cost reduction opportunities . the 2017 restructuring plan comprised the closure of four administrative offices in the u.s. and canada , reductions in both salaried and hourly workforce and certain other cost reduction activities . story_separator_special_tag sbs 's selling , general and administrative expenses increased $ 7.8 million , or 0.9 % , for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this increase reflects higher employee compensation and compensation-related expenses of $ 10.0 million ( including wage increases for sales staff at existing stores ) , higher expenses related to recent upgrades to our information technology systems ( approximately $ 4.1 million ) , casualty losses resulting from hurricanes that impacted areas of the u.s. and puerto rico ( $ 4.0 million ) , and higher foreign currency transaction losses ( $ 2.4 million ) . these increases were partially offset by lower advertising expenses ( $ 10.2 million ) and lower sales bonuses ( $ 8.8 million ) . beauty systems group . bsg 's selling , general and administrative expenses increased $ 7.5 million , or 2.1 % , for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. the increase reflects the incremental expenses ( including rent and other occupancy-related expenses ) associated with the increase in store count described above , as well as higher employee compensation and compensation-related expenses of $ 6.7 million ( including incremental wages in connection with bsg stores added during the past 12 months and wage increases for sales staff at existing stores ) and higher expenses related to recent upgrades to our information technology and our point of sale systems , in the aggregate , of approximately $ 2.8 million . unallocated selling , general and administrative expenses . unallocated selling , general and administrative expenses , which represent certain corporate costs ( such as payroll , share-based compensation , employee benefits and travel expenses for corporate staff , certain professional fees , certain new business development expenses and corporate governance expenses ) that have not been charged to our operating segments , decreased $ 30.1 million , or 19.8 % , for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this decrease was due primarily to lower expenses associated with the data security incidents of $ 14.6 million , lower corporate employee compensation and compensation-related expenses of $ 6.4 million ( including the absence during the current fiscal year of expenses of approximately $ 1.3 million incurred in connection with management transition plans more fully discussed in our annual report on form 10-k for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 ) , lower expenses related to upgrades to our corporate information technology systems of $ 2.8 million , lower share-based compensation expense of $ 2.1 million and lower foreign currency transaction losses of $ 2.0 million . depreciation and amortization consolidated depreciation and amortization increased $ 12.7 million to $ 112.3 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this increase reflects the incremental depreciation and amortization expenses associated with capital expenditures made in the preceding 12 months , mainly in connection with store openings in both operating segments , with store refreshes in the sbs segment ( primarily in the u.s. ) and with ongoing information technology upgrades . this increase was partially offset by the impact of assets that became fully depreciated in the preceding 12 months . restructuring charges during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , the company incurred charges of approximately $ 22.7 million in connection with the 2017 restructuring plan , including severance and related expenses of $ 12.1 million , facility closure expenses of $ 6.7 million and other expenses of $ 3.9 million . 47 interest expense interest expense decreased $ 11.3 million to $ 132.9 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2015. the decrease in interest expense reflects lower interest expense in the aggregate ( $ 7.2 million ) on the senior notes currently outstanding and the term loan b , compared to the senior notes outstanding prior to our refinancing of debt in december 2015 and july 2017. the decrease in interest expense also reflects a lower loss on extinguishment of debt ( approximately $ 5.3 million ) recognized in connection with our july 2017 refinancing of debt , compared to our december 2015 refinancing of debt . see note 12 of the notes to consolidated financial statements in item 8  `` financial statements and supplementary data `` contained elsewhere in this annual report and `` liquidity and capital resources `` below for additional information about the company 's debt refinancing . the decrease in interest expense was offset in part by approximately $ 1.1 million of incremental interest expenses in connection with borrowings under the abl facility and the predecessor abl facility , as appropriate . provision for income taxes the provision for income taxes was $ 130.6 million and $ 131.1 million , and the effective income tax rate was 37.8 % and 37.0 % , for the fiscal years ended september 30 , 2017 and 2016 , respectively . the increase in our effective income tax rate for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 , is due primarily to increased losses subject to a valuation allowance in certain of our foreign operations and a non-recurring reduction in non-deductible executive compensation in the prior year . net earnings as a result of the foregoing , consolidated net earnings decreased $ 7.9 million , or 3.5 % , to $ 215.1 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to $ 222.9 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 were $ 1.56 compared to $ 1.50

net cash provided by operating activities net cash provided by operating activities during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 decreased $ 6.6 million to $ 344.4 million , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 , due primarily to a decrease in net earnings of $ 7.9 million . net cash provided by operating activities during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 increased $ 50.2 million to $ 351.0 million , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2015. the increase was due primarily to net changes in the adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities , including depreciation and amortization expenses , net loss on extinguishment of debt , share-based compensation expense , deferred income taxes , net loss on disposal of property and equipment and excess tax benefits resulting from share-based compensation activity ( in the aggregate , $ 72.3 million ) . this increase was partially offset by a decrease in net earnings and by net changes in the components of working capital . net cash used by investing activities net cash used by investing activities during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 decreased $ 85.2 million to $ 89.6 million , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this decrease reflects lower capital expenditures related primarily to sbs store refreshes and lower investments in information technology upgrades in the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 ( $ 61.6 million ) and less cash used for acquisitions in the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 ( $ 26.1 million ) , partially offset by a decrease in cash proceeds from the


 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.
     ```net cash provided by operating activities net cash provided by operating activities during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 decreased $ 6.6 million to $ 344.4 million , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 , due primarily to a decrease in net earnings of $ 7.9 million . net cash provided by operating activities during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 increased $ 50.2 million to $ 351.0 million , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2015. the increase was due primarily to net changes in the adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities , including depreciation and amortization expenses , net loss on extinguishment of debt , share-based compensation expense , deferred income taxes , net loss on disposal of property and equipment and excess tax benefits resulting from share-based compensation activity ( in the aggregate , $ 72.3 million ) . this increase was partially offset by a decrease in net earnings and by net changes in the components of working capital . net cash used by investing activities net cash used by investing activities during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 decreased $ 85.2 million to $ 89.6 million , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this decrease reflects lower capital expenditures related primarily to sbs store refreshes and lower investments in information technology upgrades in the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 ( $ 61.6 million ) and less cash used for acquisitions in the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 ( $ 26.1 million ) , partially offset by a decrease in cash proceeds from the
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 Suspicious Activity Report : ; on july 6 , 2017 , we , through certain of our subsidiaries , amended and restated our $ 500 million , asset-based senior secured loan facility , extending the maturity to july 2022 and amending certain other terms ; on august 31 , 2017 , we announced that our board of directors ( the `` board `` ) had approved a new share repurchase program authorizing us to repurchase up to $ 1.0 billion of our common stock over an approximate four-year period expiring on september 30 , 2021 ( the `` 2017 share repurchase program `` ) and terminated the 2014 share repurchase program . during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , we repurchased and subsequently retired approximately 16.1 million shares of our common stock under the 2014 share repurchase program at an aggregate cost of $ 346.1 million ; and during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , we recorded a charge of $ 4.0 million for estimated casualty losses resulting from hurricanes that affected areas of the u.s. and puerto rico in august and september . overview description of business at september 30 , 2017 , we operated primarily through two business units , sally beauty supply , or sbs , and beauty systems group , or bsg . we believe we are the largest open-line distributor of professional beauty supplies in the u.s. based on store count . as of september 30 , 2017 , we had 4,963 company-operated stores and supplied 187 franchised stores primarily in north america and selected south american and european countries . within bsg , we also have one of the largest networks of distributor sales consultants for professional beauty products in north america . we offer a wide variety of leading third-party branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies , including hair color products , hair care products , styling tools , skin and nail care products and other beauty items . sbs targets retail consumers and salon professionals , while bsg exclusively targets salons and salon professionals . for the year ended september 30 , 2017 , our consolidated net sales and operating earnings were $ 3,938.3 million and $ 478.6 million , respectively . as of september 30 , 2017 , sbs had 3,763 company-operated retail stores ( generally , under the sally beauty banner ) , 2,883 of which are located in the u.s. ( including puerto rico ) , with the remaining 880 company-operated stores located in canada , mexico , the united kingdom , ireland , belgium , france , germany , the netherlands , spain , chile and peru . sbs also supplied 19 franchised stores located in the united kingdom , belgium and certain other european countries . in the u.s. and canada , our sbs stores average approximately 1,700 square feet in size and are located primarily in strip shopping centers . our sbs stores carry an extensive selection of professional beauty supplies for both retail customers and salon professionals , featuring an average of 8,000 skus of beauty products across a variety of product categories including hair color , hair care , skin and nail care , styling tools and other beauty items . our sbs stores carry leading third-party brands , such as opi® , china glaze® , wella® , clairol® , conair® and hot shot tools® , as well as an extensive selection of exclusive-label merchandise . store formats , including average size and product selection , for sbs outside the u.s. and canada vary by marketplace . for the year ended september 30 , 2017 , sbs 's net sales were $ 2,345.1 million , representing 59.5 % of consolidated net sales . as of september 30 , 2017 , bsg had 1,200 company-operated stores ( generally , under the cosmoprof banner ) , supplied 168 franchised stores and had a sales force of approximately 829 distributor sales consultants who train , educate and sell exclusively to salons and salon professionals in the u.s. , canada and mexico . company-operated bsg stores average approximately 2,600 square feet in size and are primarily located in secondary strip shopping centers . bsg stores provide a comprehensive selection of 40 beauty products featuring an average of 10,500 skus that include hair color and care , skin and nail care , styling tools and other beauty items . through bsg 's large store base and sales force , bsg is able to access a significant portion of the highly fragmented u.s. salon industry . bsg stores carry leading third-party brands such as paul mitchell® , wella® , matrix® , schwarzkopf® , kenra® , goldwell® , joico® and aquage® , intended for use in salons and for resale by the salons to their consumers . bsg is also the exclusive source for certain well-known third-party branded products pursuant to exclusive distribution agreements with certain suppliers within specified geographic territories . for the year ended september 30 , 2017 , bsg 's net sales were $ 1,593.2 million , representing 40.5 % of consolidated net sales . key industry and business trends we operate primarily within the large and growing u.s. beauty supply industry . we believe that a number of key industry and business trends and characteristics will influence our business and our financial results going forward . these key trends and characteristics are discussed elsewhere in this annual report . see `` key industry and business trends `` in item 1 of this annual report . restructuring plans in february 2017 , we announced that our board of directors had approved a comprehensive restructuring plan ( the `` 2017 restructuring plan `` ) for our businesses that includes a wide range of organizational efficiency initiatives and other cost reduction opportunities . the 2017 restructuring plan comprised the closure of four administrative offices in the u.s. and canada , reductions in both salaried and hourly workforce and certain other cost reduction activities . story_separator_special_tag sbs 's selling , general and administrative expenses increased $ 7.8 million , or 0.9 % , for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this increase reflects higher employee compensation and compensation-related expenses of $ 10.0 million ( including wage increases for sales staff at existing stores ) , higher expenses related to recent upgrades to our information technology systems ( approximately $ 4.1 million ) , casualty losses resulting from hurricanes that impacted areas of the u.s. and puerto rico ( $ 4.0 million ) , and higher foreign currency transaction losses ( $ 2.4 million ) . these increases were partially offset by lower advertising expenses ( $ 10.2 million ) and lower sales bonuses ( $ 8.8 million ) . beauty systems group . bsg 's selling , general and administrative expenses increased $ 7.5 million , or 2.1 % , for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. the increase reflects the incremental expenses ( including rent and other occupancy-related expenses ) associated with the increase in store count described above , as well as higher employee compensation and compensation-related expenses of $ 6.7 million ( including incremental wages in connection with bsg stores added during the past 12 months and wage increases for sales staff at existing stores ) and higher expenses related to recent upgrades to our information technology and our point of sale systems , in the aggregate , of approximately $ 2.8 million . unallocated selling , general and administrative expenses . unallocated selling , general and administrative expenses , which represent certain corporate costs ( such as payroll , share-based compensation , employee benefits and travel expenses for corporate staff , certain professional fees , certain new business development expenses and corporate governance expenses ) that have not been charged to our operating segments , decreased $ 30.1 million , or 19.8 % , for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this decrease was due primarily to lower expenses associated with the data security incidents of $ 14.6 million , lower corporate employee compensation and compensation-related expenses of $ 6.4 million ( including the absence during the current fiscal year of expenses of approximately $ 1.3 million incurred in connection with management transition plans more fully discussed in our annual report on form 10-k for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 ) , lower expenses related to upgrades to our corporate information technology systems of $ 2.8 million , lower share-based compensation expense of $ 2.1 million and lower foreign currency transaction losses of $ 2.0 million . depreciation and amortization consolidated depreciation and amortization increased $ 12.7 million to $ 112.3 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. this increase reflects the incremental depreciation and amortization expenses associated with capital expenditures made in the preceding 12 months , mainly in connection with store openings in both operating segments , with store refreshes in the sbs segment ( primarily in the u.s. ) and with ongoing information technology upgrades . this increase was partially offset by the impact of assets that became fully depreciated in the preceding 12 months . restructuring charges during the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , the company incurred charges of approximately $ 22.7 million in connection with the 2017 restructuring plan , including severance and related expenses of $ 12.1 million , facility closure expenses of $ 6.7 million and other expenses of $ 3.9 million . 47 interest expense interest expense decreased $ 11.3 million to $ 132.9 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2015. the decrease in interest expense reflects lower interest expense in the aggregate ( $ 7.2 million ) on the senior notes currently outstanding and the term loan b , compared to the senior notes outstanding prior to our refinancing of debt in december 2015 and july 2017. the decrease in interest expense also reflects a lower loss on extinguishment of debt ( approximately $ 5.3 million ) recognized in connection with our july 2017 refinancing of debt , compared to our december 2015 refinancing of debt . see note 12 of the notes to consolidated financial statements in item 8  `` financial statements and supplementary data `` contained elsewhere in this annual report and `` liquidity and capital resources `` below for additional information about the company 's debt refinancing . the decrease in interest expense was offset in part by approximately $ 1.1 million of incremental interest expenses in connection with borrowings under the abl facility and the predecessor abl facility , as appropriate . provision for income taxes the provision for income taxes was $ 130.6 million and $ 131.1 million , and the effective income tax rate was 37.8 % and 37.0 % , for the fiscal years ended september 30 , 2017 and 2016 , respectively . the increase in our effective income tax rate for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016 , is due primarily to increased losses subject to a valuation allowance in certain of our foreign operations and a non-recurring reduction in non-deductible executive compensation in the prior year . net earnings as a result of the foregoing , consolidated net earnings decreased $ 7.9 million , or 3.5 % , to $ 215.1 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 , compared to $ 222.9 million for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2016. diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year ended september 30 , 2017 were $ 1.56 compared to $ 1.50

