For almost two years, investors feared that the wave of stock buybacks that helped drive the market to record highs was finally coming to a close. Those quarterly buybacks peaked during the first quarter of 2016, plunged by the third quarter of that year, then simply leveled off at sub-par levels through the third quarter of 2017. That wave of easy upside looked like it was winding down.

However, with major tax breaks serving as a tailwind, U.S. corporations are looking to make such use of their cash again ... in spades. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20, constituents of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index announced buyback programs totaling $173 billion. That's the largest buyback tally ever taken at this early point of the year, and bodes well for 2018's per-share profits.

Here's a rundown of this year's biggest buyback announcements thus far. These share-repurchase programs don't necessarily make these names worth owning, but they certainly bolster an already-bullish case for each company.

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Buyback commitment: $6 billion

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