Companies Strike While the Stock Market Is Hot

Summary: It isnt just the white-hot market for initial public offerings. Companies are returning to the public markets to issue shares and raise cash from investors at the same time that existing shareholders are tapping the public market to unload their stockholdings at a record clip.

Questions:

1. Why are so many companies issuing equity right now?
2. What are "at the market" issuances and why are they currently proving so popular?
3. According to the article, what are companies doing with the proceeds from these equity offerings?