Universal Corporation Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2027 Results

Preston D. Wigner, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation

“Our market leadership and century of experience have positioned us well to navigate the current tobacco market dynamics. Our first-half results reflect the slower timing of tobacco shipments due to this delayed oversupply cycle, and we enter the second half of fiscal year 2027 encouraged by the positioning of our tobacco business. Customer commitments are in line with our full-year sales plans, and uncommitted tobacco inventories are within our target range. We forecast shipments to be heavily weighted to the second half of our fiscal year 2027, consistent with our plans and with historical patterns. We also expect uncommitted inventories to reduce further during that period. At the same time, we are seeing emerging customer interest in additional volumes, driven in part by El Niño weather concerns. Together, these factors give us confidence in our outlook for the balance of the fiscal year.”

Preston D. Wigner, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation

“At Universal Ingredients, we are taking decisive actions to strengthen performance and position the business for long-term growth. We are transforming our platform into a more integrated and aligned organization, a process we expect to continue through our next fiscal year. This will sharpen our commercial focus and support our efforts to improve facility utilization and operating efficiency. While market and cost pressures remain, we are confident in our strategy, and we believe the actions underway will strengthen the business and its contribution to Universal over time.”

Preston D. Wigner, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation

“For more than a century, our success has been built on strong, strategic partnerships with our customers. We are continuing to deepen those relationships by partnering with our customers on initiatives to support the long-term resilience of the leaf tobacco supply chain. Our work in regenerative agriculture, forestry, and supply chain due diligence supports farming communities, advances shared sustainability priorities, and reinforces the strength and sustainability of our business for the future.”