ATLANTA, Nov. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE:NWL) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved an extension and expansion to the Company's on-going share repurchase program. Under the updated plan, effective immediately, Newell Rubbermaid is authorized to repurchase up to $500 million of its outstanding shares through the end of 2017. This $500 million is in addition to the approximately $37 million remaining to be repurchased under its previous $300 million share repurchase program as authorized in February 2014.
Michael Polk, president and chief executive officer of Newell Rubbermaid, stated, "We're very pleased with the Board's decision to approve the expansion of our existing stock repurchase program, as a demonstration of its ongoing confidence in the company's Growth Game Plan and long term growth outlook. Our strong balance sheet and robust free cash flow enable our commitment to return capital to shareholders while simultaneously making value-enhancing investments in the business for growth acceleration and margin development."
Under the program, the company's common shares may be purchased through a combination of a 10b5-1 automatic trading plan and discretionary purchases on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The amount and timing of any purchases will depend on a number of factors, including trading price, trading volume and general market conditions.
About Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products with 2013 sales of $5.7 billion and a strong portfolio of leading brands, including Sharpie®, Paper Mate®, Rubbermaid Commercial Products®, Irwin®, Lenox®, Parker®, Waterman®, Rubbermaid®, Contigo®, Levolor®, Calphalon®, Goody®, Graco®, Aprica® and Dymo®. As part of the company's Growth Game Plan, Newell Rubbermaid is making sharper portfolio choices and investing in new marketing and innovation to accelerate performance.
This press release and additional information about Newell Rubbermaid are available on the company's Web site, www.newellrubbermaid.com.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historical in nature constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to information or assumptions about the effects of sales, income/(loss), earnings per share, operating income, operating margin or gross margin improvements or declines, Project Renewal, capital and other expenditures, cash flow, dividends, restructuring and restructuring-related costs, costs and cost savings, inflation or deflation, particularly with respect to commodities such as oil and resin, debt ratings, changes in exchange rates, product recalls, expected benefits and financial results from recently completed acquisitions and planned divestitures and management's plans, projections and objectives for future operations and performance. These statements are accompanied by words such as "anticipate," "expect," "project," "will," "believe," "estimate" and similar expressions. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our dependence on the strength of retail, commercial and industrial sectors of the economy in light of the continuation or escalation of the global economic slowdown or regional sovereign debt issues; currency fluctuations; competition with other manufacturers and distributors of consumer products; major retailers' strong bargaining power; changes in the prices of raw materials and sourced products and our ability to obtain raw materials and sourced products in a timely manner from suppliers; our ability to develop innovative new products and to develop, maintain and strengthen our end-user brands; product liability, product recalls or regulatory actions (including any fines or penalties resulting from governmental investigations into the circumstances related thereto); our ability to expeditiously close facilities and move operations while managing foreign regulations and other impediments; a failure of one of our key information technology systems or related controls; the potential inability to attract, retain and motivate key employees; future events that could adversely affect the value of our assets and require impairment charges; our ability to improve productivity and streamline operations; changes to our credit ratings; significant increases in the funding obligations related to our pension plans due to declining asset values, declining interest rates or otherwise; the imposition of tax liabilities greater than our provisions for such matters; the risks inherent in our foreign operations, including exchange controls and pricing restrictions; our ability to realize the expected benefits and financial results from our recently acquired businesses and planned divestitures; and those factors listed in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Exhibit 99.1 thereto. Changes in such assumptions or factors could produce significantly different results. The information contained in this news release is as of the date indicated. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this news release as a result of new information or future events or developments.