NORTH CANTON, Ohio - Diebold Inc. has declared a first-quarter cash dividend of 23.5 cents per share on all common stock shares. The company's board also authorized Diebold to repurchase up to 2 million common shares, which the company says it plans to repurchase as a means of returning cash to its shareholders.
The new authorization is in addition to the approximately 900,000 shares remaining under its most recent 4 million share authorization from December
2005.
"During the past year, we have repurchased approximately 3.6 million shares of our common stock, and we will remain opportunistic buyers moving forward," said Kevin J. Krakora, Diebold's executive vice president and chief financial officer. "This new authorization represents continued confidence in our ability to execute on the key business initiatives necessary to achieve our long-term profitability goals."
