Universal Corporation Reports Nine Month Results News provided by Share this article Share this article RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- George C. Freeman, III, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV), stated, "Tobacco shipments in the third quarter of fiscal year 2021 exceeded our previous expectations as customer mandated timing for some shipments forecast for the fourth fiscal quarter were accelerated into the third fiscal quarter. As a result, total tobacco shipment volumes for the nine months ended December 31, 2020, are similar to those of the prior year's comparable fiscal period. The majority of our remaining committed tobacco orders for the 2020 crop are packed and ready to ship, and we expect sustained strong tobacco shipment volumes in our fourth fiscal quarter of 2021 barring any unforeseen events including changes in shipment timing. In addition, our uncommitted tobacco inventory levels remain within our target range. We continue to believe our adjusted operating income for fiscal year 2021, which excludes restructurings and certain costs for acquisitions, will materially exceed that for fiscal year 2020, barring any unforeseen events including shipment delays due to lack of vessel or container availability, port congestion, or COVID-19 related uncertainties."