Preston Wigner

President, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Universal

Search every verified Preston Wigner interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. During Universal Corporation's fourth quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings call on May 30, 2025, Preston Wigner, chairman, president, and CEO, discussed the company's financial results and strategic direction. He noted that Q4 revenue declined 9% year-over-year to $702.3 million, while full-year revenue rose 7% to $2.95 billion, with adjusted EPS of $4.63. Wigner highlighted growth in the Ingredients segment and a 55th consecutive dividend increase, while acknowledging lower tobacco volumes and modest tariff impacts that were mitigated through sourcing diversification. Wigner addressed the tobacco market outlook, stating that strong customer demand persists and uncommitted inventory levels remain low. He projected that global flue-cured tobacco production, excluding China, could increase by about 20% and burley production by about 30% in the current growing season, which he said would move the market from undersupply toward a more balanced state with expected price declines. He also commented on synthetic nicotine's potential long-term role, describing it as an open question, and noted that in processes where nicotine is extracted from tobacco leaves, the remaining material is typically discarded as waste.