In 1982, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted Rule 10b-18, providing companies with a safe harbor for qualifying share repurchases. Since then, publicly traded companies have been repurchasing their own shares in order to consolidate ownership and boost earnings per share (EPS). But for some firms, the timing of their stock buybacks indicates that management views the current share price as undervalued.
This year, companies are on a record-setting pace.
