Vodafone shareholders vote to support buyback

LONDON (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L) shareholders have voted overwhelmingly to support a 1 billion pound share buyback announced last week after its stock slumped on a weaker-than-expected trading update.

Shareholders voted by 99.6 percent to approve the move.

Vodafone had already started the buyback under authority given at its annual general meeting last July, but needed approval from Tuesday's meeting to continue it.

Vodafone Chairman John Bond told the AGM earlier on Tuesday that the group used buybacks selectively "to indicate times when we think the share is an attractive buy in terms of (earnings per share) accretion and perhaps has become oversold."

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Paul Bolding)