The company also announced a new 10-million-share buyback plan yesterday.

To compensate, companies could expand their buyback plans.

They found that buyback plans have, almost exclusively, been the province of dividend-paying large-cap companies.

The company's most recent buyback plan, aimed at reclaiming 30 million shares altogether, was authorized in April 1996, a company spokeswoman said.

In announcing the buyback plan, Caesars officials said they would not appeal.

Some uneasiness about the buyback plan announced today may have contributed to the slip in the stock's price.

Litton said today that it planned to continue the buyback plan by purchasing another 2.5 million shares.

They said the board had done a detailed strategic review before settling on the buyback plan.

BUT the forces pushing for buyback plans are also powerful.

Even though its profit lagged in the recent quarter, its shares rose on the buyback plan.