When you purchase a stock, you expect to receive dividends plus capital gains. Not all stocks pay dividends immediately, but these corporations that do, typically pay dividends quarterly. Capital gains(losses) are received when the stock is sold. Stocks are risky, so you would not be certain that your expectations would be met - as you would if you had purchased a U.S Treasury security which offers a guaranteed payment every 6 months plus repayment of the purchase price when the security matures.
If most investors expect the same cash flows from Companies A and B but are more confident that A's cash flows will be closer to their expected value, which company should have the higher stock price?
If investors are more confident that Company A's cash flows will be closer to their expected value than Company B's cash flows, then investors will drive the stock price up for Company A. Consequently, Company A will have a higher stock price than Company B
What are some actions that stockholders can take to ensure that management's and stockholders' interests are aligned?
Useful motivational tools that will aid in aligning stockholders' and management's interests include: (1) reasonable compensation packages, (2) direct intervention by shareholders, including firing managers who don't perform well, and (3) the threat of takeover.The compensation package should be sufficient to attract and retain able managers but not go beyond what is needed. Also, compensation packages should be structured so that managers are rewarded on the basis of the stock's performance over the long run, not the stock's price on an option exercise date. This means that options (or direct stock awards) should be phased in over a number of years so managers will have an incentive to keep the stock price high over time. Since