Dividend Theories and Their Arguments
International Bulletin of Business Administration ISSN: 1451-243X Issue 9 (2010) © EuroJournals, Inc. 2010 http://www.eurojournals.com
Dividend Policy: A Review of Theories and Empirical Evidence
Husam-Aldin Nizar Al-Malkawi Corresponding Author, Faculty of Business, ALHOSN University P.O. Box 38772 - Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: h.almalkawi@alhosnu.ae Michael Rafferty Senior Research Analyst, WRC, University of Sydney, Australia E-mail: m.rafferty@econ.usyd.edu.au Rekha Pillai Faculty of Business, ALHOSN University, Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: r.pillai@alhosnu.ae Abstract The literature on dividend policy has produced a large body of theoretical and empirical research, especially following the publication of the dividend irrelevance hypothesis of Miller and Modigliani (1961). No general consensus has yet emerged after several decades of investigation, and scholars can often disagree even about the same empirical evidence. This paper aims at providing the reader with a comprehensive understanding of dividends and dividend policy by reviewing the main theories and explanations of dividend policy including dividend irrelevance hypothesis of Miller and Modigliani, bird-in-the-hand, tax-preference, clientele effects, signalling, and agency costs hypotheses. The paper also attempts to present the main empirical studies on corporate dividend policy. However, due to the enduring nature and extensive range of the debate about dividend policy which has spawned a vast amount of literature that grows by the day, a full review of all debates is not feasible. The paper reaches at a conclusion that the famous statement of Fisher Black about dividend policy "the harder we look at the dividends picture, the more it seems like a puzzle, with pieces that just do not fit together" (Black, 1976, p. 5) is still valid.
Keywords: Dividends, Dividend Policy, Dividend Policy Theories JEL Classification Codes: G30, G32
1. Introduction
In corporate finance, the finance manager is generally
Dividend Policy: A Review of Theories and Empirical Evidence
Husam-Aldin Nizar Al-Malkawi Corresponding Author, Faculty of Business, ALHOSN University P.O. Box 38772 - Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: h.almalkawi@alhosnu.ae Michael Rafferty Senior Research Analyst, WRC, University of Sydney, Australia E-mail: m.rafferty@econ.usyd.edu.au Rekha Pillai Faculty of Business, ALHOSN University, Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: r.pillai@alhosnu.ae Abstract The literature on dividend policy has produced a large body of theoretical and empirical research, especially following the publication of the dividend irrelevance hypothesis of Miller and Modigliani (1961). No general consensus has yet emerged after several decades of investigation, and scholars can often disagree even about the same empirical evidence. This paper aims at providing the reader with a comprehensive understanding of dividends and dividend policy by reviewing the main theories and explanations of dividend policy including dividend irrelevance hypothesis of Miller and Modigliani, bird-in-the-hand, tax-preference, clientele effects, signalling, and agency costs hypotheses. The paper also attempts to present the main empirical studies on corporate dividend policy. However, due to the enduring nature and extensive range of the debate about dividend policy which has spawned a vast amount of literature that grows by the day, a full review of all debates is not feasible. The paper reaches at a conclusion that the famous statement of Fisher Black about dividend policy "the harder we look at the dividends picture, the more it seems like a puzzle, with pieces that just do not fit together" (Black, 1976, p. 5) is still valid.
Keywords: Dividends, Dividend Policy, Dividend Policy Theories JEL Classification Codes: G30, G32
1. Introduction
In corporate finance, the finance manager is generally
References: [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] Auerbach, Alan J., 1983, Stockholder Tax Rates and Firm Attributes, Journal of Public Economics 21, 107-127 198 [104] Miller, Merton H., and Franco Modigliani, 1961, Dividend Policy, Growth, and the Valuation of Shares, Journal of Business 34, 411-433