Payout Policies

In this section, we shall discuss the three types of dividend policies: Stable Dividend Policy A stable dividend policy is one where the dividends paid do not reflect short-term volatility in earnings. It is the most common because managers are…

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Tax Systems and Dividend Policy

Double Taxation System Under the double taxation system, earnings before tax (EBT) are taxed at a corporate level and then taxed again as dividends after the earnings are distributed to shareholders. Let us illustrate this in the table below. $$…

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Factors Affecting Dividend Policy

Some of the factors that affect dividend policy include: 1. Investment Opportunities Other factors are held constant. A company with more profitable investment opportunities will tend to pay fewer dividends than a company with fewer opportunities because the latter has…

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Effect of Agency Costs on Payout Policy

Agency Costs and Dividends When shareholders and managers are two separate parties, managers may have an incentive to maximize their welfare at the company’s expense by choosing negative NPV projects that expand a managers’ span of control but generates negative…

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The Information Content of Dividend Actions: Signaling

Modigliani and Miller assumed that both inside and outside investors have similar information about a company. However, in reality, outside investors have less detailed information about a company relative to the managers. Outsiders may use dividend signals to get more…

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Theories of Dividend Policy

Dividend policy dictates the amount and timing of dividend payments. Two groups of financial theorists have different opinions on the dividend policy, with one group claiming that the dividend policy is irrelevant to shareholders. In contrast, another group claims that…

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Types of Dividends

A dividend is a distribution of profits paid to shareholders. The payment of dividends to shareholders is not a company’s legal obligation, and they are subject to different tax treatment for both the shareholder and the company. A payout policy…

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Leverage in an International Setting

The general business environment may differ from one country to another, and these country-specific factors have a significant impact on determining a company’s capital structure. Taxes, regulations, and traditions can explain the different degrees of leverage in the two countries….

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Effects of Capital Structure Policy

When evaluating the capital structure of a company, an analyst must consider the following: The capital structure of the company over time. The financial analyst can evaluate the company’s ability to handle its financial obligations, considering the industry the company…

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Capital Structure Cost Considerations

Proposition I with Taxes: The Tax Shield A tax shield is the deliberate use of taxable expenses to offset taxable income. The interest expense on debt provides a tax shield that results in savings that enhance the value of a…

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