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Dividend Policy, Agency Costs, and Earned Equity

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  • Harry DeAngelo
  • Linda DeAngelo
  • Rene Stulz

Abstract

Why do firms pay dividends? If they didn't their asset and capital structures would eventually become untenable as the earnings of successful firms outstrip their investment opportunities. Had they not paid dividends, the 25 largest long-standing 2002 dividend payers would have cash holdings of $1.8 trillion (51% of total assets), up from $160 billion (6% of assets), and $1.2 trillion in excess of their collective $600 billion in long-term debt. Their dividend payments prevented significant agency problems since the retention of earnings would have given managers command over an additional $1.6 trillion without access to better investment opportunities and with no additional monitoring. This logic suggests that firms with relatively high amounts of earned equity (retained earnings) are especially likely to pay dividends. Consistent with this view, the fraction of publicly traded industrial firms that pays dividends is high when the ratio of earned equity to total equity (total assets) is high, and falls with declines in this ratio, becoming near zero when a firm has little or no earned equity. We observe a highly significant relation between the decision to pay dividends and the ratio of earned equity to total equity or total assets,controlling for firm size, profitability, growth, leverage, cash balances, and dividend history. In our regressions, earned equity has an economically more important impact than does profitability or growth. Our evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that firms pay dividends to mitigate agency problems.

Suggested Citation

  • Harry DeAngelo & Linda DeAngelo & Rene Stulz, 2004. "Dividend Policy, Agency Costs, and Earned Equity," NBER Working Papers 10599, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:10599
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    Cited by:

    1. Fayez A. Elayan & Jingyu Li & Maureen E. Donnelly & Allister W. Young, 2009. "Changes to Income Trust Taxation in Canada: Investor Reaction and Dividend Clientele Theory," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5-6), pages 725-753.
    2. Mar𨀠 Bel鮠Lozano, 2012. "Analysing the effect of excess cash accumulation on financial decisions," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(21), pages 2687-2698, July.
    3. repec:ers:journl:v:v:y:2017:i:4:p:104-132 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Sharma, Vineeta, 2011. "Independent directors and the propensity to pay dividends," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 1001-1015, September.
    5. Anneleen Michiels & Wim Voordeckers & Nadine Lybaert & Tensie Steijvers, 2015. "Dividends and family governance practices in private family firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 299-314, February.
    6. Fayez A. Elayan & Jingyu Li & Maureen E. Donnelly & Allister W. Young, 2009. "Changes to Income Trust Taxation in Canada: Investor Reaction and Dividend Clientele Theory," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5‐6), pages 725-753, June.
    7. Mª Belén Lozano García, 2011. "Analyzing the Effect of Excess Cash Accumulation on Financial Decisions," Post-Print hal-00704672, HAL.
    8. Jan Bena & Jan Hanousek, 2008. "Rent Extraction by Large Shareholders: Evidence Using Dividend Policy in the Czech Republic," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 58(03-04), pages 106-130, May.
    9. Jurkus, Anthony F. & Park, Jung Chul & Woodard, Lorraine S., 2011. "Women in top management and agency costs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 180-186, February.
    10. Maria Elisabete Duante Neves, 2017. "Payout and Firm's Catering," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(4), pages 104-132.
    11. Madhur Bhatia & Rachita Gulati, 2022. "Are boards ‘substitute’ or ‘complement’ dividend payout? Econometric evidence for Indian banks," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 51(2), July.
    12. Sun, Liang & Yu, Huaibing, 2022. "The effects of busy board on firm’s probability to pay dividends," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    13. Richard W. Kopcke, 2005. "The taxation of equity, dividends, and stock prices," Public Policy Discussion Paper 05-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    14. Darija Prša & Aljoša Šestanoviæ & Ivo Ramljak, 2022. "Factors influencing dividend payout policy: Evidence from listed non-financial firms of the Zagreb Stock Exchange," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 40(2), pages 441-457.
    15. Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya & Amin Mawani & Cameron Morrill, 2008. "Dividend payout and executive compensation: theory and evidence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 48(4), pages 521-541, December.
    16. Edson Vengesai & Farai Kwenda, 2018. "Cash Flow Volatility and Firm Investment Behaviour: Evidence from African Listed Firms," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 10(6), pages 129-149.
    17. Okun O. Omokhudu & Ohidoa Toluwa, 2018. "Agency Cost and Dividend Policy in Nigerian NonFinancial Quoted Firms," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 8(4), pages 325-350, April.
    18. Jochen Bigus, 2007. "Das Vorsichtsprinzip bei Informationsasymmetrien zwischen Gläubigern," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 567-587, August.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G35 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Payout Policy
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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