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Prior Information and the Market Reaction to Dividend Changes

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  • Best, Roger J
  • Best, Ronald W

Abstract

We investigate two hypotheses regarding the information content of dividend change announcements. The first is that the "importance" of information signaled by a dividend change depends on the reliability of earnings forecasts existing before the dividend announcement. The second hypothesis is that the stock price reaction to dividend change announcements is related to earnings forecast error as of the time of the dividend announcement. Our results reveal that dividend increases convey more information for firms in which financial analysts least accurately predict earnings. The results also indicate that dividend increase and decrease announcements provide market participants with information which, on average, allows them to differentiate between firms on the basis of future earnings realizations. These differential information effects are shown to be robust to price, size, dividend yield, and overinvestment effects. Copyright 2001 by Kluwer Academic Publishers

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  • Best, Roger J & Best, Ronald W, 2001. "Prior Information and the Market Reaction to Dividend Changes," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 361-376, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:rqfnac:v:17:y:2001:i:4:p:361-76
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    Cited by:

    1. Jitka Hilliard & John S. Jahera & Haoran Zhang, 2019. "The US financial crisis and corporate dividend reactions: for better or for worse?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 1165-1193, November.
    2. Cuong Nguyen, 2019. "The asymmetry in firms’ mechanisms of cash holdings adjustments: evidence from the G-5 economies," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 429-463, August.
    3. Taleb Lotfi, 2018. "Dividend Policy in Tunisia: A Signalling Approach," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(4), pages 84-94, April.
    4. Xin Che & Kathleen P. Fuller, 2020. "What does the timing of dividend reductions signal?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 1035-1061, October.
    5. Xin Che & Andre P. Liebenberg & Ivonne A. Liebenberg & Brandon C. L. Morris, 2018. "The effect of growth opportunities on the market reaction to dividend cuts: evidence from the 2008 financial crisis," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Chen, Zhijuan & Lin, William T. & Ma, Changfeng & Tsai, Shih-Chuan, 2014. "Liquidity provisions by individual investor trading prior to dividend announcements: Evidence from Taiwan," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 358-374.
    7. Philip A. Hamill & Wasim Al-Shattarat, 2012. "What Determines the Dividend Payout Ratio for Jordanian Industrial Firms?," Journal of Emerging Market Finance, Institute for Financial Management and Research, vol. 11(2), pages 161-188, August.
    8. Kamil Polak, 2018. "Investors’ Reaction to a Published Recommendation (Wplyw opublikowanej rekomendacji na reakcje inwestorow)," Research Reports, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 1(27), pages 127-135.

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