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The effects of voluntary disclosure and dividend propensity on prices leading earnings

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  • Khaled Hussainey
  • Martin Walker

Abstract

We investigate the joint effects of dividend propensity (i.e. whether a firm pays cash dividends) and voluntary disclosure on the relationship between current stock returns and future earnings. We examine whether dividend propensity and voluntary disclosure act as substitutes or complements in the financial communication process. We also examine whether the effects of dividend propensity and voluntary disclosure vary between high‐ and lowgrowth firms. Consistent with prior studies, we find that share price anticipation of earnings improves with increasing levels of annual report narrative disclosure, and that firms that pay dividends exhibit higher levels of share price anticipation of earnings than non‐dividend‐paying firms. The paper adds to the literature on share price anticipation of earnings in two crucial respects. First we show that the associations of voluntary disclosure and dividend propensity with share price anticipation of earnings are statistically significant for high‐growth firms and insignificant for low‐growth firms. Second we show that the significant effects we find for dividend propensity and voluntary disclosure in high‐growth firms are not perfectly additive.

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  • Khaled Hussainey & Martin Walker, 2009. "The effects of voluntary disclosure and dividend propensity on prices leading earnings," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 37-55.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acctbr:v:39:y:2009:i:1:p:37-55
    DOI: 10.1080/00014788.2009.9663348
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    Cited by:

    1. Basil Al-Najjar & Rong Ding & Khaled Hussainey, 2016. "Determinants and value relevance of UK CEO pay slice," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 403-421, May.
    2. Nan-Ting Kuo, 2013. "Dividend tax signaling and the pricing of future earnings: a case of taxable stock dividends," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 539-570, April.
    3. Volkan Muslu & Sunay Mutlu & Suresh Radhakrishnan & Albert Tsang, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility Report Narratives and Analyst Forecast Accuracy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1119-1142, February.
    4. Oxelheim, Lars, 2019. "Optimal vs satisfactory transparency: The impact of global macroeconomic fluctuations on corporate competitiveness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 190-206.
    5. Saeed, Abubakr & Zamir, Farah, 2021. "How does CSR disclosure affect dividend payments in emerging markets?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    6. Nejla Ould Daoud Ellili, 2022. "Impact of environmental, social and governance disclosure on dividend policy: What is the role of corporate governance? Evidence from an emerging market," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1396-1413, September.
    7. Luminita Enache & Khaled Hussainey, 2020. "The substitutive relation between voluntary disclosure and corporate governance in their effects on firm performance," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 413-445, February.
    8. Volkan Muslu & Suresh Radhakrishnan & K. R. Subramanyam & Dongkuk Lim, 2015. "Forward-Looking MD&A Disclosures and the Information Environment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(5), pages 931-948, May.
    9. Noha Elberry & Khaled Hussainey, 2021. "Governance Vis-à-Vis Investment Efficiency: Substitutes or Complementary in Their Effects on Disclosure Practice," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, January.
    10. Hidaya Lawati & Khaled Hussainey & Roza Sagitova, 2021. "Disclosure quality vis-à-vis disclosure quantity: Does audit committee matter in Omani financial institutions?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 557-594, August.
    11. Liu, Sun, 2015. "Corporate governance and forward-looking disclosure: Evidence from China," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 16-30.
    12. Ahmed Aboud & Clare Roberts & Khaled Hussainey, 2019. "The impact of IFRS 8 on segment information quality in the European Union: a multi-dimensional analysis," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 16(2), pages 100-115, July.
    13. Dargenidou, Christina & Jackson, Richard H.G. & Tsalavoutas, Ioannis & Tsoligkas, Fanis, 2021. "Capitalisation of R&D and the informativeness of stock prices: Pre- and post-IFRS evidence," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(4).
    14. Suliman Alshahmy & Hafez Abdo, 2023. "Impacts of reserve and decommissioning disclosures on value and performance of oil and gas firms listed in the UK," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(2), pages 168-184, June.
    15. Issal Haj-Salem & Salma Damak Ayadi & Khaled Hussainey, 2020. "The joint effect of corporate risk disclosure and corporate governance on firm value," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(2), pages 123-140, September.
    16. Khelifa Mazouz & Yuliang Wu & Rabab Ebrahim & Abhijit Sharma, 2023. "Dividend policy, systematic liquidity risk, and the cost of equity capital," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 839-876, April.
    17. Jia-Wen Liang & Mei-Feng Lin & Chen-Lung Chin, 2012. "Does foreign institutional ownership motivate firms in an emerging market to increase voluntary disclosure? Evidence from Taiwan," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 55-76, July.
    18. Thorsten Knauer & Andreas Wömpener, 2011. "Management Forecast Regulation and Practice in Germany – Firm and Auditor Perspectives," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 185-209.
    19. Tsalavoutas, Ioannis & Tsoligkas, Fanis, 2021. "Uncertainty avoidance and stock price informativeness of future earnings," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    20. Moumen, Néjia & Ben Othman, Hakim & Hussainey, Khaled, 2015. "The value relevance of risk disclosure in annual reports: Evidence from MENA emerging markets," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 177-204.
    21. Khaled Hussainey & Jinan Aal-Eisa, 2009. "Disclosure and dividend signalling when sustained earnings growth declines," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 24(5), pages 445-454, May.
    22. Vasiliki Athanasakou & Khaled Hussainey, 2014. "The perceived credibility of forward-looking performance disclosures," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(3), pages 227-259, June.
    23. Tzu-Chun Sheng & Alvin Chang & Shu-Hui Lan & Shih-Cheng Li, 2020. "Analysis of the Dividend Policy Decision-Making Mechanism of Chinese and Taiwanese Lithium Battery Industries," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-16, October.
    24. Mouselli, Sulaiman & Jaafar, Aziz & Hussainey, Khaled, 2012. "Accruals quality vis-à-vis disclosure quality: Substitutes or complements?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 36-46.

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