Dividend Policy

This guide challenges the belief that corporate executives and financial analysts should dismiss dividend policy as irrelevant to shareholder wealth. The authors argue that dividend policy does not matter and cite examples to show how dividend policy decisions play out in the marketplace. The purpose of this book is to review the theory and empirical evidence regarding the impact of dividend policy on shareholder wealth. It cuts to the quick of such long-standing questions as Why do corporations pay dividends? and Why should investors care? With relevant anecdotes, surveys, examples, and research from the financial press, company documents, and academic literature, the book focuses less on mathematics and more on the intuition of share valuation as a function of dividend policy. While the authors acknowledge the irrelevance of dividend policy in a world with perfect capital markets, they stress how market imperfections such as taxes, imperfect information, and agency issues can alter the dividend irrelevance conclusion. It concludes with the authors'recommendations on how managers should incorporate market imperfections most relevant to their firm in setting dividend policy. Not mathematically rigorous.