Dividend Policy in Nordic Listed Firms

In this paper we analyze the results from a survey among all publicly listed Nordic firms on their dividend payout policy. A number of interesting results are found. The results show e.g. that 72 percent of the Nordic companies have a specified dividend policy. Larger and more profitable companies are more likely to have a defined dividend policy in place. The dividend policy is mostly influenced by the considerations of company's capital structure and future earnings. We get indirect support for agency / monitoring motives, or the need for a stable cash flow, rather than for the signaling motive, since the likelihood for a firm having an explicit dividend policy is positively related to ownership concentration as well as to large long-term, private or industrial owners