Using a large database of all S&P 1500 index firms spanning an 88-quarter period from 1995 through 2016, we document that market cap (firm size), book-to-market ratio (a proxy for market perception of (inverse of) growth potential) and industry all matter for determining PE levels as a function...

This paper studies how the conflict of interest between shareholders and creditors affects corporate payout policy. Using mergers between lenders and equity holders of the same firm as shocks to the shareholder-creditor conflict, I show that firms pay out less when there is less conflict between...

We provide an extensive analysis of the payout policy of U.S. banks during the crisis to examine potential risk-shifting and signaling motives of banks. We estimate an empirical model of bank payouts to assess the extent to which changes in payouts are commensurate with worsening fundamentals....

This paper focuses on dominant owners' use of leverage to finance their blockholdings and its relationship to dividend policy. We postulate that blockholder leverage may impact payout policy, in particular when earnings are hit by a negative shock. We use panel data for France where blockholders...

This paper focuses on dominant owners' use of leverage to finance their blockholdings and its relationship to dividend policy. We postulate that blockholder leverage may impact payout policy, in particular when earnings are hit by a negative shock. We use panel data for France where blockholders...

This paper examines the role of local risk-taking propensity on dividend demand and corporate payout by using a novel measure. We empirically investigate geographically varying dividend demand and corporate dividend policies by using local creative culture as a measure of local risk-taking...

Recent studies indicate dividends are associated with higher quality earnings. Our study extends the literature by examining whether dividends' information is associated with auditors' assessment of their clients' earnings quality. Our results show that auditors charge lower fees to...

We investigate the dividend policies of firms in the United Kingdom to understand whether firms in different markets use dividends as a signaling or disciplining device. The sample consists of 1247 firms from the highly regulated Main Market (MAIN) and relatively unregulated Alternative...

Using proprietary data on the entire spectrum of ownership-structure and exact tax-status of investors and firms we examine how dividend taxation affects payout. Utilizing an exogenous shock to dividend taxation, we show that absent any frictions, dividend taxation has a large impact on payout....

We assess the market valuation of an unusual form of stock dividends, referred to as bonus distributions, which are carried out by transferring the accumulated equity reserves, mainly the inflation revaluation equity reserves, to paid‐in capital leaving the total equity unchanged. In the...