This dissertation examines four specific aspects of capital structure and dividend policy. The first issue concerns the determinants of capital structure dynamics. The primary objective is to examine whether stock returns are important factors in firm???s capital structure choice, and if so, whether this effect is persistent. In so doing, we use a data set which (1) avoids the complexity of tax rates faced by previous studies, (2) we introduce new variables that are unique to Oman, and (3) we distinguish empirically between bank debt and non-bank debt. We find stock returns are a first order determinant of capital structure. Firms do show some tendency to rebalance towards their target capital structure. However, the impact of stock returns dominates the effects of rebalancing. We also find new evidence that firms do take countermeasures to offset changes in their leverage that stem from equity value variations, but do so at a low speed. The next topic studied concerns the ex-dividend day behaviour. We investigate this issue using a unique data set where there are no taxes on dividends and capital gains and stock prices are decimalized. In this economy, any price decline that is smaller than the dividends can not be attributed to taxes and price discreteness. We find that the stock price drops by less than the amount of dividends and there is a significant positive ex-day return. We are able to account for our results using market microstructure models. The third issue investigated is the stock price reaction to dividend announcements. Tax-based signaling models argue that dividends would not have information and be informative if it is not for the higher taxes on dividends relative to capital gains that they apply to shareholders. The absence of personal taxes in Oman presents a valuable opportunity to test this prediction. Our results show that the announcements of dividend increases (decreases) are associated with a stock price increase (decrease) which contradicts the tax-based signaling models. The final chapter analyzes the determinants and stability of dividend policy of financial and non-financial firms. Investigating this issue is important for at least two reasons. First, Omani firms distribute almost 100% of their profits in dividends which led the Capital Market Authority (CMA) to issue a circular (number 12/2003) arguing that firms should retain some of their earnings for ???rainy days???. This allows us understand the characteristics of firms that pay dividends. Second, firms are highly levered mainly through bank loans which render the role of dividends in reducing the agency costs less important. Unlike most previous studies, we include both dividend paying and non-dividend paying firms to avoid a selection bias. We find that there are some common factors that determine dividend policy of both financial and non-financial firms and there are some factors that affect only non-financial firms. We also find that the factors that influence the probability to pay dividends are the same factors that drive the amount of dividends paid for both financial and non-financial firms. We document that non-financial firms adopt a policy of smoothing dividends while financial firms do not have a stable dividend policy.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2005. / "A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Finance), February 2005, School of Economics and Finance, University of Western Sydney" Includes bibliography.

Diss.--Universität Basel, 2005. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-98).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Ernest R. Larkins, committee chair; Fred A. Jacobs, Detmar W. Straub , Sally Wallace, committee members. Electronic text (100 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Aug. 9, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-85).

Στην παρούσα εργασία θα ασχοληθούμε με την εξέταση των θεμελιωδών παραγόντων μιας επιχείρησης που επηρεάζουν την τιμή μιας μετοχής και με ποιο τρόπο αυτοί βρίσκονται στις διάφορες μεθόδους αποτίμησης των μετοχών. Κατόπιν, θα γίνει μια γενική περιγραφή των βασικών μοντέλων αποτίμησης μετοχών που αναφέρονται στην ελληνική και στην διεθνή βιβλιογραφία. Έπειτα, θα γίνει μια εμπειρική σύγκριση μεταξύ των μοντέλων αποτίμησης των μετοχών, έτσι ώστε να ανακαλύψουμε το επίπεδο βαρύτητας που έχει ο κάθε παράγοντας προς την τιμή της μετοχής. / -

Dividend payments to shareholders can create conflicts between debt and equity investors as these payments can expropriate wealth from bondholders to shareholders. However, dividend payments can also serve as a signal regarding firms' future earnings. Utilizing both improved bond event study techniques as well as a conditional event study model to control for self-selection and the presence of confounding earnings announcements, I find that, on net, dividend increases represent a transfer of wealth from debtholders to shareholders. Nevertheless, bondholders react more favorably to larger dividend changes consistent with the presence of a positive signaling effect. The conditional event study approach also provides the ability to test whether managerial hesitancy in cutting dividends may represent an additional source of expropriation. My results indicate that while bondholders are clearly harmed by these implicit dividend increases, evidence in support of shareholders' gains is mixed.

La thèse se compose de trois études consacrées à la politique de dividendes des entreprises européennes cotées. Le premier essai étudie : (i) les éléments déterminants entraînant le paiement de dividendes, (ii) le changement au fil du temps dans le comportement des entreprises, pour le paiement de dividendes et (iii) les facteurs à l’origine de la diminution de la proportion des entreprises européennes payant des dividendes. En utilisant des sociétés cotées de 21 pays européens entre 1991 et 2010, nous voulons déterminer si les entreprises européennes payant des dividendes suivent la même tendance à la baisse que celle constatée aux États-Unis. En outre, cette analyse nous fournit l'occasion d'étudier les facteurs qui sont importants dans la détermination de la politique de dividende en Europe. Le deuxième essai étudie les facteurs qui sont responsables à long terme (permanents) des changements de la politique de dividendes par les entreprises européennes cotées. Dans cet essai, nous examinons les facteurs qui motivent les changements durables dans les politiques de dividendes , à savoir qui conduisent un payeur de dividende régulier à suspendre les paiements de façon permanente, ou au contraire, qui conduisent une entreprise n’ayant jamais payé de dividendes à adopter une politique de versements de dividendes réguliers. Le troisième essai étudie la validité empirique de l’hypothèse de l’effet signal du dividende. Dans un premier temps, nous examinons l'association entre les changements de dividendes et les changements futurs de bénéfices pour l'échantillon complet. Dans une deuxième étape, nous ne considérons que les annonces de changement de dividendes qui sont suivies par des changements inattendus dans les cours des actions pendant la période de trois jours autour de l’annonce du changement de dividende. Les changements dans les prix des actions devraient être dans le sens de l'évolution des dividendes si nous supposons que les forces du marché ne réagissent qu’aux changements des annonces de dividendes, qui ont contenu de l'information sur les bénéfices futurs. / The dissertation consists of three studies devoted to the dividend policy of European listed firms. The first essay investigates: (i) the determinants of dividend payments; (ii) the change in the dividend payment behavior of firms over time; and (iii) factors that are responsible for the decrease in the proportion of dividend payers in Europe. By using listed firms from 21 European countries between 1991 and 2010, we want to determine whether European dividend payers follow the same declining trend as US ones. Furthermore, this analysis provides us the opportunity to study the factors that are important in the determination of dividend policy in Europe. The second essay investigates the factors that are responsible for long term (permanent) dividend policy changes by European listed firms. In this essay we examine the factors that motivate lasting changes in dividend policies, i.e. that lead a regular dividend payer to stop payments permanently, or conversely that lead a never paid firm to adopt a policy of regular dividend payments. The third essay investigates the empirical validity of the dividend signaling hypothesis. In a first step we examine the association between dividend changes and future earnings changes for the full sample. In a second step we consider only those dividend change announcements that are followed by unexpected changes in stock prices during the three days period around dividend change announcements. The changes in stock prices should be in the direction of dividend changes if we assume that market forces react only to dividend change announcements, which have information content about future earnings.

Do ponto de vista financeiro, o objetivo de uma empresa é promover a maximização da riqueza econômica dos seus acionistas. Por essa lógica, uma decisão de investimento só deve ser aceita se o retorno oferecido pelo projeto superar o custo do capital nele empregado. Nas decisões de financiamento, busca-se atingir a estrutura ótima de capital da empresa, que leve a minimização da média ponderada dos custos de capital da companhia e, consequentemente, à maximização da riqueza do acionista. Mas, ao contrário das decisões de investimento e de financiamento, as decisões de dividendos não possuem como princípio norteador um único parâmetro a ser seguido, já que diversos fatores financeiros, legais, fiscais e até mesmo comportamentais afetam essa decisão. A literatura de finanças apresenta um modelo para a decisão de dividendos chamado de Modelo de Dividendos Residuais (MDR). Nele, o percentual de dividendos a ser distribuído é determinado com base no lucro líquido contábil, no índice alvo de capital próprio da empresa e no orçamento de capital. No entanto, além de não priorizar a maximização da riqueza do acionista, entende-se que o MDR deixa de contemplar algumas importantes variáveis que deveriam ser levadas em consideração no momento da definição payout de dividendos, conforme preconizado pela literatura de finanças. Neste trabalho, foi realizada uma pesquisa empírica que verificou se, na prática, os gestores das companhias brasileiras de capital aberto levam em consideração os diversos fatores apresentados pelos estudos acadêmicos como sendo fundamentais para as decisões de dividendos. Em seguida, foi proposto um modelo conceitual de apoio ao processo de tomada de decisão de destinação dos lucros que leva em consideração fatores como a geração de valor econômico ao acionista, as particularidades legais e tributárias brasileiras, o poder de distorção da inflação na formação do lucro contábil, a estrutura ótima de capital da empresa, a existência de projetos futuros com valor presente líquido positivo, o fluxo de caixa livre para o acionista, entre outros. Esse modelo tem como objetivo oferecer um mapa decisorial conceitual mais abrangente do que o MDR e espera-se que forneça um parâmetro mais adequado para as decisões de dividendos por parte dos gestores empresariais brasileiros. / From the financial management point of view, the objective of a company is to promote the maximization of their shareholders economical wealth. So, an investment decision could only be accepted if the return on this investment surpass the capital spend to generate it. In financing decisions, the goal is to achieve the companys optimal capital structure leading to the minimization of the weighted average cost of capital of the company, consequently, the maximization of the shareholder wealth. But, unlike the investment and financing decisions, the dividends decisions do not have as a guiding principle a single parameter to be followed, since several financial, legal, fiscal and even behavioral factors affect this decision. The financial management literature presents a model of dividends decisions called Residual Dividend Model (RDM), a model in which the percentage of dividends to be shared is determined based on accounting net profit, on the equity target measure and on the capital budget. However, besides not to prioritize the maximization of the shareholders wealth, it is understood that the RDM fails to address some important variables that should be taken into account when setting the dividend payout, as showed by the financial management literature. The present study aimed to verify by an empirical research whether the managers of Brazilian public companies take into account the various factors presented by academic studies as being essential for the dividend decisions. And then it was proposed a conceptual model to support the decision making process for the profit destination which takes into consideration factors such as economic value to shareholders, the particularities of Brazilian legal and tax systems, the distortion caused by the inflation in the accounting profit, the optimal capital structure of the company, the existence of future projects with positive net present value, free cash flow to shareholders, among others. This model aims to provide a decision map concept wider than the RDM and it is expected to provide a more appropriate parameter for the dividends decisions by the Brazilian business managers.

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