This study investigates whether family ownership impacts firms’ dividend payout policies by examining firms publicly listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (OMX Stockholm) during the years 2013–2018 (1,363 firm-year observations). The investigation is made by performing multiple regression analyses including the dependent variable DIVIDEND PAYOUT. The findings reveal that family firms distribute higher dividend payouts than non-family firms, suggesting that dividends are used as a corporate governance mechanism to mitigate agency problems. Family firms without a second blockholder present have the highest dividends. A family second blockholder appears to collude with the controlling family resulting in lower dividends. A separation between ownership and control results in higher dividends as it implies a worse corporate governance structure. In sum, the results imply that family ownership positively impacts firms’ dividend payout policies in Sweden.

Denna studies syfte är att testa om det finns ett statistiskt samband mellan det nominella aktiepriset och ex-dagseffekten på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. Ett tydligt samband skulle därmed vara ett ytterligare motiv till företagens beslut om genomförandet av aktiesplit för att revidera aktiens nominella pris. Studiens hypotes lyder därför att det finns ett negativt samband mellan det nominella aktiepriset och ex-dagseffekten, som visats i tidigare studie på den amerikanska börsen NYSE. Studien har genomförts i positivistisk tradition genom statistiska analyser och tester för att klargöra ett eventuellt samband mellan den beroende variabeln ex-dagseffekten och den oberoende variabeln nominella priset. All empirisk data har hämtats från databasen Thomson Reuter Datastream, sammanställts i Excel kalkylblad, analyserats i statistikprogrammet MiniTab och redovisats i två uppsättningar. Studiens resultat visar inget samband mellan det nominella priset och ex-dagseffekten under perioden 2011 till 2015. Nollhypotesen kan inte förkastas och resultaten indikerar försumbar korrelation och förklaringsgrad genom regression. Resultatet är annorlunda från en tidigare studie som konstaterat ett tydligt samband mellan samma variabler på börsen i USA. Det teoretiska bidraget består främst av besvarandet av studiens syfte där det nominella prisets betydelse ter sig annorlunda på den svenska marknaden mot den amerikanska. Det praktiska bidraget från studien ger företagsledare för börsnoterade bolag samt fondbolag och aktörer på den finansiella marknaden en utökad kunskap om rådande förhållanden på marknaden för att förbättra beslutsunderlaget vid eventuella aktiesplittar eller investeringar. Som förslag till fortsatt forskning uppmuntras det att undersöka huruvida det nominella prisets betydelse skiljer sig mellan olika marknader. Förslagsvis kan framtida studier mäta effektiviteten på stockholmsbörsen på dagen för aktiesplit som också i teorin är en mätbar händelse på de finansiella marknaderna under rätt förutsättningar. / The aim of this study is to test for a correlated connection between the nominal stockprice and the price-drop-to-dividend ratio on the Swedish stock market Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. A strong correlated connection would be another motive for company managers to implement a stock split to reduce the nominal stock price. Therefore the hypothesis of the study is that there is a negative correlation between the two variables, just as shown in a recent study on the American stockmarket NYSE. This study has been computed with a positivistic approach through statistical tests and analysis to discover an eventual correlated connection between the dependent variable price-drop-to-dividend ratio and the independent variable nominal price. All empirical data was collected from Thomson Reuter Datastream, compiled in Excel worksheet, analyzed with statistical software MiniTab and presented in two sets of data. The result of this study shows no correlated connection between the nominal stock price and the pricedrop-to-dividend ratio during the period of 2011 to 2015. The null hypothesis can not be rejected and the results of the analysis indicate negligible correlation and coefficient of determination through regression, regardless which sets of data observed. The result is different to a recent study which has shown a significant correlated connection between the same two variables on the American stock market NYSE. The theoretical contribution comprises foremost of answering the aim of the study where the nominal prices impact acts differently on the Swedish stock market compared to the American. Also a presenting of the mean value of price-fall-to-dividend ratio for the period examined is a theoretical contribution. The practical contribution from this study give managers for listed companies along with fund managers and operators on the financial markets an increased knowledge about current influences on the market which improves their ability to make decisions about stock split and future investments. For future studies we suggest to do more research on how the impact of nominal prices differ among markets. Tentatively future research can measure the stockholm market efficiency on the day of stocksplit which according to theory is another measureable event on the financial markets under the right circumstances.

Denna studie visar utbetalningspolitiken hos företag noterade på Stockholmsbörsen år 2000-2015. Svensk utbetalningspolitik skiljer sig från utbetalningspolitiken i USA och inom EU. I Sverige fick återköp som utbetalningsform stor genomslagskraft år 2000 men trots detta är utdelningar fortsatt den dominerande utbetalningsformen idag. Vid en uppdelning i finansiella och industriella företag blir det tydligt att finansiella företag fått en allt mer betydelsefull roll inom svensk utbetalningspolitik. En ökad koncentration av det kassaflöde samtliga företag fördelar till aktieägare tycks inte kunna urskiljas på den svenska marknaden. Skiljer man på finansiella och industriella företag går det att se en ökad koncentration av det kassaflöde som fördelas av finansiella företag. År 2015 finns en stor andel mogna företag på Stockholmsbörsen vilket förklarar att total utbetalning av företag har ökat sedan 2000. Det framkommer genom att studera företagens kapitalstruktur och fas i den ekonomiska livscykeln. / This paper depicts payout policies of companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (SSE) 2000-2015. Payout policy in Sweden differs significantly from policy in the U.S. and the rest of the EU. In Sweden open market stock repurchases (OMR) came to be the dominant method of payout back in 2000. However, since then dividends have taken over the scene. Comparing financial and industrial corporations, makes it evident that financial corporations have come to gain prominence when it comes to shaping payout policy. It is not possible to entail an increasing concentration of cash flow that companies distribute to shareholders, when investigating the entire Swedish stock market. Dividing between the two sectors proves a heightened concentration of payouts among financial corporations. In 2015 mature companies have come to gain a greater share of SSE, which explains the increased number of dividend paying corporations since 2000. This becomes evident when examining the capital structure of the companies and their phase in the economic lifecycle.

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht in welchem Ausmaß Manager Optimismus finanzielle Entscheidungen von Unternehmen beeinflusst. Der erste Teil der Dissertation analysiert den Einfluss von Optimismus auf die Ausgabe von Fremdkapital. Optimistische Manager überschätzen die zukünftigen Erfolgsaussichten ihrer Firma. Daher könnten sie Verträge bevorzugen, die die Kuponzahlungen an die zukünftige Entwicklung des Kreditrisikos koppeln (sogenannte PSD Verträge). Diese Hypothese wird empirisch bestätigt. Ein weiteres Ergebnis der empirischen Analysen ist, dass in Firmen mit optimistischen Managern die Kreditqualität nach Ausgabe von PSD sinkt. Der zweite Teil untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen Manager Optimismus und Spekulation mit Finanzderivaten in Unternehmen. Optimistische Manager, die ihre Fähigkeiten generell überschätzen, könnten irrtümlicherweise denken, dass sie mit Hilfe von Derivaten in der Lage sind den Markt zu schlagen und abnormale Renditen zu erzielen. Die Studie untersucht Derivatetransaktionen von Goldproduzenten in Nordamerika. Diese Industrie ist besonders interessant durch die ausführliche Ausweisung der Derivatepositionen und durch das klare Exposure zum Goldpreisrisiko. Das Ergebnis der Studie bestätigt die Hypothese dass optimistische Manager in größerem Ausmaß spekulieren und mit den Spekulationen letztendlich Verluste produzieren. Der letzte Teil der Arbeit untersucht die Auszahlungspolitik von Firmen mit optimistischen Managern. Optimistische Manager überschätzen durch ihre verzerrte Wahrnehmung den Wert der Firma und sollten daher eher zu Aktienrückkäufen als zu Dividendenzahlungen neigen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse der Arbeit bestätigen diese Voraussage. Optimistische Manager ersetzen Dividenden mit Aktienrückkäufen, das absolute Niveau der Auszahlungen unterscheidet sich jedoch nicht zwischen Firmen mit optimistischen und rationalen Managern. / This work analyses the impact of managerial optimism on financial policies of firms. The first part investigates the effect of optimism on debt contract design. Optimistic managers overestimate the credit quality of their firms and should be more likely to issue debt contracts that link coupon payments to the future credit risk of their firms (PSD contracts). This prediction is confirmed empirically. Further, firms with optimistic managers that issue PSD experience future deteriorations in their credit quality. The second part analyses the relation between managerial optimism and corporate speculation with financial derivatives. Optimistic managers overestimate their abilities and should be more likely to time markets because they believe that they have superior market timing abilities. The study uses data on North American gold producers because these firms disclose detailed data on their derivative positions and have a clear exposure to the gold price. The empirical results confirm the prediction that optimistic engage in more speculation with financial derivatives and that the cash flow resulting from speculation is lower relative to firms with rational managers. The last past analyses the relation between managerial optimism and a firm’s payout policy. As a consequence of their biased beliefs, optimistic managers perceive their firm’s equity as undervalued and should therefore be more likely to prefer share repurchases over cash dividends. The empirical analyses confirm this prediction: Firms with optimistic managers use more share repurchases relative to firms with rational managers. However, the total amount of payouts does not differ between firms with optimistic and rational managers.

Följande uppsats undersöker hur svensk utbetalningspolitik har utvecklats under åren 1992-2012. Urvalet består av de företag som under våren 2014 var noterade på Stockholmsbörsens “Large”, “Mid” eller “Small Cap” lista. Återköpens andel av den totala utbetalningsandelen visar sig inte vara lika hög som andra internationella studier har visat. Det är istället utdelningarna som utgör merparten av de totala utbetalningarna. Däremot så har andelen företag som enbart delar ut minskat trots att utdelningarna ökat, vilket också styrks av resultat från tidigare studier. Lägre nettoresultat under finanskrisen följs av minskade utbetalningar under 2008-2009. Återköpen minskar under denna period markant till att i stort sätt utebli, vilket bekräftar tidigare studier. / This paper provides evidence on Swedish payout policy during the past 20 years (1992-2012). The sample data consists of companies that were listed on Stockholm Stock Exchange (SSE) “Large”, “Mid” or “Small Cap” list during spring 2014. We show that repurchases of shares still represents a small proportion of the total payout, which contradicts results from other international studies. The dividends therefore still constitute the bulk of the total payments. We document a drop in net income during the financial crisis followed by reduced payments during 2008-2009. Repurchases decrease significantly during this period to virtually absent; confirming previous studies that argue that repurchases are a more flexible payout method than dividends.

Le rachat d'actions est devenu au fil des années une opération financière répondue au même titre que la distribution de dividende. Toutefois, le rachat reste une opération complexe dont la recherche peine à apprécier les motivations et les conséquences. En effet, la décision de rachat est à la fois une décision d'investissement, de distribution, de structure de capital et un moyen de modifier la structure de l'actionnariat. Cette recherche se penche sur les motivations des opérations de rachat d'actions annoncées sur le marché français et analyses leurs conséquences et impacts sur le cours de l'action, les conflits d'agence et la structure de l'actionnariat. / The share repurchase has become in recent years an increasingly important instrument for distributing cash to shareholders. However, the repurchase is a complex operation whose research has difficulties to appreciate its motivations and consequences. Indeed, the decision to repurchase is an investment, payout, and capital structure decision and also the way to change the ownership structure. This research examines the motivations of buyback program of French market and analyzes their implications and impacts in stock price, agency conflicts and ownership structure.

La tesi si focalizza sull'analisi dell'impatto della tassazione sulle scelte finanziarie delle imprese. nella prima parte dal lavoro viene presentata una review della letteratura teorica di riferimento. Successivamente vengono effettuate due diverse analisi empiriche finalizzate a spiegare quali siano le determinanti della politica di indebitamento e dei dividendi di imprese quotate dell'Area Euro e come esse si siano modificate dopo l'introduzione della moneta unica. / This research is implemented to investigate on the impact of taxation on corporate financial decisions. In particular two main financial policies are considered: the capital structure policy and the payout policy. This corporate dimensions are investigated making use of empirical approaches on Euro-firms data to investigate also on the impact of the introduction of the Euro on the same issues.

Dans un environnement économique toujours plus compétitif, tendu et incertain, les entreprises doivent faire preuve d’adaptabilité, de précaution et d’anticipation. Ce manuscrit aborde ainsi plusieurs thématiques liées à ce constat, qui touchent de près la notion de gestion de trésorerie. Le premier essai de cette thèse montre que la distribution d’un dividende en actions permet aux entreprises de temporairement réduire la rémunération de leurs actionnaires, sans être sanctionnées par ces derniers. Ce mécanisme permet aux entreprises de conserver liquidités et flexibilité en période de contraction de l’économie. Le second essai traite du lien entre risque client et politique de gestion des liquidités. Un risque client accru semble alors pousser les entreprises à détenir plus de trésorerie et à moins recourir aux lignes de crédit. Enfin, le troisième essai justifie de l’intérêt d’établir des relations clients-fournisseurs de long terme. Ces partenariats apparaissent alors comme une source d’efficience et de profitabilité accrues du cycle opérationnel des entreprises. / The increasingly competitive and uncertain economic environment requires firms to show caution and to anticipate their needs. Based on this observation, this thesis discusses several topics that are closely related to corporate cash management choices. The first chapter of this thesis show that offering an optional stock dividend enables firms to temporarily reduce cash outflows to shareholders without being penalized by the market. This peculiar type of payout then allows firms to maintain their levels of liquidity and flexibility during economic downturns. The second chapter focuses on the link between customer risk and corporate liquidity management choices. High customer risk then appears to firms holding higher cash reserves compared to credit lines. Finally, the third chapter highlights the benefits of maintaining long-term buyer-supplier relationships. These partnerships then arises as sources of increased operating efficiency and profitability for firms.