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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dividends

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  • Krieger, Kevin
  • Mauck, Nathan
  • Pruitt, Stephen W.

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dividend payouts of publicly traded firms in the U.S. Out of nearly 1,400 dividend paying firms, 213 cut dividends and 93 omitted dividends entirely in the second quarter of 2020. This proportion of cuts and omissions is three to five times higher than any other quarter since 2015. The 2008 financial crisis was characterized by a high proportion of financial firms cutting dividends without much change in dividends for non-financials. Conversely, we find evidence of increased dividend cuts across all industries. The most common industry grouping, industrials, experienced one out of every six firms cutting dividends. Regression results indicate that net income and debt are determinants of firms cutting dividends in all periods, but the economic significance is much greater during the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Krieger, Kevin & Mauck, Nathan & Pruitt, Stephen W., 2021. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dividends," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:42:y:2021:i:c:s1544612320317244
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2020.101910
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    Cited by:

    1. Pawel Sekula & Blazej Socha, 2022. "The Effects of Cash Dividend on Stock Prices during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Poland," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3), pages 145-155.
    2. Zouhair Boumlik & Badia Oulhadj & Olivier Colot, 2023. "The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Corporate Dividend Policy of Moroccan Listed Firms," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Danny Turkson & Nana Boakyewaa Addai & Farhat Chowdhury & Fatima Mohammed, 2021. "Government policies and firm performance in the COVID-19 pandemic era: a sectoral analysis," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(12), pages 1-22, December.
    4. Ntantamis, Christos & Zhou, Jun, 2022. "Corporate payout, cash holdings, and the COVID-19 crisis: Evidence from the G-7 countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    5. Huzaifa Shamsi, 2024. "Global Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: Assessing Firm Risk, Environmental Commitments, and Information Channels in the wake of COVID-19," IIMA Working Papers WP 2024-01-01, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    6. Suleman, Muhammad Tahir & Yaghoubi, Mona, 2022. "Infectious disease and corporate activities," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    7. Iyer, Subramanian Rama & Simkins, Betty J., 2022. "COVID-19 and the Economy: Summary of research and future directions," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    8. Nasir Ali & Muhammad Zia Ur Rehman & Badar Nadeem Ashraf & Falik Shear, 2022. "Corporate Dividend Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, October.
    9. Fasano, Francesco & Javier Sánchez-Vidal, F. & La Rocca, Maurizio, 2022. "The role of government policies for Italian firms during the COVID-19 crisis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    10. Georgina Maria Tinungki & Powell Gian Hartono & Robiyanto Robiyanto & Agus Budi Hartono & Jakaria Jakaria & Lydia Rosintan Simanjuntak, 2022. "The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Corporate Dividend Policy of Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Indonesia: Static and Dynamic Panel Data Model Comparison," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-23, May.
    11. Jaehee Gim & SooCheong Jang, 2024. "The determinants of aggressive share buybacks: An empirical examination of U.S. publicly traded restaurant firms," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(1), pages 132-151, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Dividends; Payout Policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets

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