IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finana/v90y2023ics1057521923004490.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Asymmetric effects of fair value adjustments on dividend policy

Author

Listed:
  • Sikalidis, Alexandros
  • Bozos, Konstantinos
  • Voulgaris, Georgios

Abstract

We examine the effect of unrealized fair value adjustments resulting from derivatives classified as cash flow hedges on the dividend policy of UK firms. We theorise and empirically demonstrate that companies differentiate between positive and negative fair value adjustments. When unrealised gains are recorded under ‘Other comprehensive income’ firms do not increase dividend payouts; as such it can be argued that legal requirements surpass potential signaling considerations. However, for unrealized losses, firms reduce their dividend payouts, even when regulatory arrangements do not necessarily mandate this. Furthermore, firms adjust their dividends based on unrealized losses under different levels of firm risk, future growth opportunities and financial distress. Overall, our findings suggest that managers display a conservative behavior aiming to safeguard company assets, by effectively treating unrealized gains as ‘transitory’ and unrealised losses as ‘persistent’.

Suggested Citation

  • Sikalidis, Alexandros & Bozos, Konstantinos & Voulgaris, Georgios, 2023. "Asymmetric effects of fair value adjustments on dividend policy," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:90:y:2023:i:c:s1057521923004490
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102933
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521923004490
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102933?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Skinner, Douglas J., 2008. "The evolving relation between earnings, dividends, and stock repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(3), pages 582-609, March.
    2. Ray Ball, 2006. "International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): pros and cons for investors," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(S1), pages 5-27.
    3. Neil Fargher & John Ziyang Zhang, 2014. "Changes in the measurement of fair value: Implications for accounting earnings," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(3), pages 184-199, September.
    4. Christian Leuz, 2003. "IAS Versus U.S. GAAP: Information Asymmetry–Based Evidence from Germany's New Market," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 445-472, June.
    5. Igor Goncharov & Sander van Triest, 2011. "Do fair value adjustments influence dividend policy?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(1), pages 51-68, March.
    6. Ulf Br&?ggemann & J?rg-Markus Hitz & Thorsten Sellhorn, 2013. "Intended and Unintended Consequences of Mandatory IFRS Adoption: A Review of Extant Evidence and Suggestions for Future Research," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 1-37, May.
    7. Feito-Ruiz, Isabel & Renneboog, Luc & Vansteenkiste, Cara, 2020. "Elective stock and scrip dividends," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    8. Xiaomeng Chen & Andreas Hellmann & Safdar R. Mithani, 2020. "The Effect of Fair Value Adjustments on Dividend Policy Under Mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption: Australian Evidence," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 56(3), pages 436-453, September.
    9. Barth, Mary E. & Beaver, William H. & Landsman, Wayne R., 2001. "The relevance of the value relevance literature for financial accounting standard setting: another view," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 77-104, September.
    10. May Xiaoyan Bao & Matthew T. Billett & David B. Smith & Emre Unlu, 2020. "Does Other Comprehensive Income Volatility Influence Credit Risk and the Cost of Debt?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 457-484, March.
    11. Igor Goncharov & Sander Triest, 2014. "Unintended Consequences of Changing Accounting Standards: The Case of Fair Value Accounting and Mandatory Dividends," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 50(3), pages 341-367, September.
    12. Jorge Farinha, 2003. "Dividend Policy, Corporate Governance and the Managerial Entrenchment Hypothesis: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(9‐10), pages 1173-1209, December.
    13. Goergen, Marc & Renneboog, Luc & Correia da Silva, Luis, 2005. "When do German firms change their dividends?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 11(1-2), pages 375-399, March.
    14. Martina K. Linnenluecke & Jacqueline Birt & Xiaoyan Chen & Xin Ling & Tom Smith, 2017. "Accounting Research in Abacus, A&F, AAR, and AJM from 2008–2015: A Review and Research Agenda," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 53(2), pages 159-179, June.
    15. Kilincarslan, Erhan, 2021. "Smoothed or not smoothed: The impact of the 2008 global financial crisis on dividend stability in the UK," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    16. Christian Leuz, 2003. "IAS Versus U.S. GAAP: Information Asymmetry–Based Evidence from Germany's New Market," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 445-472, June.
    17. Correia da Silva, Luis & Goergen, Marc & Renneboog, Luc, 2004. "Dividend Policy and Corporate Governance," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199259304.
    18. Harakeh, Mostafa & Lee, Edward & Walker, Martin, 2019. "The effect of information shocks on dividend payout and dividend value relevance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 82-96.
    19. Alexandros Sikalidis & Konstantinos Bozos & Antonios Chantziaras & Christos Grose, 2022. "Influences of family ownership on dividend policy under mandatory dividend rules," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 939-967, October.
    20. Daniel, Naveen D. & Denis, David J. & Naveen, Lalitha, 2008. "Do firms manage earnings to meet dividend thresholds," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 2-26, March.
    21. Bart M. Lambrecht & Stewart C. Myers, 2012. "A Lintner Model of Payout and Managerial Rents," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(5), pages 1761-1810, October.
    22. Fabrizio Ferri & David A. Maber, 2013. "Say on Pay Votes and CEO Compensation: Evidence from the UK," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 17(2), pages 527-563.
    23. Brav, Alon & Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Michaely, Roni, 2005. "Payout policy in the 21st century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 483-527, September.
    24. Jagannathan, Murali & Stephens, Clifford P. & Weisbach, Michael S., 2000. "Financial flexibility and the choice between dividends and stock repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 355-384, September.
    25. DeAngelo, Harry & DeAngelo, Linda & Skinner, Douglas J, 1992. "Dividends and Losses," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(5), pages 1837-1863, December.
    26. Ham, Charles G. & Kaplan, Zachary R. & Leary, Mark T., 2020. "Do dividends convey information about future earnings?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(2), pages 547-570.
    27. Cejnek, Georg & Randl, Otto & Zechner, Josef, 2021. "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Corporate Dividend Policy," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(7), pages 2389-2410, November.
    28. Dhaliwal, Dan & Subramanyam, K. R. & Trezevant, Robert, 1999. "Is comprehensive income superior to net income as a measure of firm performance?1," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1-3), pages 43-67, January.
    29. Itzhak Ben-David & John R. Graham & Campbell R. Harvey, 2007. "Managerial Overconfidence and Corporate Policies," NBER Working Papers 13711, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    30. Ester Chen & Ilanit Gavious & Nadav Steinberg, 2019. "Dividends from unrealized earnings and default risk," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 491-535, June.
    31. Jorge Farinha, 2003. "Dividend Policy, Corporate Governance and the Managerial Entrenchment Hypothesis: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(9-10), pages 1173-1209.
    32. John L. Campbell, 2015. "The Fair Value of Cash Flow Hedges, Future Profitability, and Stock Returns," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 243-279, March.
    33. DeAngelo, Harry & DeAngelo, Linda & Skinner, Douglas J., 2004. "Are dividends disappearing? Dividend concentration and the consolidation of earnings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(3), pages 425-456, June.
    34. Miller, Merton H & Rock, Kevin, 1985. "Dividend Policy under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1031-1051, September.
    35. Joerg-Markus Hitz, 2007. "The Decision Usefulness of Fair Value Accounting - A Theoretical Perspective," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 323-362.
    36. Mary Barth, 2007. "Standard-setting measurement issues and the relevance of research," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(S1), pages 7-15.
    37. Ilan Guttman & Ohad Kadan & Eugene Kandel, 2010. "Dividend Stickiness and Strategic Pooling," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(12), pages 4455-4495, December.
    38. Fargher, Neil & Zhang, John Ziyang, 2014. "Changes in the measurement of fair value: Implications for accounting earnings," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 184-199.
    39. Fernau, Erik & Hirsch, Stefan, 2019. "What drives dividend smoothing? A meta regression analysis of the Lintner model," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 255-273.
    40. Alon Brav & John R. Graham & Campbell R. Harvey & Roni Michaely, 2008. "Managerial Response to the May 2003 Dividend Tax Cut," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 37(4), pages 611-624, December.
    41. Gugler, Klaus & Yurtoglu, B. Burcin, 2003. "Corporate governance and dividend pay-out policy in Germany," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 731-758, August.
    42. Abdallah Atieh & Simon Hussain, 2012. "Do UK firms manage earnings to meet dividend thresholds?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(1), pages 77-94, March.
    43. Jensen, Gerald R. & Solberg, Donald P. & Zorn, Thomas S., 1992. "Simultaneous Determination of Insider Ownership, Debt, and Dividend Policies," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(2), pages 247-263, June.
    44. Martins, Theo Cotrim & Novaes, Walter, 2012. "Mandatory dividend rules: Do they make it harder for firms to invest?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 953-967.
    45. Alexandros Sikalidis & Stergios Leventis, 2017. "The Impact of Unrealized Fair Value Adjustments on Dividend Policy," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 283-310, April.
    46. Kanagaretnam, Kiridaran & Mathieu, Robert & Shehata, Mohamed, 2009. "Usefulness of comprehensive income reporting in Canada," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 349-365, July.
    47. Lance Moir & Sudi Sudarsanam, 2007. "Determinants of financial covenants and pricing of debt in private debt contracts: the UK evidence," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 151-166.
    48. DeAngelo, Harry & DeAngelo, Linda, 1990. "Dividend Policy and Financial Distress: An Empirical Investigation of Troubled NYSE Firms," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(5), pages 1415-1431, December.
    49. Igor Goncharov & David Veenman, 2014. "Stale and Scale Effects in Markets-Based Accounting Research: Evidence from the Valuation of Dividends," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 25-55, May.
    50. Jimi Siekkinen, 2016. "Value relevance of fair values in different investor protection environments," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 1-15, March.
    51. DeAngelo, Harry & DeAngelo, Linda, 2006. "The irrelevance of the MM dividend irrelevance theorem," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 293-315, February.
    52. Hans B. Christensen & Edward Lee & Martin Walker, 2009. "Do IFRS Reconciliations Convey Information? The Effect of Debt Contracting," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5), pages 1167-1199, December.
    53. Lakshmanan Shivakumar, 2013. "The role of financial reporting in debt contracting and in stewardship," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 362-383, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiaomeng Chen & Andreas Hellmann & Safdar R. Mithani, 2020. "The Effect of Fair Value Adjustments on Dividend Policy Under Mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption: Australian Evidence," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 56(3), pages 436-453, September.
    2. Renneboog, Luc & Szilagyi, Peter G., 2020. "How relevant is dividend policy under low shareholder protection?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    3. Szilagyi, P.G., 2007. "Corporate governance and the agency costs of debt and outside equity," Other publications TiSEM 9520d40a-224f-43a8-9bf9-b, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Hussein Abedi Shamsabadi & Byung-Seong Min & Richard Chung, 2016. "Corporate governance and dividend strategy: lessons from Australia," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(5), pages 583-610, October.
    5. Alexandros Sikalidis & Konstantinos Bozos & Antonios Chantziaras & Christos Grose, 2022. "Influences of family ownership on dividend policy under mandatory dividend rules," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 939-967, October.
    6. James, Hui & Benson, Bradley W. & Wu, Chen (Ken), 2017. "Does CEO ownership affect payout policy? Evidence from using CEO scaled wealth-performance sensitivity," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 328-345.
    7. KOCHIYAMA, Takuma & 河内山, 拓磨 & SEKI, Koreyoshi, 2017. "Discretion in the Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance and Its Impact on Firms' Dividend Payouts," Working Paper Series 209, Management Innovation Research Center, School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University Business School.
    8. Ester Chen & Ilanit Gavious & Nadav Steinberg, 2019. "Dividends from unrealized earnings and default risk," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 491-535, June.
    9. Jie He & Xuan Tian & Huan Yang & Luo Zuo, 2020. "Asymmetric Cost Behavior and Dividend Policy," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 989-1021, September.
    10. Fernau, Erik & Hirsch, Stefan, 2019. "What drives dividend smoothing? A meta regression analysis of the Lintner model," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 255-273.
    11. Bilinski, Pawel & Lyssimachou, Danielle, 2018. "Dividend guidance to manage analyst dividend expectations," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 53-68.
    12. Ed-Dafali, Slimane & Patel, Ritesh & Iqbal, Najaf, 2023. "A bibliometric review of dividend policy literature," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    13. Eva Liljeblom & Sabur Mollah & Patrik Rotter, 2015. "Do dividends signal future earnings in the Nordic stock markets?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 493-511, April.
    14. Krieger, Kevin & Lee, Bong-Soo & Mauck, Nathan, 2013. "Do senior citizens prefer dividends? Local clienteles vs. firm characteristics," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 150-165.
    15. Adra, Samer & Gao, Yang & Huang, Jin & Yuan, Jiayi, 2023. "Geopolitical risk and corporate payout policy," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    16. Renneboog, L.D.R. & Trojanowski, G., 2005. "Patterns in Payout Policy and Payout Channel Choice of UK Firms in the 1990s," Discussion Paper 2005-002, Tilburg University, Tilburg Law and Economic Center.
    17. Maria Elisabete Duante Neves, 2017. "Payout and Firm's Catering," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(4), pages 104-132.
    18. Stephen P. Ferris & Gregory Noronha & Emre Unlu, 2010. "The More, the Merrier: An International Analysis of the Frequency of Dividend Payment," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(1‐2), pages 148-170, January.
    19. Renneboog, L.D.R. & Trojanowski, G., 2005. "Control Structures and Payout Policy," Other publications TiSEM a82281ef-f247-479f-a0e3-1, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    20. Michaely, Roni & Rossi, Stefano & Weber, Michael, 2021. "Signaling safety," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(2), pages 405-427.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:90:y:2023:i:c:s1057521923004490. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620166 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.