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Dividends and Investment

Author

Listed:
  • Aparna Mathur
  • Nirupama S. Rao
  • Michael R. Strain
  • Stan A. Veuger

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between dividend payouts and corporate investment. We find significant heterogeneity in the relationship across firms—heterogeneity that helps reconcile competing results in the literature. Drawing on financial filing data from Compustat, we first broadly replicate the statistically significant negative relationship estimated by Auerbach and Hassett. We show that this relationship does not hold if the variation is restricted to within-firm only. Our null results suggest a relatively precise zero estimate for the mean firm. Next, we investigate heterogeneity in the relationship between dividends and investment. Using quantile regression methods, we find that this negative relationship is concentrated at the top of dividends distribution: only firms from the seventieth percentile and above exhibit a strongly negative relationship, and it is these firms that drive the negative estimates of pooled ordinary least square regressions reported in prior work.

Suggested Citation

  • Aparna Mathur & Nirupama S. Rao & Michael R. Strain & Stan A. Veuger, 2016. "Dividends and Investment," Public Finance Review, , vol. 44(6), pages 769-787, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:44:y:2016:i:6:p:769-787
    DOI: 10.1177/1091142115623852
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Smirlock, Michael & Marshall, William, 1983. "An Examination of the Empirical Relationship between the Dividend and Investment Decisions: A Note," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 38(5), pages 1659-1667, December.
    2. Koenker, Roger & Bassett, Gilbert, Jr, 1982. "Robust Tests for Heteroscedasticity Based on Regression Quantiles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 43-61, January.
    3. Bradford, David F., 1981. "The incidence and allocation effects of a tax on corporate distributions," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 1-22, February.
    4. Ivan A. Canay, 2011. "A simple approach to quantile regression for panel data," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 14(3), pages 368-386, October.
    5. Auerbach, Alan J. & Hassett, Kevin A., 2003. "On the marginal source of investment funds," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 205-232, January.
    6. Korinek, Anton & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 2009. "Dividend taxation and intertemporal tax arbitrage," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-2), pages 142-159, February.
    7. Fama, Eugene F, 1974. "The Empirical Relationships Between the Dividend and Investment Decisions of Firms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(3), pages 304-318, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ms. Li Liu, 2018. "Where Does Multinational Investment Go with Territorial Taxation? Evidence from the UK," IMF Working Papers 2018/007, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Galina Besstremyannaya & Sergei Golovan, 2019. "Reconsideration of a simple approach to quantile regression for panel data: a comment on the Canay (2011) fixed effects estimator," Working Papers w0249, Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR).
    3. Galina Besstremyannaya & Sergei Golovan, 2019. "Reconsideration of a simple approach to quantile regression for panel data: a comment on the Canay (2011) fixed effects estimator," Working Papers w0249, New Economic School (NES).

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