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The Covid-19 Pandemic and Corporate Dividend Policy

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  • Zechner, Josef
  • Cejnek, Georg
  • Randl, Otto

Abstract

This paper shows for major equity markets that the proportion of index values attributable to the first five years of dividends dropped substantially in the first quarter of 2020 and that this drop has not been reversed by the end of the year. In the cross-section, this breakdown of dividend smoothing due to COVID-19 was less severe for firms with higher operating cash flows and more positively co-skewed stock returns and more pronounced for those with higher leverage and in the financial sector. Heavy dividend cutters also experienced a substantial increase in exposure to systematic risk.

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  • Zechner, Josef & Cejnek, Georg & Randl, Otto, 2020. "The Covid-19 Pandemic and Corporate Dividend Policy," CEPR Discussion Papers 14571, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:14571
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    8. Cejnek, Georg & Randl, Otto, 2016. "Risk and return of short-duration equity investments," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 181-198.
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    12. Alice Bonaimé & Jarrad Harford & Jarrad Harford, 2020. "Payout Policy Trade-Offs and the Rise of 10b5-1 Preset Repurchase Plans," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(6), pages 2762-2786, June.
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    RePEc Biblio mentions

    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Economic policy > Business support

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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Pagano & Josef Zechner, 2022. "COVID-19 and Corporate Finance [The risk of being a fallen angel and the corporate dash for cash in the midst of COVID]," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 11(4), pages 849-879.
    2. Heyden, Kim J. & Heyden, Thomas, 2021. "Market reactions to the arrival and containment of COVID-19: An event study," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    3. Elham Daadmehr, 2024. "Workplace sustainability or financial resilience? Composite-financial resilience index," Risk Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(2), pages 1-35, May.
    4. Anshu Agrawal, 2021. "Impact of Elimination of Dividend Distribution Tax on Indian Corporate Firms Amid COVID Disruptions," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-38, September.
    5. Gao, Haoyu & Wen, Huiyu & Wang, Xingjian, 2022. "Pandemic effect on corporate financial asset holdings: Precautionary or return-chasing?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Berkman, Henk & Malloch, Hamish, 2023. "Stock valuation during the COVID-19 pandemic: An explanation using option-based discount rates," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    7. Chen, Zhiwei & Li, Zhaoyuan & Liu, Sibo, 2022. "The price of political polarization: Evidence from municipal issuers during the coronavirus pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    8. Burak Pirgaip, 2021. "Pan(dem)ic reactions in Turkish stock market: evidence from share repurchases," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(2), pages 381-402, June.
    9. 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.
    10. Abdullah AlGhazali & Khamis Hamed Al-Yahyaee & Richard Fairchild & Yilmaz Guney, 2024. "What do dividend changes reveal? Theory and evidence from a unique environment," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 499-552, February.
    11. Kathryn E. Easterday & Pradyot K. Sen, 2023. "Another look at the dividend-price relationship in the accounting valuation framework," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 879-925, October.
    12. Jules H. van Binsbergen, 2020. "Duration-Based Stock Valuation: Reassessing Stock Market Performance and Volatility," NBER Working Papers 27367, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Ye Li & Chen Wang, 2023. "Valuation Duration of the Stock Market," Papers 2310.07110, arXiv.org.
    14. Hanke, Michael & Kosolapova, Maria & Weissensteiner, Alex, 2020. "COVID-19 and market expectations: Evidence from option-implied densities," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    15. Liu, Ya & Qiu, Buhui & Wang, Teng, 2021. "Debt rollover risk, credit default swap spread and stock returns: Evidence from the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).

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