Active catering to dividend clienteles: Evidence from takeovers

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Golubov, Andrey; Lasfer, Meziane; Vitkova, Valeriya
• 署名单位: University of Toronto; City St Georges, University of London
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-405X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2020.04.002
• 发表日期: 2020
• 关键词: dividend policy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Clientele effect

摘要

We use merger-induced changes to shareholder structure to test for active catering to dividend clienteles. Following mergers, acquirers adjust their dividend payout toward that of the target, but only when they inherit target shareholders through stock swaps. This adjustment is stronger when legacy shareholders are more influential and reveal a greater preference for dividends through portfolio holdings and trading behavior. Country-level differences in dividend taxes, governance quality, and population age further shape the extent of adjustment in ways consistent with dividend preferences. Pre-closing, differences in dividend payout discourage the use of stock as a payment method. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.