The Ownership Dividend

"We are on the verge of a major paradigm shift for investors in the U.S. stock market. Dividend-focused stock investing has been receding in popularity for more than three decades in the U.S. Once the dominant investment style, it is now a boutique approach. This book argues that this is set to change. The Ownership Dividend explains how and why the stock market drifted away from a mostly cash-based returns system to one almost completely driven by near-term share price movements. It details why the exceptional forces behind that shift-notably the 40-year drop in interest rates and the rise of buybacks-are now substantially exhausted. As a result, the U.S. market is poised for a return to the more typical business-like relationships observed in the private sector and in other mature markets around the world. While many market participants have profited from and become used to the way things have been in recent decades, savvy individual investors, financial advisors, and even institutional portfolio managers will want to position themselves to benefit from the reversion to cash-based investment relationships in the years ahead. This is a must-read book for financial advisors, institutional consultants, as well as engaged individual investors"--

IF YOU'RE INVESTED IN THE FUTURE OF THE STOCK MARKET, THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL. DIVIDENDS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. THEY'RE PART OF THE SOLUTION. Forget the Great Recession. According to fund manager and author Daniel Peris, the real threat to investment returns from stocks is the Great Retreat--a 30-year drop in the dividend payout ratio of the leading corporations in the United States that has rendered the U.S. stock market a grand casino rather than a business investment platform. Peris believes that profit distributions--the dividends of publicly traded corporations--are the greatest indicators of a business's success. Investors and company executives should focus on them. This is The Dividend Imperative, a bold new vision for anyone interested in having a stronger, broader, and healthier stock market for everyone. If you're a personal investor ... this book will show you how to identify and invest incompanies that value shareholders by rewarding them with ample, growing dividends. If you're a portfolio manager ... this book will help you shift your focus from near-term earnings to long-term dividends--even if it goes against conventional wisdom. If you’re a business leader ... this book will show you how to restore trust and confidence in the corporate world, the stock market, and the future of investing. This is no get-rich-quick scheme or one-size-fits-all money guide. It is a realistic, tightly reasoned approach to dividend investing that could have far-reaching effects on Main Street and Wall Street alike. Using real-world case studies and analytic models, Peris shows investors and companies that concentrating on dividend generation and growth can lead to mutually rewarding results. You'll learn why stocks go up when dividends go up--and what it means to a company's bottom line. You'll discover practical financial tools for assessing the value of higher dividend payouts and determining the value of a dividend growth trajectory. Even if your direct stock market experience has been disappointing or your mutual funds have performed poorly in recent years, refocusing your efforts on dividend strategies can provide just the vision you need to achieve long-term success with your investments. This is what business is all about. This is how investors and companies can share profi ts, build trust, and create opportunities for the future. This is The Dividend Imperative. You've seen the markets swing from bubble to scandal and back again. You’ve watched the divide between Wall Street and Main Street grow larger each year. You've wished there was a strategic approach to investing that strengthened portfolios, benefited companies, and bolstered the economy as well. The answer, according to business investor Daniel Peris, is simple. You need to focus on dividends. Investors need to demand bigger dividends, and U.S. corporations need to pay out more of their profits as dividends. This is THE DIVIDEND IMPERATIVE--a powerful new call to action for investors and corporate leaders by the acclaimed author of The Strategic Dividend Investor. "[Peris's] ideas about aligning interests through higher dividend payments may be counter to current Wall Street wisdom, but savvy investors should trust Peris to guide them toward a strategy that focuses on generating strong long-term returns." -- JOHN EADE, President, Argus Research "Peris makes a compelling case that investors and companies need to focus more on dividends, which have accounted for the lion’s share of stock market returns." -- JOHN HEINZL, Toronto's The Globe and Mail "If you’re a shareholder, and not a near-term 'shareseller,' you deserve a better deal. Most companies can afford to pay higher dividends. Here's why they should. Investors who like cash should cheer for Peris." -- JEFFREY KOSNETT, editor of Kiplinger's Investing for Income "The book is a rallying cry for long-term investors to regain their rightful position using a simple but very powerful tool that they have at their disposal--demand for increased dividends." -- WILLIAM LYONS, CFO, CONSOL Energy

We are on the verge of a major paradigm shift for investors in the U.S. stock market. Dividend-focused stock investing has been receding in popularity for more than three decades in the U.S.; once the dominant investment style, it is now a boutique approach. That is about to change. The Ownership Dividend explains how and why the stock market drifted away from a mostly cash-based returns system to one almost completely driven by near-term share price movements. It details why the exceptional forces behind that shift—notably the 40-year drop in interest rates and the rise of buybacks—are now substantially exhausted. As a result, the U.S. market is poised for a return to the more typical business-like relationships observed in the private sector and in other mature markets around the world. While many market participants have profited from and become used to the way things have been in recent decades, savvy individual investors, financial advisors, and even institutional portfolio managers will want to position themselves to benefit from the reversion to cash-based investment relationships in the years ahead. This is a must-read book for financial advisors, institutional consultants, as well as engaged individual investors.

'Investor Protection and Corporate Governance' analyzes the impact of corporate governance on firm performance and valuation. Using unique datasets gathered at the firm-level the first such data in the region and results from a homogeneous corporate governance questionnaire, the book examines corporate governance characteristics, ownership structures, dividend policies, and performance measures. The book's analysis reveals the very high levels of ownership and voting rights concentrations and monolithic governance structures in the largest samples of Latin American companies up to now, and new data emphasize the importance of specific characteristics of the investor protection regimes in several Latin American countries. By and large, those firms with better governance measures across several dimensions are granted higher valuations and thus lower cost of capital. This title will be useful to researchers, policy makers, government officials, and other professionals involved in corporate governance, economic policy, and business finance, law, and management.

Dividends And Dividend Policy As part of the Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance, Dividends and Dividend Policy aims to be the essential guide to dividends and their impact on shareholder value. Issues concerning dividends and dividend policy have always posed challenges to both academics and professionals. While all the pieces to the dividend puzzle may not be in place yet, the information found here can help you gain a firm understanding of this dynamic discipline. Comprising twenty-eight chapters—contributed by both top academics and financial experts in the field—this well-rounded resource discusses everything from corporate dividend decisions to the role behavioral finance plays in dividend policy. Along the way, you'll gain valuable insights into the history, trends, and determinants of dividends and dividend policy, and discover the different approaches firms are taking when it comes to dividends. Whether you're a seasoned financial professional or just beginning your journey in the world of finance, having a firm understanding of the issues surrounding dividends and dividend policy is now more important than ever. With this book as your guide, you'll be prepared to make the most informed dividend-related decisions possible—even in the most challenging economic conditions. The Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance is an unparalleled source of information dedicated to the most important issues in modern finance. Each book focuses on a specific topic in the field of finance and contains contributed chapters from both respected academics and experienced financial professionals.

Abstract.

We analyze a unique data set of publicly traded firms based in six Latin American countries to study the joint effect of ownership concentration and composition on dividend policy. We find that when ownership concentration is high, and the largest investor is identified as an individual, firms tend to pay fewer dividends, consistent with individual investors extracting benefits from minority shareholders. However, if the largest shareholder is based in a common-law country, the dividend paid is significantly higher. Finally, the higher the ownership of the second-largest shareholder, the firms decrease the dividends, suggesting a monitoring role of a large shareholder.

Dividends are not only a signal about a firm's prospects under asymmetric information, but they can also act as a corporate governance device to align the management's interests with those of the shareholders. Dividend Policy and Corporate Governance is the first comprehensive volume on the relationship between dividend policy and corporate governance, and examines in detail empirical studies and current theories. Reviewing the interactions between dividend policy and other corporate governance mechanisms, it compares results for the UK and the US with those for other countries such as France, Germany, and Japan, and provides new empirical evidence on corporate governance in continental Europe and its impact on dividends. Focusing on one of the main representatives of this system, Germany, it highlights major differences between the dividend policies of German firms and those of UK or US firms. Conventional wisdom states that German dividends are lower than UK or US dividends, yet on a published-profits basis the exact converse is true. In addition, the authors demonstrate a link between corporate control structures and dividend payouts, report evidence that the existence of a loss is an additional determinant of dividend changes, and demonstrate that the tax status of the controlling shareholder and the firm's dividend payout are not linked. The conclusions reached in this book have important implications for the current debate on corporate governance, making it invaluable for academics, finance professionals, regulators, and legal advisors.

Dividend Policy provides a comprehensive study of dividend policy. It explores the puzzle presented by dividends: irrational and subject to fashion, yet popular and desirable, they remain a priority among managers, even while perceived as largely symbolic. After exploring the history of dividend payments, from the emergence of the modern corporation to current perspectives, it traces the evolution of academic models on dividend policy. Here the authors review models of symmetric and asymmetric information before analyzing academia's accomplishments in solving the dividend puzzle. Related subjects, such as valuation and wealth distribution, round out the authors' presentation about new ways to think about one of the most intriguing subjects in financial economics. The book is recommended for professors and students in departments of finance and business, corporate finance staff, and financial regulators. The only comprehensive study of dividend policy Covers the historical evolution of dividends and academic research on dividend policy Presents new ways of thinking about dividends and dividend policy