The Rise in Dividend Payments

Michelle Bergmann
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Michelle Bergmann: Reserve Bank of Australia

RBA Bulletin (Print copy discontinued), 2016, 47-56

Abstract: Dividends paid by Australian listed companies have grown substantially since the global financial crisis, most notably among large resources companies and the banks. These increases have occurred alongside modest growth in earnings. Dividend-paying companies appear to generally smooth these payments, having been reluctant to reduce their dividend payments in particular. The increase in dividends over recent years could reflect an increase in shareholder preferences to receive income payments or a perception among company managers that there are fewer viable investment opportunities; the data offer some modest support to both of these hypotheses.

Keywords: Dividends; buybacks; shareholder returns; profits, investment; payout ratio; dividend policy; shareholder preferences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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