Payout policy decisions: the effect of compensation structures

Ruei-Shian Wu and Yi-Rong Wu

Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, 2020, vol. 27, issue 1, 71-92

Abstract: This study examines the relation between CEO compensation structures and corporate payout policies from 2008 to 2015. The literature focuses on equity-based compensation, and few studies emphasize debt-based compensation. These two types of compensation structures have different features and thus induce managers to choose different payout policies. Using total payouts, dividends, and repurchases as three proxies for corporate payouts, we find that the relation between CEO equity-based compensation structures and total payouts is statistically trivial. However, when we break down corporate payout policies into dividend payouts and share repurchases, we find that CEOs with large options holdings decrease dividend payments and increase share repurchases. We also find that CEOs with large inside debt holdings pay more dividends to shareholders, but we find no significant effect on repurchase payouts. Our findings suggest that ignoring compensation types may veil their differing effects on corporate payout decisions.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/16081625.2020.1686816

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics is currently edited by Yin-Wong Cheung, Hong Hwang, Jeong-Bon Kim, Shu-Hsing Li and Suresh Radhakrishnan

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