Disclosure Quality and Dividend Payout in Saudi Firms

Abstract

This study examines how disclosure quality influences the dividend payouts of firms, and provides further evidence concerning the outcome hypothesis and substitution hypothesis. Using a sample of non-financial Saudi Arabian listed firms during 2012-2014, our results provide support for the substitution hypothesis in which outsiders demand higher dividends in a low-quality disclosure environment as a “substitute” for opacity. Further analysis shows that managers pay a higher dividend in an opaque environment not only to establish a reputation among outside capital suppliers but also because they have to disgorge excess cash to circumvent free cash flow problems.