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.

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