Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2225-8329

Stock Prices Reaction to Dividend Announcements: A Study on Listed Companies in the Damascus Securities Exchange

Ghada Abbas

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v5-i1/1550

Open access

According to the signaling theory, dividend announcements are usually considered as a signal to the investors, about firm’s future performance, that results in stock prices changes. This study attempts to investigate the stock prices response to dividend announcement in the Damascus Securities Exchange. The purpose of the study is to identify whether there are any significant abnormal returns around the public announcement of dividend. An event study methodology is used for an event window of forty days surrounding the announcement day. Research results indicate that most average abnormal returns are statistically insignificant, whereas the cumulative average abnormal returns are statistically significant for the whole event window. The downward drift of the cumulative average abnormal returns six days after the announcement suggests that prices don’t adjust immediately to dividend information. The stock reactions appear within post-event window gradually in response to the dividends announcement.

Abbas, G. (2014). Testing Random Walk Behavior in the Damascus Securities Exchange. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance 4 (4).
Aharony, J., and Swary, I. (1980). Quarterly dividend and earnings announcements and stockholders returns: an empirical analysis. Journal of Finance, 35 (1), 1-12.
Al-Ahmad, Z. (2012). Testing the Weak Form Efficiency of the Damascus Securities Exchange. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 85, 154-165.
Allen, F., and Michaely, R. (2003). Dividend policy. (M. H. GM Constantinides, Ed.) Operations Research and Management Science, 337-429.
Asquith, P., and Mullins, D. W. (1983). The Impact ofIinitiating Dividend Payments on Shareholders Wealth. Journal of Business, 56 (1), 77-96.
Ball, R., and Kothari, S. (1991). “Security Returns Around Earnings Announcements. The Accounting Review, 66, 718-738.
Beer, F. (1993). Dividend signaling equilibrium: Quantitative evidence from the Brussels Stock Exchange. The finance Review, 28, 139-157.
Benartzi, S., Michaely, R., and Thaler, R. (1997). Do changes in dividends signal the future or the parst? Journal of Finance, 52, 1007-10034.
Bhattacharya, S. (1979). Imperfect Information, Dividend Policy, and 'The Bird in the Hand' Fallacy. The Bell Journal of Economics, 10, 259-270.
Binder, J. (1998). The event study methodology since 1969. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 11, 111-137.
Bodie, Z., Kane, A., and Marcus, A. (2008). Investement. Mc Mgraw.Hill.
Brown, S. J., and Warner, J. B. (1985). Using daily stock returns: The case of event studies. Using Journal of Financial Economics, 14, 3-13.
Charest, G. (1978). Dividend information, stock returns and market efficiency II. Journal of financial economics, 6, 297-330.
Christie, W. (1990). Dividend yield and expected returns: The zero puzzle. Journal of Financial Economics, 28, 95-125.
Eades, K. M., Hess, P. J., and Kim, E. H. (1985). Market Rationality and Dividend Announcements. Journal of Financial Economics, 14, 581-604.
Gonedes, N. (1978). Corporate signaling, external accounting, and capital market equilibrium: Evidence of dividends, income, and extraordinary items. Journal of Accounting Research, 16 (1), 26-79.
Gordon, M. J. (1962). The Savings, Investment and Valuation of the Corporation. Review of Economics and Statistics, 45, 37-51.
Grullon, G., Michaely, R., and Swaminathan, B. (2002). Are Dividend Changes a Sign of Firm Maturity? Journal of Business, 75 (3), 387-424.
Healy, P., and Palepu, K. (1988). Earning Information Conveyed by Dividend Initiations and Omissions. Journal of Financial Economics, 21 (2), 149-176.
Healy, P., and Palepu, K. (1988). Earnings information conveyed by dividend initiations and omissionsl. Journal of Financial Economics, 21 (1), 149-176.
John, K., and Williams, J. (1985). Dividends, Dilution and Taxes: A Signaling Equilibrium. Journal of Finance, 40, 1053-1070.
Lintner, J. (1956). Distribution of Incomes of Corporations among Dividends, Retained Earnings and Taxes. American Economic Review, 46, 97-113.
Lonie, A. A., Gunasekarage, A., Power, D. M., and Sinclair, C. D. (1996). The Stock Market Reaction to Dividend Announcements: A UK Study of Complex Market Signals. Journal of Economic Studies, 23, 32-52.
Michaely, R., Thaler, R., and Womack, K. (1995). Price Reactions to Dividend Initiations and Omissions: Overreaction or Drift? Journal of Finance, 50 (2), 573-608.
Michaely, R., and Thaler, R. (1997). Do chnages in Dividends Signal the Future or the Past? Journal of Finance, 52 (3), 1007-1034.
Miller, M., and Rock, K. (1985). Dividend Policy under Asymmetric Information. Journal of Finance, 40, 1031-1051.
Ng, J., Rusticus, T., and Verdi, R. (2008). Implications of transaction costs for the post-earnings announcement drift. Journal of Accounting Research, 46 (3), 661-696.
Pettit, R. (1972). Dividend Announcements, Security Performance, and Capital Market Efficiency. The Journal of Finance, 27, 993-1007.
Travlos, N., Trigeorgis, L., and Vafeas, N. (2001). Shareholder wealth effects of dividend policy changes in an emerging stock market: The case of Cyprus. Multinational Finance Journal, 5 (2), 87-112.
Watts, R. (1973). The information content of dividends. Journal of Business, 46 (2), 191-211.

In-Text Citation: (Abbas, 2015)
To Cite this Article: Abbas, G. (2015). Stock Prices Reaction to Dividend Announcements: A Study on Listed Companies in the Damascus Securities Exchange. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting Finance and Management Sciences, 5(1), 172–182.