The link between dividend policy and institutional ownership

This paper examines the relatively neglected link between dividend policy and institutional ownership. It is also the first example of using well-established dividend payout models to examine the potential association between ownership structures and dividend policy. Moreover, the paper presents the first results for the UK, where the institutional framework and ownership structures are different from those of the US. Using a UK panel data set, the role of institutional ownership in association to dividend payout ratios is analysed within the context of the dividend models of Lintner [American Economic Review, 46 (1956) 97], Waud [Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1996] and Fama and Babiak [Journal of the American Statistical Association, 63 (1968) 1132]. The results consistently produce strong support for the hypothesis that a positive association exists between dividend payout policy and institutional ownership. Furthermore, the results for an earnings trend model suggest a positive earnings trend component to the association between institutional ownership and the dividend payout ratio. In addition, there is some evidence in support of the hypothesis that a negative association exists between dividend payout policy and managerial ownership. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.