Stocks Abnormal Returns and Rate of Dividend Announcements

Abstract

The present research study examined the impact of different dividend rate announcements on stocks prices in the Indian stock market. Stocks selected from S&P BSE 500 index and study period from 2008 – 2017. The sample used for this study is 1755 pure cash dividend announcements (492 large-caps, 425 mid-caps, and 838 small-caps). Dividend rates are classified into six classifications to test the stocks' abnormal returns to different dividend classifications. Event methodology market model used to calculate Average Abnormal Returns (AAR) and Cumulative Average Abnormal Returns (CAAR). The results were observed twenty-one times based on market capitalization and dividend rate wise for a final dividend announcement. The results of the study are not the same for different dividend rate classifications and different market capitalizations. The study found positive abnormal returns on event day in most of the classifications, and it is similar to Litzenberger and Ramaswamy (1982), Asquith and Mullins Jr (1983), Grinblatt, Masulis and Titman (1984), Chen, Nieh, Da Chen, and Tang (2009) and many previous research results studied in major developed stock markets and emerging stock markets. Full sample and small-cap final dividend rate 100 percent to 199 percent average abnormal returns are positively significant, and other final dividend rate classification abnormal returns are positive in most of the observations, but returns are not significant. Large-cap average abnormal returns are more sensitive to different dividend rates, and small-cap reacts positively in all classifications. So, different market capitalization final dividend actions impact on stocks in India varies in different dividend rate classifications.