Discussion: Signaling, Information Content, and the Reluctance to Cut Dividends

Abstract

Avner Kalay makes a point that managerial reluctance to cut dividends is a necessary condition for the existence of a signaling equilibrium in which dividends are employed as a signaling device. He argues, however, that the available empirical evidence is unable to confirm the reluctance to cut dividends. In particular, the well-known Lintner's (1956) partial adjustment model, which is often cited in support of the reluctance to cut dividends, is empirically indistinguishable from an alternative model which is devoid of such a reluctance. Kalay then conducts an alternative test, but it too leads to an inconclusive result on the issue.