Main Article Content

Authors

This paper aims to analyze the determining factors of dividend policy in SMEs of an emerging economy such as Colombia. SMEs are very important for emerging economies, as they are great job creators and contribute to improving the quality of life of many families. This study is based on liquidity, profitability and indebtedness variables, to demonstrate their links with the dividend policy in this type of entities on which there is not enough empirical research in the Latin American context. A panel data with a total of 11,888 observations was estimated for the horizon 2017-2019. The results evidence that liquidity and profitability increase SMEs’ dividend policy. Indebtedness level indicators present a negative relationship. Overall, the results provide empirical evidence on this important financial decision in a scarcely studied business context and segment. Additionally, the factors influencing dividend policy for these firms have practical implications for regulators, investors, and financial analysts to strengthen their decision criteria in emerging economies.

Diego Andrés Correa-Mejía, Universidad de Antioquia

Full-time professor, Department of Accounting Sciences, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. Public Accountant, Master in Finance, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.

Jaime Andrés Correa-García, Universidad de Antioquia Medellín

Full-time professor, Department of Accounting Sciences, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. Public Accountant, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia, Doctor in Accounting and Corporate Finance, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.

Carlos Eduardo Castaño-Ríos, Universidad de Antioquia

Full-time professor, Department of Accounting Sciences, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. Public Accountant, Master in Business Administration, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.

Correa-Mejía, D. A., Correa-García, J. A., & Castaño-Ríos, C. E. (2023). Determinants of dividend policy in small and medium-sized enterprises of an emerging market. Cuadernos De Administración, 39(77), e2012924. https://doi.org/10.25100/cdea.v39i77.12924

Abdi, H., & Omri, M. (2020). Web-based disclosure and the cost of debt: MENA countries evidence. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 18(3), 533-561. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-07-2019-0088 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-07-2019-0088

Ahmad, N., Barros, V., & Sarmento, J. (2018). The determinants of dividend policy in Euronext 100. Corporate Ownership and Control, 15(4), 8-17. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv15i4art1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv15i4art1

Agudelo-Rodríguez, L., Flórez-Londoño, A., y Correa-Mejía, D. (2020). Efectos de la aplicación del marco normativo para entidades de gobierno en los indicadores financieros. Entramado, 16(2), 90-110. https://doi.org/10.18041/1900-3803/entramado.2.6545 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18041/1900-3803/entramado.2.6545

Anu, K. J., Sreejith, J., & Ananth, A. (2017). A Research Paper on Impact of Dividend Policy Determinants of Listed Companies on Indian Capital Market. Journal of Finance and Accounting, 5(2), 40-43. http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfa/5/2/2/index.html

Anwer, Z., Mohamad, S., Paltrinieri, A., & Hassan, M. (2020). Dividend payout policy of Shariah compliant firms: Evidence from United States. Pacific Basin Finance Journal, 69, 101422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2020.101422 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2020.101422

Atieh, A., Hussain, S. (2012). Do UK firms manage earnings to meet dividend thresholds? Accounting and Business Research, 42(1), 77-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2012.622187 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2012.622187

Baker, H., Dewasiri, N., Yatiwelle, W., & Azeez, A. (2019). Dividend policy determinants of Sri Lankan firms: a triangulation approach. Managerial Finance, 45(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-03-2018-0096 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-03-2018-0096

Barros, V., Verga, P., & Miranda, J. (2020). What firm’s characteristics drive the dividend policy? A mixed-method study on the Euronext stock exchange. Journal of Business Research, 115, 365-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.042

Brédart, X., Correa-Mejía, D. (2022). Bankruptcy prediction modeling in real-world conditions: A contrast of boosting algorithm and logistic regression. Recherches en Sciences de Gestion, 152(5), 127-153. https://doi.org/10.3917/resg.152.0127 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3917/resg.152.0127

Benavides, J., Berggrun, L., & Perafán, H. (2016). Dividend payout policies: Evidence from Latin America. Finance Research Letters, 17, 197-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2016.03.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2016.03.012

Benjamin, S., Mohamed, Z. Bin, & Marathamuthu, M. (2018). DuPont analysis and dividend policy: empirical evidence from Malaysia. Pacific Accounting Review, 30(1), 52-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/PAR-05-2015-0019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PAR-05-2015-0019

Cheng, J., Lin, F., & Tung, T. (2018). The Effect of Institutional Ownership Stability on Cash Dividend Policy: Evidence from Taiwan. Advances in Pacific Basin Business, Economics and Finance, 207-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/s2514-465020180000006006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S2514-465020180000006006

Correa-García, J. A., Correa-Mejía, D. A. (2021). Importancia del estado de flujos de efectivo para la gestión financiera sostenible. Cuadernos de Contabilidad, 22, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.cc22.iefe DOI: https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.cc22.iefe

Correa-García, J., Gómez-Restrepo, S. & Londoño-Castañeda, F. (2018). Indicadores financieros y su eficiencia en la explicación de la generación de valor en el sector cooperativo. Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, 26(2), 129-144. https://doi.org/10.18359/rfce.3859 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18359/rfce.3859

Correa, J.; Ramírez, L., & Castaño, C. (2009). Modelo de gestión financiera integral para MIPYMES en Colombia. Contaduría Universidad de Antioquia, 55, 187-201. https://revistas.udea.edu.co/index.php/cont/article/view/16343

Correa-Mejía, D., & Lopera-Castaño, M. (2020). Financial ratios as a powerful instrument to predict insolvency; a study using boosting algorithms in Colombian firms. Estudios Gerenciales, 36(155), 229-238. https://doi.org/10.18046/j.estger.2020.155.3588 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18046/j.estger.2020.155.3588

Correa-Mejía, D., Vélez-Cardona, N., y Murillo-Palacios, M. (2021). Los indicadores financieros: Herramienta para evaluar el principio de negocio en marcha. Desarrollo Gerencial, 13(2), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.17081/dege.13.2.4882 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17081/dege.13.2.4882

Dewasiri, N., Yatiwelle, W., Abdul, A., Jayarathne, P., Kuruppuarachchi, D., & Weerasinghe, V. (2019). Determinants of dividend policy: evidence from an emerging and developing market. Managerial Finance, 45(3), 413-429. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-09-2017-0331 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-09-2017-0331

Driver, C., Grosman, A., & Scaramozzino, P. (2020). Dividend policy and investor pressure. Economic Modelling, 89, 559-576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2019.11.016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2019.11.016

ElBannan, M. (2020). Does catering behavior persist? Evidence on dividend sentiment in emerging financial markets. International Review of Economics and Finance, 69, 350-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2020.06.016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2020.06.016

Elmagrhi, M., Ntim, C., Crossley, R., Malagila, J., Fosu, S., & Vu, T. (2017). Corporate governance and dividend pay-out policy in UK listed SMEs: The effects of corporate board characteristics. International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, 25(4), 459-483. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-02-2017-0020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-02-2017-0020

Elton, E. J., Gruber, M. J. (1970). Homogeneous Groups and the Testing of Economic Hypotheses. The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 4(5), 581-602. https://doi.org/10.2307/2330115 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2330115

Fernández, C. (2018). Informalidad empresarial en Colombia (Working paper N° 76). https://www.repository.fedesarrollo.org.co/bitstream/handle/11445/3698/WP_2018_No_76.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Gill, A., Biger, N., & Mathur, N. (2012). Determinants of equity share prices evidence from American firms. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 90, 176-192. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281004388_Determinants_of_Equity_Share_Prices_Evidence_from_American_Firms

Higgins, C. (1972). The Corporate Dividend-Saving Decision. The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 7(2), 1527-1541. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2307/2329932 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2329932

Huang, W., Paul, D. (2017). Institutional holdings, investment opportunities and dividend policy. Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 64, 152-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2016.06.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2016.06.008

Jabbouri, I. (2016). Determinants of corporate dividend policy in emerging markets: Evidence from MENA stock markets. Research in International Business and Finance, 37, 283-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2016.01.018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2016.01.018

Jabbouri, I., Attar, A. (2018). The dividend paradox: a literature review. International Journal of Markets and Business Systems, 3(3), 197-221. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijmabs.2018.093292 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMABS.2018.10014420

Jabbouri, I., Attar, A. (2017). Does a high dividend payout ratio signal proper corporate governance or high agency cost of debt? Corporate Ownership and Control, 14(2), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv14i2art5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv14i2art5

Jensen, M., Meckling, W. (1976). Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X

Jiraporn, P., Chintrakarn, P. (2009). Staggered boards, managerial entrenchment, and dividend policy. Journal of Financial Services Research, 36(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-009-0059-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-009-0059-6

Kaźmierska-Jóźwiak, B. (2015). Determinants of Dividend Policy: Evidence from Polish Listed Companies. Procedia Economics and Finance, 23, 473-477. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)00490-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00490-6

Kent, H., Kilincarslan, E. (2019). Why companies do not pay cash dividends: The Turkish experience. Global Finance Journal, 42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2018.02.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2018.02.005

Lai, K., Saffar, W., Zhu, X., & Liu, Y. (2020). Political institutions, stock market liquidity and firm dividend policy: Some international evidence. Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 16(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2019.100180 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2019.100180

Lintner, J. (1956). Distribution of Incomes of Corporations Among Dividens, Retained Earnings, and Taxes. The American Economic Review, 46(2), 97-113. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1910664

Mazzarol, T. (2014). Research review: A review of the latest research in the field of small business and entrepreneurship. Small Enterprise Research, 21(1), 2-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2014.11082073 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2014.11082073

Manneh, M., Naser, K. (2015). Determinants of Corporate Dividends Policy: Evidence from an Emerging Economy. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 7(7), 229-239. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijef.v7n7p229 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijef.v7n7p229

Miller, M., Modigliani, F. (1961). Dividend Policy, Growth, and the Valuation of Shares. The Journal of Business, 34(4), 411-433. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2351143 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/294442

Nerviana, R. (2015). The effect of financial ratios and company size on dividend policy. The Indonesian Accounting Review, 5(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.14414/tiar.v5i1.486 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14414/tiar.v5i1.486

Pham, H. yen, Chung, R., Bao, B., & Min, B. (2020). Corporate payout policy: does product market competition matter? Evidence from Australia. International Journal of Managerial Finance, 17(2), 342-357. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-10-2019-0406 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-10-2019-0406

Pinto, G., Rastogi, S. (2019). Sectoral Analysis of Factors Influencing Dividend Policy: Case of an Emerging Financial Market. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 12(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm12030110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm12030110

Pinto, G., Rastogi, S., Kadam, S., & Sharma, A. (2019). Bibliometric study on dividend policy. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 12(1), 72-95. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-11-2018-0118 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-11-2018-0118

Renneboog, L., Szilagyi, P. (2020). How relevant is dividend policy under low shareholder protection? Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, 64, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intfin.2015.01.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intfin.2015.01.006

Romero, F., Melgarejo, Z. A., y Vera-Colina, M. A. (2015). Fracaso empresarial de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) en Colombia. Suma de Negocios, 6(13), 29-41. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neucir.2013.12.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sumneg.2015.08.003

Salazar, E., Castaño, C., y Zamarra, J. (2020). Información financiera en mipymes del oriente antioqueño (Colombia). Criterio Libre, 18(32), 303-327. https://doi.org/10.18041/1900-0642/criteriolibre.2020v18n32.7124 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18041/1900-0642/criteriolibre.2020v18n32.7124

Singla, H., Samanta, P. (2019). Determinants of dividend payout of construction companies: a panel data analysis. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 24(1), 19-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMPC-06-2018-0030 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMPC-06-2018-0030

Tahir, H., Masri, R., & Rahman, M. (2020). Impact of board attributes on the firm dividend payout policy: evidence from Malaysia. Corporate Governance (Bingley), 20(5), 919-937. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-03-2020-0091 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-03-2020-0091

Terreno, D., Peréz, J., y Sattler, S. (2020). La relación entre liquidez, rentabilidad y solvencia: Una investigación empírica por el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales. Contaduría Universidad de Antioquia, 77, 13-35. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.rc.n77a01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.rc.n77a01

Tran, Q. (2019). Creditors and dividend policy: Reputation building versus debt covenant. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 25(3), 114-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2019.06.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2019.06.001

Vancin, D., Kirch, G. (2020). Profit distribution and regulation: the impact of mandatory dividend in corporate internal funding. Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, 31(84), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-057x201910000 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-057x201910000

Received 2023-04-22
Accepted 2023-11-30
Published 2023-11-30