Corporate governance impact on dividend policy of NIFTY-500 indexed Indian pharmaceutical companies (2014–2019)

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the influence of corporate governance index (CGI), ownership concentration (OC) and other features on the dividends of listed Indian pharmaceutical companies. The other features included are leverage, excess return over cost of equity and stock-market return. This study thus helps to provide more insights on the dividend distribution issues for a shareholder in the challenging and demanding pharma industry, especially when stakes are high. Design/methodology/approach The data for all 26 pharmaceutical companies which form part of the NSE NIFTY-500 index for six years (2014–2019) is procured using Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s (CMIEs) Prowess database. An eight-pointer scale (unweighted scale) is used to develop the CGI. For OC, this paper considers the proportion of promoters’ shareholding, domestic institutional investors’ shareholding and foreign owners’ shareholding. Both static and dynamic panel data models are used to evaluate the effect of CGI and OC on dividends. Findings The panel data analysis depicts that CGI significantly positively influences the dividends of pharmaceutical companies in India. Thus, the authors find support for La Porta et al.’s outcome agency model. The results also reveal that only promoters’ holdings are significantly inversely related to dividends out of the three OC variables used for this study. This discussion implies that family-run pharmaceutical companies in India tend to retain profits instead of distributing dividends. Research limitations/implications This study provides two direct insights for policymakers and stakeholders. First, because this study shows that CGI significantly positively influences dividends, corporate governance (CG) is an essential factor for determining dividends. Second, because the results also reveal that OC in the hands of promoters hurts dividends, it implies that the higher the promoter holding, lesser is the dividend distributed by the company. Both these results can be used as a quantitative tool by investors to assess Indian pharmaceutical companies better. However, a similar study could be directed to assess the impact of CGI and OC on dividends of other industries. Moreover, additional variables of CG and OC can also be evaluated in further detail. There is also a need to empirically validate the impact of CG and OC on a company’s performance. Originality/value The results are robust and reveal that variation in CGI does impact dividend policy. This aids in confirming that CG is a crucial aspect influencing dividends. The findings also add to the increasing studies across the globe evaluating the influence of CG and OC on dividends.