The Analysis of Non-Linear Dividend Hypothesis: International Evidence

The main aim of this paper is to examine the non-linear relationship between financial performance and level of dividends for a recent period and an international sample. Subsidiary, we have included some firm characteristics to revisit their influence over the level of dividends paid. Using both GMM and Quantile Regression, we found that there is a non-linear relationship between the level of dividends paid and financial performance. Among the dividend theories, the signaling effect theory, the lifecycle theory, and the catering theory of dividends are supported through our results.