Determinants of Dividend Payout Policy of Listed Corporations in Nigeria

This study examines the underlying components that determine the dividend policy statement of corporations in Nigeria. The study purposively select ninety-four (94) corporations out of the universe of companies listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Financial ratios were extracted and computed from published annual audited financial reports spanning 2007 to 2017. This was informed by the ex-post facto research design adopted to observe key indicators of these corporations in retrospect. The panel regression analysis was used to explain the numerical phenomenon collated. The Durbin-Wu-Hausman specification test found the fixed effect model to be more suitable. The empirical results indicate that financial leverage has a significant negative impact on dividend payout; liquidity has an insignificant positive impact on dividend payout policy; profitability has an insignificant positive impact on dividend payout decision; and company size has a significant positive impact on dividend payout dicision. The study concluses that liquidity, profitability and company size are the determinants of the dividend policy of corporations in Nigeria. More specifically, company size was found to be a major determinant to the dividend policy statement of corporations in Nigeria. The study suggests that, corporations should sustain their liquid positions, asset base and profit levels at all times to meet the universe of desires of their shareholders.