The factors affecting dividend policy in Malaysia / Annur Akmal Mohd Hazedi

A dividend policy is known to be a plan that carries out crucial roles in dividing the dividend given to the shareholders of companies based on the size and pattern of cash. This policy brings out the confidence of a company to share their expected dividend benchmark. With that, dividend declarations that were made actually helped the listed companies to improve their financial performance so that the dividend pay-out could meet shareholders' expectations. There are multiple types of dividend policies, such as stable dividend policies, regular dividend policies, irregular dividend policies, and no dividend policies. Apart from that, it is a crucial issue that is debated in the financial field. Dividend payments by companies are the most anticipated additional earnings received by shareholders because these people prefer cash, additional information regarding firms' future prospects, firm life cycle and more. Therefore, this study is essential because it would expand previous study research on the factors that affect dividend policy in our country, such as profitability, investment opportunities, leverage, and inflation, to determine whether they have any significant relationship and identify which aspect contributes the most to the dividend payment. Secondary data will be taken from ten companies in a span of 10 years from 201 1 to 2020.
Keywords: Malaysia, Developing Country, Dividend Policy, Profitability, Investment Opportunities, Leverage, Inflation