This paper re‐examines the dividend policy issue by conducting a simultaneous test of the alternative explanations of corporate payout policy using a two‐step procedure that involves factor analysis and multiple regression. Several new proxies for theoretical attributes that have appeared in the literature are introduced, including the role of managerial dimensions in determining dividend policy. Strong support is found for the transaction cost/residual theory of dividends. pecking order argument, and the role of dividends in mitigating agency problems. Strong support is also found for the role of managerial consideration in affecting the firm's payout policy; specifically, firms that maintain stable dividend policies and firms that enjoy financial flexibility pay higher dividends. The results appear to support the tax clientele argument.

This paper assesses the stock market reaction to announcements of corporate headquarters relocations and examines financial and geographical factors related to wealth effects and factors that influence the decision to relocate corporate headquarters. The results indicate that announcements of relocations are associated with significant positive stock price effects. On average, the stock price of relocating firms increases by 1.29% during the two-day period around the announcement. Abnormal returns are positively related to the availability of labor and negatively related to the cost of living in the new location and the change in employment levels. A logit analysis indicates that the probability of a firm relocating is partially determined by the firm size and the rental expenses/sales ratio. The results also indicate that firm size, the employment/asset ratio levels, and listing in the NYSE/AMEX affect the decision to relocate to a Fortune-ranked city. Finally, firms relocating to "Fortune"-ranked cities are characterized by a high level of insider ownership relative to firms moving to non-ranked cities. Copyright American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.

This paper examines the underpricing of IPOs of financial institutions over the period 1983 to 1987. Based on a sample of 185 banks and savings and loan associations (including S&L conversions) and a control sample of 1,361 industrial firms, results indicate that in general IPOs of financial institutions are significantly less underpriced than those of the non‐financial institutions. In particular, the IPOs of non‐S&L conversion financial institutions are less underpriced than the IPOs of non‐financial institutions.