Impact of accounting choice of dividends on the company’s value: Initial evidences

Abstract

The theme "value" always draws attention in discussions because its concept is linked to a high subjectivity. There are many models that try to get to an asset or a company’s value, which in addition to dealing with the subjectivity of the term, also must deal with several projections. The model of free cash flow is quoted in the literature. This method is affected by the variation of working capital which is the difference between assets and liabilities that is considered operational, calculated by Fleuriet’s Model, but to classify as operational is up to the evaluator/analyst. There are many choices for those who prepare the accounting reports too, what is called in the literature as the accounting choices. Example of the accounting choices is the treatment of interest, dividend and interest on shareholders' equity. Thus, if any account is classified as operational, this could impact the calculation of working capital and maybe, the value of a firm. This study analyzed whether there is an impact on the value, calculated by the discounted cash flow method, resulting from the accounting choice of dividends. Starting from the company's cash flow approach, which is affected by working capital, the sample was made by 80 companies in the Bovespa New Market between 2011 and 2015. Based on tests of mean and sign differences, the results confirmed what was expected: the dividend affects the free cash flow calculation and, moreover, should affect the company’s value.