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http://dx.doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2021.vol8.no7.0323

Ownership Structure and Cash Holdings: Empirical Evidence from Saudi Arabia  

ALGHADI, Mohammad Yousef (Department of Finance & Banking Science, University Irbid National)
Al NSOUR, Ibrahim Radwan (Department of Finance & Banking Science, University Irbid National)
AlZYADAT, Ayed Ahmad Khalifah (Department of Finance & Banking Science, University Irbid National)
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The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business / v.8, no.7, 2021 , pp. 323-331 More about this Journal
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between ownership structure and level cash holdings in an emerging country, namely, Saudi Arabia, by constructing a corporate governance mechanism (foreign ownership, family ownership, institutional and managerial ownership). This paper uses data from 100 listed firms at Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL) from 2011 to 2019. The firm's decision to hold cash has come to the fore in the last two or three years as a result of the recent global financial crisis, and the impact that this has had on the firms' ability to raise funds from external sources. Using the random-effect generalized least square (GLS) regression model, the findings reveal that foreign and family ownership negatively influences cash holdings, while managerial ownership has a positive association with cash holdings. Further, institutional ownership did not have a direct effect on cash holdings in Saudi Arabia. Our results suggest that ownership structure include foreign ownership, family and managerial ownership is an essential vehicle to promote the performance of cash holding of all the 100 public-listed non-financial firms in Saudi Arabia. We recommend that sound policies should be targeted toward foreign ownership, family, and managerial ownership since they are essential to improve cash holding in Saudi Arabian firms.
Keywords
Ownership Structure; Agency; Cash Holdings;
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