• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.135-161
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• 2007

In this paper, we study empirically the dividend initiation decisions of IPO firms listed on Korea Securities Market and KOSDAQ Market. Specifically, we study three aspects of dividend initiation decision, (a) dividend initiation decision, (b) dividend level decision, (c) time-to-initiation decision. The main results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, determinants suggested by the major theories of dividends, namely, residual dividend, dividend signaling, agency, catering, and transactions cost theory explain significantly the dividend initiation decision. Second, determinants suggested by the major theories of dividends explain significantly the dividend level decision. So to speak, most of the findings for dividend initiation decision also hold for the dividend level decision. Third, most of the factors that increase(decrease) the probability of dividend initiation reduce(increase) the time-to-initiation. Almost of the dividend initiation firms start paying dividends within two years of the IPO. Thus, if IPO firm does not initiate dividend early in the life of the firm, then it is highly likely that it will never initiate dividend.