What is the residual dividend policy?
John Johnson
Updated on February 08, 2026
A residual dividend is a dividend policy used by companies whereby the amount of dividends paid to shareholders amounts to what profits are left over after the company has paid for its capital expenditures (CapEx) and working capital costs.
Which dividend policy is best for company?
Regular Dividend Policy For companies with predictable earnings, the best option may be a regular dividend payout policy, which provides shareholders a set dividend at a small percentage of the company’s profits. This type of setup also called a low dividend policy, allows the company to reinvest most of its profits.
How would a change in investment opportunities affect dividend under the residual policy?
How would a change in investment opportunities affect dividend under the residual policy? Fewer good investments would lead to smaller capital budget, hence to a higher dividend payout. More good investments would lead to a lower dividend payout.
What are the 4 types of dividend policy?
There are four types of dividend policy. First is regular dividend policy, second irregular dividend policy, third stable dividend policy and lastly no dividend policy. The stable dividend policy is further divided into per share constant dividend, pay-out ratio constant, stable dividend plus extra dividend.
What are the factors of dividend policy?
There are several factors which affect dividend policy, the most important of which are the following: (a) legal rules, (b) liquidity position, (c) the need to pay off debt, (d) restrictions in debt contract, (e) rate of expansion of assets, (f) profit rate, (g) stability of earnings, (h) access to capital markets, (i) …
What does it mean to have a residual dividend policy?
A residual dividend model or residual dividend policy is a method that companies use to determine the dividends they will pay out to shareholders. While there are a number of ways in which a company can pay out dividends (stable dividends, constant dividends, or residual dividends), most companies use a residual dividend policy.
How is a residual dividend calculated in Excel?
In the case of a residual dividend approach, the company will base dividends on earnings less funds that the companies expects to need to finance projects. On this page, we discuss the passive residual dividend policy formula, discuss a residual dividend policy example. We use an Excel spreadsheet to create a residual dividend policy calculator.
Which is an example of a smooth dividend policy?
Under a smooth dividend policy, the management of a business may invest spare cash into unprofitable or unnecessarily risky projects only because funds are available. Residual Dividend Model . Dividends = Net Income – (Target Equity Ratio x Total Capital Budget) Illustrative Example of the Residual Dividend Model
Which is more efficient a smooth dividend or a residual dividend?
This is consistent with empirical evidence that suggests that businesses tend to prefer a smooth dividend payout profile and use financial institutions to finance such dividends when necessary. In theory, a residual dividend policy is more efficient than a smooth dividend policy.