The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the dividend target payout ratio. The evidence from Hydrotor SA

Abstract

Lintner’s (1956) partial adjustment model identifies the company’s long-term dividend policy by setting a dividend target payout ratio and the speed of adjustment. And although the model has undergone various modifications and methods of estimation over more than 60 years, it is still a good tool for analyzing dividend decisions made by companies. The aim of the article is to show the usefulness of the Lintner model for analyzing changes in the company’s dividend policy during the pandemic turmoil. For the illustration, Hydrotor SA was chosen, which, the longest time at the Warsaw Stock Exchange, continuously pays dividends. The calculations showed that the situation in 2020 resulted in a revision of the company’s long-term dividend strategy, which resulted in a lowering of the dividend target payout ratio and a greater attention to the current situation (current net profits)—an increase in the speed of adjustment.