A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for Award of the Degree of Master of Science in Accounting and Finance (MSc. A&F) of Mzumbe University
The study aimed to assess the impact of dividend pay-out on firm’s performance by focusing specifically on examining the dividend policies, rate, and frequencies amongst the listed firms in DSE. It further aimed to examine the relationship between dividend payout ratio and firm’s performance; and finally to determine the impact of dividend payout ratio on firm performance. To achieve this, the study employed a descriptive research design; considering a sample of four listed firms and their characteristics over 10 years from 2007 to 2016. Eventually, the analysis was aided by quantitative analysis through the application of Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) and STATA. The findings revealed that’s each firms considered in the study has its own dividend policy, rate and frequencies, furthermore the study show that dividend payout ratio has a weak insignificant positive correlation on profit generated by the firm. However, control variables such as investment, total assets, and firm size have a significant correlation- linear relationship with firm performance. The result of multiple regression analysis on the other hand reveals that only dividend payout ratio, total assets, firm growth, and leverage have significant impact on the performance of firms listed in DSE; while results reveal otherwise for firm size and investment. The study recommended the important of firm’s management to devote more time in making rational decision and designing dividend policy that enhance firm’s performance.