>STRATEGY- Stratoscope: Show Me the Money

In the midst of the dividend payout season for Indian equities, we analyzed the payout policies of Corporate India and its relationship with stock price performances. We highlight key observations and stock ideas in the report.

 The median dividend payout ratio for the BSE 100 has remained stable over the last decade at about 20%. The flat trend is not satisfying from a minority shareholder perspective. But could be attributed to: a) the corporate sector in India being in a capital-intensive growth phase (both organic and inorganic), b) funding constraints post the global financial crises, c) increased competitive intensity has also resulted in a more cautious stance on sustainability of payouts.

 The cautious stance is reflected even in the payout policies of defensive sectors – Consumer Staples, Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare, wherein payout policies have remained stable or reduced. The payout of the IT services sector has almost doubled over the last decade. But it still remains around the broad market average. Payout of the Financials sector has also been limited to around the market average. The State-owned Banks have, however, seen a reduction in recent times due to capital constraints.

 It is also worth highlighting that only a few managements have a clearly articulated dividend payout policy. The state-owned companies typically try to adhere to Government guidelines which stipulate a payout of about 20-30% depending on the sector. Given the Government’s
fiscal constraints, we expect cash-rich, state-owned companies to continue to have a high payout policy.

 That said, managements wanting to enhance shareholder value would do well to have a consistent payout policy – with stable to rising dividends. Our analysis shows that companies with such a policy have consistently outperformed the benchmark over the last decade.

To read report in detail: STRATEGY