Dividend Policy and Financial Performance- A Study of Quoted Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria and Kenya

One of the indicators of shareholders’ wealth maximization is dividend policy (DP) consistency, proxied by dividend per share (DPS) with moderating variable of company size and financial performance measured by the return on asset (ROA). The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the significance level of changes in ROA based on DPS comparing manufacturing companies in Nigeria and Kenya. The data used in this study is the use of panel data method and Convenience Sampling is applied and data analyzed by comparing the regression model, Ordinary Least Square (common effect). The results indicate that there is a significant positive effect on ROA in Kenya manufacturing companies, while Nigeria’s records insignificant negative effect as revealed by the t-statistics due to DP. These undeveloped economies’ relevant sector for growth is the manufacturing and is the focus of this study. The paper concludes by recommending that Kenya and Nigeria manufacturing companies should focus on DP.