Module 4 – SLP

Leverage, Capital Structure, and Dividend Policy

Review the 1) dividends for the past three years and 2) capital
structure of the company you have been researching for your SLP
assignment. Then answer the following questions in a Word document
(except for the Excel portion specifically noted). The paper should be 2
pages in length.

1. What has occurred with your selected company’s dividend payout,
   dividend yield, and dividend per share over the past three years? Do you
   have any explanations for what has occurred? Also, has this company had
   any stock splits or stock repurchases in recent years?
2. How does your selected company’s dividend payout, dividend yield,
   and dividend per share compare with other companies in its industry? Has
   the company’s dividend strategy been similar to other companies in its
   industry?
3. Use Excel to plot your selected company’s earnings and dividends
   over the past three years. Do you notice any patterns? What dividend
   policies from the background readings best match these patterns?

SLP Assignment Expectations

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on
  tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
  materials.
• For computational problems, make sure to show your work and explain your steps.
• For short answer/short essay questions, make sure to reference your
  sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations.
  See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
  including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the
  “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC
  Portal.