Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Repurchases Part 4: Some Concluding Remarks


In three previous posts Repurchases: Part 1 Shareholders Beware and Repurchases Part 2: The Positive Side,  and Repurchases, Part 3: Joe Responds, Joe and I have debated the merits of repurchases.  Today's blog contains Part 4 where we continue the debate and try to summarize.  

Thanks to all for your comments.  You are also welcome to post them here.


Joe and Ralph

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Ralph:

Joe, your Repurchases Part 3 contains some great comments.  Maybe I'm being picky but I still kinda disagree with two points.  

First,  and this is technical, share repurchases can alter the capital structure and as they increase leverage, the tax shield increases.  This can create value if it doesn't increase risk excessively.   For many repurchases, this can be a minor effect.  However, a company can increase its leverage quickly by borrowing and using the proceeds to repurchase stock.

Also, while I agree you can replicate repurchases with special dividends, your shareholders will suffer much higher taxes.

Joe:

Yes, but you can get same leverage impact thru debt financed special dividend.

Regarding taxes - it depends on the shareholder base-clientele.

Ralph:

OK, I agree you can get the same leverage impact, good point, but still think either approach can create value.  It might be that we disagree whether leverage can 'create' value.

On taxes, yes, but capital gains  are taxed at a substantially lower rate than ordinary income (dividends).

Joe:

Taxes are not an issue for investors like untaxed pension funds


Microsoft’s 2004 32B special dividend is counterfactual.  If the tax
disadvantage is key,  then why didn't they use a repurchase?

Ralph:

I agree with your comments about untaxed pension funds - and institutional ownership is quite high in corporate America.  To other investors it would matter.

Regarding Microsoft, I don't know the answer.  I do note that in addition to the special dividend, they also repurchased shares.  So they actually did both.  As far as I know, Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates do pay taxes, so the mystery remains.  (Bill Gates was reported to donate the proceeds he received to his charity but I still think repurchases would have saved taxes.)

I do think we can agree that:

Share repurchases can be controversial!  And, while they offer tax advantages over dividends, they can be abused.  Two possibilities for this abuse are a) the apparent, but misleading, increase of earnings through repurchases and b) companies that overpay in repurchases harm existing shareholders. 

Dividends don’t produce the overpayment problem, but force shareholders to accept the distribution, while repurchases give them the option to defer.

Also, since it is difficult to precisely estimate the value of one’s shares, companies should proceed cautiously with repurchases. 

Finally, companies that cannot put cash to use at rates higher than those demanded by shareholders should return it in some form.  If you increase regular dividends make sure they can be sustained.  Otherwise, consider share repurchases and special dividends.


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