Prior research has used inaccurate classification rules to distinguish between stock splits and stock dividends. The CRSP classification of two-for-one stock distributions agrees with the actual accounting treatment only 23% of the time. In addition, the accounting treatment impacts the announcement period reaction—two-for-one distributions accounted for as stock dividends are associated with five-day announcement period returns of 2.70%, significantly greater that the 0.93% announcement returns for distributions accounted for as stock splits. Announcement returns are positively related to earnings growth in the two years following the distribution for stock dividend firms but not for stock split firms. The accounting choice appears to be used to confirm management's private information about future earnings revealed at the time of the distribution announcement.

Stock dividends which increase outstanding shares by less than 25 percent require a transfer from retained earnings of the market value of the new shares, a much larger transfer than that required for stock dividends of 25 percent or more. Choosing a distribution factor near, but below, 25 percent may be an indication of management optimism that future income will replenish retained earnings, avoiding constraints on future cash distributions. In this study, firms declaring 20 percent and 25 percent stock dividends are compared. The 20 percent stock dividend firms exhibit significantly greater announcement-period abnormal returns and significantly greater post-declaration cash dividend growth. These effects are greatest for firms incorporated in states where the level of retained earnings more strictly constrains the payment of cash dividends.

[Stock dividends which increase outstanding shares by less than 25 percent require a transfer from retained earnings of the market value of the new shares, a much larger transfer than that required for stock dividends of 25 percent or more. Choosing a distribution factor near, but below, 25 percent may be an indication of management optimism that future income will replenish retained earnings, avoiding constraints on future cash distributions. In this study, firms declaring 20 percent and 25 percent stock dividends are compared. The 20 percent stock dividend firms exhibit significantly greater announcement-period abnormal returns and significantly greater post-declaration cash dividend growth. These effects are greatest for firms incorporated in states where the level of retained earnings more strictly constrains the payment of cash dividends.]