Audit Committee Characteristics and Dividend Payouts: The Case of Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the audit committee characteristics on the firm's dividend payout policies of non-financial publicly listed companies in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The study utilizes a multivariate regression model and finds a significant association between audit committee size and meetings with a firm's dividend payout policies. On the other hand, the results show no significant association between the number of independent audit committee members and the firm's dividend payout policies. The study findings can provide valuable insight to the shareholders in GCC countries and aid in establishing a sound dividend payout policy and to reducing the impact of the agency problem.