Table 5 reports the long-term returns for firms changing dividend-paying status (i.e., initiators and omitters). Initiators exhibit no evidence of negative long-term returns. In fact, the one-year post-initiation return is reliably positive, and is roughly 6% over the first year. The three-year horizon return is about 4% (1.3% per year) and is not significant 卫 These positive long-term returns do not square well with, and even contradict, catering theory. For omitters,the long-term returns are -6.6% and -6% for one- and three-year horizons, respectively.