Goetzmann, Will, Le Bris, David and Pouget, Sébastien (2019) The present value relation over six centuries: The Case of the Bazacle Company. Journal of Financial Economics, vol. 132 (n° 1). pp. 248-265.

Text Download (90kB)

Abstract

We study asset pricing over the longue durée using share prices and net dividends from the Bazacle company of Toulouse, the earliest documented shareholding corpo- ration. The data extend from the firm's foundation in 1372 to its nationalization in 1946. We find an average dividend yield of 5% per annum and near-zero long-term, real capital appreciation. Stationary dividends and stock prices enable us to directly study how prices relate to expected cash flows, without relying on a rate of return transformation. A reduced-form asset pricing model with persistent dividends and a time-varying risk correction is not rejected by the data.