What is a dividend recapitalization?

• A. The company takes on new debt solely to pay a special dividend to the PE firm.
• B. The company pays a dividend using existing cash reserves.
• C. The PE firm sells the company.
• D. The company issues stock.

Answer: (A)

Divident recapitalization is when a company borrows new funds and uses that money to pay a large, one-time dividend to its shareholders—typically the private equity sponsor that owns the business. The idea is to extract value from the company by loading it up with debt, then distributing the cash to owners, rather than selling the company or issuing new equity. This leaves the business with higher debt and higher interest costs, potentially altering risk and financial flexibility, but it provides a quick return to the investors.

This differs from paying a regular dividend out of existing cash, which wouldn’t involve new debt; from selling the company, which is an exit for the owners; and from issuing stock, which would bring in new equity rather than debt.