The purchase of treasury stock (commonly called stock buybacks) is being done with increasing frequency in lieu

Question:

The purchase of treasury stock (commonly called stock buybacks) is being done with increasing frequency in lieu of payments.

Required:
a. Explain why stock buybacks are similar to dividends from the company's viewpoint.
b. Explain why managers might prefer the purchase of treasury shares to the payment of dividends.
c. Explain why investors might prefer that firms use excess cash to purchase treasury shares rather than pay dividends.

Dividend
A dividend is a distribution of a portion of company’s earnings, decided and managed by the company’s board of directors, and paid to the shareholders. Dividends are given on the shares. It is a token reward paid to the shareholders for their...