Este artigo analisa a evolução da estrutura de propriedade de capital e de votos das empresas de capital aberto no Brasil no período 1997-2002. Sua principal contribuição reside em estimar a magnitude dos direitos de voto e de fluxo de caixa do acionista último com a maior parcela do capital votante de cada empresa. Examinam-se, também, as fontes da discrepância entre direitos de votos e de fluxo de caixa, avaliando-se a importância relativa da emissão de ações preferenciais sem direito a voto, acordos de votos, estruturas piramidais de propriedade, e posse cruzada de ações. A base de dados compreende 4478 relatórios que as empresas, cumprindo uma exigência legal, submeteram à CVM nesse período.

This paper focuses on the ownership and voting structures of limited liability companies in Brazil over the period 1997-2002. Its main contribution lies in measuring the magnitude of deviations between control rights and cash-flow rights for the ultimate shareholder with the largest voting rights. Furthermore, it pinpoints how these discrepancies are generated, evaluating the relative importance of the issuance of preferred stocks with no voting rights, voting agreements, pyramidal arrangements of ownership, and cross-shareholdings. The data set embraces 4,478 reports that companies, complying with a mandatory requirement, filed to the CVM over that period.

This paper has as its main objective to measure the magnitude of deviations between control rights and cash-flow rights for the ultimate shareholder with the largest voting rights of limited liability companies in Brazil. Furthermore, it pinpoints how these discrepancies are generated, evaluating the relative importance of the issuance of preferred stocks with no voting rights, pyramidal arrangements of ownership, and cross-shareholdings. The data set embraces 602 companies that in 2001 complied with the mandatory requirement of filing to the CVM.