The higher profits are required in order to continue to produce the product. I think there's a misconception by people with no experience in business where they think "profits" is money that they can just blow on whatever. The fact is, without retained profits, you can-not provide the liquidity to operate your business. Those profits are what enable them to cover unexpected costs, obtain loans, and pay down older debt. When the cost of production increases, you have to have more cash to fund the next cycle. Sure, some of that profit will go to stockholders of publicly held companies, but that is necessary in order to make the stock look attractive and so the company can borrow more money from other potential investors.