The acquisition puzzle and mispricing: evidence of over-optimism

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Donnelly ◽  
Amir Hajbaba

Purpose – Researchers suspect that the overvaluation of equity issuing acquirers is a major cause of their subsequent post-event underperformance. Definitive conclusions regarding this overpricing hypothesis have not been possible since indicators of overpricing such as the book-to-market ratio and subsequent underperformance are open to alternative interpretations. The purpose of this paper is to corroborate or refute overvaluation as a driver of equity issuing acquirers’ subsequent underperformance. Design/methodology/approach – The literature has linked overvaluation of acquirers to over-optimistic expectations. The authors use analysts’ earnings forecasts to reflect the market's expectations. Over-optimism is indicated by subsequent earnings disappointments. The authors examine the relation between acquirers’ choice of payment method and their tendency to report disappointing earnings. The authors also examine the effect of including a more direct measure of over-optimism in a model to explain the long-run post-event buy-and-hold-abnormal returns of acquirers. Findings – The post-acquisition earnings of equity issuing acquirers disappoint more often than those of acquirers employing alternative financing methods. This relationship is confined to glamour acquirers. The ability of financing method to predict long-run post-acquisition performance is subsumed when direct measures of optimism are included in a model explaining long-run post-acquisition performance. This result is robust to controls for overpayment and other potential explanations of post-acquisition underperformance. Research limitations/implications – Acquirers’ management exploit their information advantage to exchange overvalued equity for the assets of the target company in accordance with Loughran and Ritter's (2000) behavioural timing hypothesis. Originality/value – The study provides new and unambiguous evidence that equity-issuing acquirers are optimistically priced at the time of acquisition.

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-133
Author(s):  
Heba Ahmed Abbas Ali

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the behavioral timing hypothesis in the context of UK rights issues by seeking to establish and investigate inter-relationships between directors’ trading around rights issues as a proxy for stock mis-valuation and post-issue stock price performance.Design/methodology/approachThe cumulative average abnormal returns, the buy and hold abnormal returns, the standardized residual cross-sectionalt-test and the generalized sign test techniques.FindingsThe directors do possess short-term timing ability as they can identify profitable trading situations by buying more often before stock outperformance and by selling more often before stock underperformance. In addition, directors trading prior to the rights offering is found to exert an influence on the long-run abnormal returns of the rights-issuing firm, which supports the story that mis-valuation and behavioral timing are empirical.Research limitations/implicationsOther types of seasoned equity offerings rather than rights issues should be included.Practical implicationsThe research provides a direct testing for the strong form of market efficiency hypothesis, which enables policymakers to take into account market reaction to directors’ trades and how it is affected by corporate events (e.g. rights issues) when addressing insider trading regulations.Originality/valueThis study extends available literature in the context of both developed and emerging equity markets to testing the behavioral timing hypothesis by testing the inter-relationships between directors’ trading around rights issues and post-issue short- and long-run performance. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that examines these inter-relationships in the UK context.


2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1688-1709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Li ◽  
Qun Wu ◽  
Clyde W. Holsapple

Purpose – Best-value supply chains characterized by agility, adaptability, and alignment, have become a crucial strategic means for firms to create and sustain competitive advantage in today’s turbulent environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate linkage between best-value supply chains and firms’ competitive performance. Design/methodology/approach – In Study 1, survey data from 76 firms is used to test the impact of the three qualities of best-value supply chains on firms’ competitive performance. In Study 2, to test if a firm’s competitive advantage can be sustained through building best-value supply chains, a long-run performance analysis is conducted, which is based on a stock portfolio of firms identified from the American Marketing Association’s annual list of “Supply Chain Top 25.” Findings – The results of Study 1 indicate that the three qualities of best-value supply chains are positively related to firms’ competitive performance. The results of Study 2 show that firms having best-value supply chains generate significant and positive abnormal returns for shareholders over time. Originality/value – This is a multiple-method research, providing two-level empirical evidence to the investigation of theoretical linkage between best-value supply chains and firms’ competitive performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 745-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heejin Woo

Purpose This study aims to investigate how new CEOs’ previous experiences in other organizations and other industries create value in acquisitions. Drawing on the upper echelon perspective, this study theorizes that the multiorganizational experience of new CEOs is positively associated with acquisition performance and, in particular, that the multi-industry experience of new CEOs leads to better performance in diversifying acquisitions than in related acquisitions. While new CEOs without multiorganizational experience undergo a cognitive entrenchment in firm-specific experience, new CEOs with multiorganizational experience can lead acquisitions with more flexibility and agility. Design/methodology/approach Acquisition and organizational data were drawn from the US manufacturing industries (SIC 20-39) between 2008 and 2010. The event study method was used to test hypotheses. In 346 acquisitions made by 139 firms, acquisition performance was measured according to cumulative abnormal returns. Findings Consistent with the hypotheses, the multiorganizational experience of new CEOs was positively associated with acquisition performance and, in particular, the multi-industry experience of new CEOs led to better performance in diversifying acquisitions than in related acquisitions. Originality/value This paper contributes to the CEO literature and acquisition literature by suggesting that the multiorganizational experience of new CEOs can be a valuable source of competitive advantages, particularly when implementing corporate strategies involving interorganizational integration processes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Killins ◽  
Peter V. Egly

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the long-run performance of a unique set of US domiciled firms that have bypassed the US capital markets in pursuit of their initial public offering (IPO) overseas. Additionally, this paper then tests the popular underwriter prestige impact and the window of opportunity hypothesis on this unique subset of IPOs. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of foreign and purely domestic IPOs made by US firms from 2000 to 2011, this study investigates the long-term performance, one-, two- and three-year by using two measures (buy-and-hold return and cumulative abnormal returns) to test the long-run returns of newly listed companies. Finally, the research incorporates both the traditional matching methodology (issue year and size) along with propensity score matching methodology. Findings FIPOs of US companies underperform DIPOs and their matched DIPOs; furthermore, FIPOs underperform the index of the two listing countries they use the most (UK and Canada). Although the choice of a reputable underwriter mitigates underperformance, the choice of listing in a foreign country only may be a result of possible high valuations accorded by foreign investors who buy US-listed companies on the domestic exchange possibly for reducing exchange rate risk and gaining US diversification without incurring additional costs. It is, thus, possible that US companies that undertake Foreign IPOs not only escape potentially higher Security and Exchange Commission regulations and disclosure but also benefit from higher valuations in the foreign markets. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the long-term performance of US firms bypassing the US capital markets in pursuit of their initial equity offering elsewhere. Caglio et al. (2016) investigated why firms decide to pursue such equity raising activity but fail to investigate the firms’ actual performance after issuing equity. This research fills such a gap in the literature and is important for both academics and practitioners. Practitioners can use this information in assessing the quality of such investments in the long-run, and firms can use such information when determining the different options of issuing equity. Further, regulators should be aware of the implications that increased regulations have on capital raising activities in their domestic market.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nischay Arora ◽  
Balwinder Singh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the pattern of long-run performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) initial public offerings (IPOs) and examine the firm- and issue-related determinants of long-run performance of SME IPOs in India. Design/methodology/approach The 3 6, 9 and 12 months share returns of Indian SME IPOs is studied using event time methodologies, i.e. buy and hold returns, cumulative abnormal returns and wealth relatives on a sample of 375 SME IPOs issued during February 2012 to May 2018. Additionally, ordinary least square regression has been used to investigate the determinants of long-run performance of SME IPOs on a reduced sample of 104 because of non-availability of price observations. Findings The findings reveal that Indian SME IPOs exhibit long-run overperformance contradicting the international evidences of underperformance, and this overperformance is significantly evident using buy and hold abnormal return (BHAR). Furthermore, based on the divergence of opinion hypothesis, fads theory and windows of opportunity hypothesis, the results reveal that on one hand, issue size and oversubscription negatively affect BHAR, while on the other hand, auditor reputation, underwriter reputation, hot market, underpricing, inverse of issue price, profits prior to listing positively affect long-run performance. However, firm age, firm size, debt equity ratio, volatility and long-run performance computed through BHAR lacks significant relationship. Research limitations/implications The study relied on event time methodology of measuring aftermarket performance of one year because of the limited availability of price offerings. Hence, the study could be extended to analyze aftermarket returns over a period of three to five years to enable reaching the vivid conclusions. Calendar time methodology may also be used to compute abnormal returns. Practical implications The results based on the study provides an implication to the investors by providing them an opportunity to bank higher long-run returns by engaging in active and timely trading strategies. Nevertheless, the results also show that investors should be cautioned while taking investment decisions. Originality/value The study contributes to rising body of international literature by analyzing the larger and recent sample of IPOs issued from 2012 to 2018 listed on SME exchange.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugang Yin ◽  
Bin Tan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find out whether the election of star analysts leads to the conflict of interests between analysts\institutional investors and individual investors. And then, further investigate how the election results to influence the individual investors’ decision making. Design/methodology/approach Given the fact that earnings forecasts and stock ratings are the most important foundations for the investor’s investment decision, the authors investigate the relationship among the earnings forecasts, abnormal returns and the election of star analyst. This paper further analyzes the impact factors on investors’ decision. The data used in this paper for star analysts’ information, analysts’ forecast and recommendations, as well as stock performances-related data are from 2005 to 2012. Findings This paper finds that mass media cannot select analysts with high forecast accuracy, and then misleads investors. It demonstrates that the analysts with poorer forecast ability and more optimistic stock recommendations are more prone to be entitled as star analysts by mass media, and these titled star analysts tend to show a poorer performance. Therefore, the star analyst worsens investors’ cognition on analysts forecast ability and then misleads investors’ decision making. Social implications Media plays a critical role in corporate governance, information collection and diffusion and reducing the information asymmetry, however, it is good to know the role of media in financial markets from a broader perspective. Because media may also bring negative factors to the financial markets such as misguiding the investors and intensify the conflict of interests between analyst and individual investors. Originality/value This paper supports a new perspective of the role of mass media in financial market, which is different from existing studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikash Ramiah ◽  
Thomas Morris ◽  
Imad Moosa ◽  
Michael Gangemi ◽  
Louise Puican

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the impact of 75 announcements of environmental policies on British equities over the period 2003 to 2012. In particular, the research has the following specific objectives: finding out whether there is wealth creation/destruction for investors as a result of the announcements of green policies and identifying changes in risk structure following the introduction of green policies. Design/methodology/approach – Using event study methodology and non-parametric tests, the authors attempt to find out whether announcements of environmental/sustainability policies are value constructive or destructive for equity investors. The CAPM is fitted with interaction variables to measure the change in systematic risk following announcements. Findings – The results show that the UK market is particularly sensitive to domestic, international and nuclear announcements. Cumulative abnormal returns in the range of 30-40 per cent were recorded in certain sectors. Consistent with the emerging literature, the authors observe that environmental policies induce changes in the systematic risk of businesses, both in the short run and the long run. Originality/value – To the best of authors’ knowledge, the literature does not provide any answer as to how the risk and return of British equity portfolios change following the announcement of green policies in the aftermath of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Furthermore, the literature does not differentiate among various categories of announcements (domestic, international and nuclear). Therefore, this paper bridges the gap in the literature on these two grounds.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-227
Author(s):  
Candace M. TenBrink

Purpose Research indicates honesty, ethics and leadership are critical during a crisis. This paper aims to examine that ideology by analyzing the role acceptance or denial of executive malfeasance has on firm value after a crisis. Design/methodology/approach This is an event study that examines crises attributed to executive malfeasance. These qualitative crises data are blended with an analysis of abnormal returns to assess differences between executive actions. Findings These results indicate that ethical and timely acceptance of a firm’s role in malfeasance does not appear to be rewarded by stockholders. These data also show that there is no reward for a delayed acceptance of malfeasance. Therefore, ethics and honesty do not appear to differentiate post-crisis recovery. Research limitations/implications This research focuses on a major factor of firm success – its value. It would be interesting to explore how stakeholders, beyond those that invest in the firm, impact the value over the long run. Practical implications While prior research indicates that honesty is prudent, this examination indicates that obfuscation does not impact firm value during a recovery. This study promotes questioning one’s ethical compass as a stock or stakeholder in malfeasance-mired firms. Originality/value In conflict with crisis-based research, this study reveals that honesty in crisis management does not always offer an advantage. The results indicate that value is multidimensional, and it may not be based on trust and ethics in the short run.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nour Adel ◽  
Fadi Alkaraan

PurposeThis paper focuses on the influence of overconfident managers on strategic investment acquisitions performance, by investigating the influence of key contextual factors on acquirers’ returns of UK domestic and cross-border acquisitions during the period 2000-2009. In this study, particular attention has been paid to management attributes (frequent acquirers vs non-frequent acquirers); method of payment (cash vs non-cash deals); the geographic scope (domestic vs cross-border deals); the type of the target (public vs private); the industry scope; and the relative size.Design/methodology/approachAn event study is used to analyse domestic and cross-border acquisitions. The market model is used for estimating the acquirers’ abnormal returns of 1,133 domestic and cross-border acquisitions by UK firms between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2009.FindingsThe findings reveal that acquirers with domestic targets have higher returns than cross-border targets. Infrequent acquirers generate higher returns from domestic and cross-border acquisitions than frequent acquirers. Further, acquirers that acquire domestic targets from different industrial sectors produce higher returns than acquirers with targets from the same sector. Acquirers with cash deals, private targets and high book-to-market ratio generate significant returns compared to acquirers with non-cash deals, low book-to-market ratio and public targets and that for domestic and cross-border deals. These results suggest that UK domestic and cross-border acquisitions are partially shaped by overconfident managers.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has a number of limitations, including the use of the market model, the data-collection process and the limited number of contextual factors. Future research may examine a number of avenues related to the current study, including incorporating the acquiring firms’ financial characteristics.Practical implicationsThe study provides a better understanding of the influence of contextual factors on the success and failure of strategic investment projects such as acquisitions. Results of post-acquisitions performance in UK firms show how estimation of value can be distracted at the pre-acquisition stage because of overconfident managers.Originality/valueResults of post-acquisitions performance in UK firms show how estimation of value can be distracted at the pre-acquisition stage because of overconfident managers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 774-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasib Ahmed ◽  
M. Kabir Hassan ◽  
Blake Rayfield

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether investors perceive the issuance of sukuk differently than they do in case of conventional bonds, by using event study with superior data. Then, it analyzes whether financial characteristics of issuers can explain the abnormal return and likelihood of sukuk issuance. Finally, the paper proposes a testable model explaining the investor reaction. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses market model event study to assess investor reaction to the issuance of sukuk. Then, linear and logistic regressions are used to test whether financial characteristics of issuers can explain the abnormal return and likelihood of sukuk issuance. To investigate the differences between sukuk issuers and bond issuers, this paper tests the difference in means of issuer characteristics. Finally, the sample is subdivided into good and bad firm prospects according to dividend/earnings ratio and book-to-market ratio. The subdivisions are used to test the proposed model explaining the investor reaction. Findings The study finds that a large variety of firms issues sukuk. The event study reports significant negative abnormal returns around the announcement date of sukuk issuance. The study also reveals that the earning prospect of issuer firms affect the investor reaction. Firms with lower earning prospect receive a negative reaction from the investors. Also, smaller, or financially unhealthy firms are more likely to issue sukuk. Smaller and riskier firms issue sukuk, because participation in the market is less constrained. In other words, the risk-sharing nature of sukuk might imply that the firm is not confident about the future prospect. However, if the firm has good earnings prospects, investors react to the issuance of sukuk negatively. Research limitations/implications Reliability and availability of data is a hurdle to test the investor reaction model. As more data become available, the models implications can be further tested. Originality/value This paper uses the most complete set of data to study sukuk, making it the most selection bias-free and complete study. Moreover, the proposed investor reaction model will enrich the theory.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document