Does earnings quality affect the cost of debt in a banking system? Evidence from French listed companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 183-191
Author(s):  
Asma Houcine ◽  
Walid Houcine
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Future Cash Flows

This study examines the effect of earnings quality on the cost of debt, for a sample of French listed firms from 2005 to 2015. Using accruals quality (AQ) as a proxy for the quality of financial reports, the results obtained confirm the research hypothesis formulated, showing that the quality of financial reports is negatively related to firms’ interest cost. The results also support that the innate component of AQ has a greater impact on the cost of debt than the discretionary component. The findings of this study may be of interest to managers by providing evidence on the economic consequences of improved earnings on the cost of debt and the factors that determine debt pricing in making decisions to minimize it. The results of this article are also important for creditors, that is, banks, showing that earnings are important in predicting firms’ reimbursement capacity (i.e. future cash flows) and that less estimation error in accruals improves the ability of earnings to predict future cash flows.

Turning Around Distressed Project Finance Assets in India: What More Needs to Be Done?

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flows ◽  
Project Finance ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Risk Allocation ◽  
Debt Overhang ◽  
Balance Sheets ◽  
Infrastructure Project ◽  
Bankruptcy Code ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Future Cash Flows

With the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code firmly in place, India’s distressed project finance assets are turning out to be attractive to institutional investors. Project finance assets need asset-and deal-specific financing solutions in order to achieve successful turnarounds. The turnaround solution must ensure optimum risk allocation and mitigation leading to the buildup of future cash flows. This will, in turn, lead to deleveraging of stressed balance sheets. The authors present a conceptual model and argue that even now the political and regulatory risks for infrastructure project loans in India have not been completely mitigated. This has resulted in a situation of a debt overhang, wherein even economically viable projects may not attract fresh funding. To address this, the article suggests the possible use of priority funding structures, where existing lenders cede charge of the assets in favor of a new lender as a way to reduce the cost of debt and unlock shareholder value. This solution will also ensure that the restructuring package is properly priced (from the project finance lender’s perspective), resulting in the efficiency and viability of the restructured asset.

Transaction-based lending and accrual quality

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gray ◽  
Arjan Premti
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Statement ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
The Cost

PurposeThis study examines how lenders modify their behavior and their use of traditional, transaction-based lending models in credit decisions when faced with low earnings quality.Design/methodology/approachTo measure the earnings quality, following Bharath, Sunder and Sunder (2008), the authors use three measures of accrual quality and combine them into a simple parsimonious measure of accrual quality. Subsequently, the authors apply the incremental R-square approach used by Kim and Kross (2005) to determine the degree to which lenders modify their reliance on financial statement ratios when faced with low accrual quality.FindingsConsistent with prior literature, this study shows that the cost of debt is higher when accrual quality is low. In addition, this study extends prior literature by showing that lenders decrease their reliance on income statement data to make credit decisions as accrual quality decreases.Originality/valueThis paper broadens existing literature on the pricing of information risk in capital markets by being the first to show that lenders modify their reliance on financial statement data when faced with low-quality accruals. In addition, this paper extends the findings of Billings and Morton (2002) and demonstrates to managers the futility of using accrual manipulations to obtain more favorable credit terms. Lastly, this paper aids regulators and standard setters who seek to improve the usefulness of financial statements by showing that creditors do not appear to be misled by reporting choices that lower the quality of accruals.

scholarly journals The expected impact of applying IFRS (17) insurance contracts on the quality of financial reports

Accounting ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 581-590
Author(s):  
Ahmad Dahiyat ◽  
Walid Owais
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Faithful Representation ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Reporting Standard ◽  
International Financial Reporting Standard ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Insurance Contracts ◽  
Analytical Approaches

This study aimed to explore the expected effect of applying the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 17 Insurance Contracts on the quality of financial reports. The study followed the exploratory descriptive analytical approaches. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a sample of 120 financial employees in all insurance companies in Jordan. It concluded that the expected impact of applying the standard on the quality of financial reports was significant, especially on the comparability of financial reports, and faithful representation. It was found that there is an expected, statistically significant and positive effect between the application of the standard, and the quality of financial reports in general, and the expected influence of applying the standard and each of comparability, faithful representation, relevance, verifiability, timely, and understandability respectively. The study recommends the application of the standard in the specified time, work to create appropriate conditions, and the need to follow objective assumptions from the company's management for the estimation of cash flows when applying the standard.

scholarly journals The Quality of Accruals and Earnings: The Role of Accrual Estimation Errors

2002 ◽  
Vol 77 (s-1) ◽  
pp. 35-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Dechow ◽  
Ilia D. Dichev
Keyword(s):  
Estimation Error ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Empirical Measure ◽  
Earnings Persistence ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Estimation Errors ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Flows Over Time

This paper suggests a new measure of one aspect of the quality of working capital accruals and earnings. One role of accruals is to shift or adjust the recognition of cash flows over time so that the adjusted numbers (earnings) better measure firm performance. However, accruals require assumptions and estimates of future cash flows. We argue that the quality of accruals and earnings is decreasing in the magnitude of estimation error in accruals. We derive an empirical measure of accrual quality as the residuals from firm-specific regressions of changes in working capital on past, present, and future operating cash flows. We document that observable firm characteristics can be used as instruments for accrual quality (e.g., volatility of accruals and volatility of earnings). Finally, we show that our measure of accrual quality is positively related to earnings persistence.

Dispersion in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts as a Measure of Uncertainty

1998 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orie E. Barron ◽  
Pamela S. Stuerke
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Earnings Forecasts ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Forecast Dispersion ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Price Reactions ◽  
Daily Stock Returns ◽  
Future Cash Flows

This study examines whether dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts reflects uncertainty about firms' future economic performance. Prior research examining this issue has been inconclusive. These studies have concluded that forecast dispersion is likely to reflect factors other than uncertainty about future cash flows, such as uncertainty about the price irrelevant component of firms' financial reports (Daley et al. [1988]; Imhoff and Lobo [1992]). Abarbanell et al. (1995) argue that, if forecast dispersion after (i.e., conditional on) an earnings announcement reflects uncertainty about firms' future cash flows and this uncertainty causes investors to desire additional information, then dispersion will be positively associated with both (a) the level of demand for more information and (b) the magnitude of price reactions around the subsequent earnings release. In this study, we construct a measure of informational demand using the incidence of analyst forecast updating after dispersion is measured. We find a positive association between dispersion in earnings forecasts after an earnings release and this measure of informational demand. We also find a positive association between forecast dispersion and the magnitude of price reactions around subsequent earnings releases. These associations are most apparent when potentially stale (or outdated) forecasts are removed from measures of forecast dispersion. These associations also persist after controlling for other measures of uncertainty (e.g., beta and the variance of daily stock returns), consistent with dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts serving as a useful indicator of uncertainty about the price relevant component of firms' future earnings.

Earnings Quality and the Cost of Debt of SMEs

2017 ◽  
pp. 21-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Beltrame ◽  
Josanco Floreani ◽  
Alex Sclip
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
The Cost

scholarly journals Audit quality and the cost of debt in private firms: evidence from the Brazilian sugarcane industry

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Aviner Augusto Silva Manoel ◽  
Marcelo Botelho da Costa Moraes ◽  
David Ferreira Lopes Santos ◽  
Gabriel Pereira Pündrich
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Private Firms ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Sugarcane Industry

Evidence is mixed regarding the economic benefits achieved by companies hiring large firms to audit their financial statements. The studies approaching this theme concentrate mostly on public companies in developed markets, while the effect on private firms in emerging markets is still an open question. This research explores this gap by analyzing whether private firms in the Brazilian sugarcane industry audited by a Big 4 have a lower cost of debt than those audited by a non-Big 4. For that, a unique, hand-collected, dataset was used. This paper contributes to the literature by providing evidence of the role of audit institutions in an environment lacking studies on private firms’ financial reports, especially in emerging economies. The empirical analysis does not indicate that the cost of debt is negatively influenced by the verification of financial statements by a high-quality auditor. Banks and credit unions, as the primary funding sources of the industry, condition the cost of debt reduction to the levels of tangibility, leverage, and profitability. We also contribute to the literature by demonstrating that lenders may have other soft information sources, obtained through banking relationship, which may substitute higher-quality auditor. The results hold after robustness checks and endogeneity concerns.

scholarly journals Does earnings quality matter? Evidence from the Athens Exchange

2020 ◽  
pp. 93-112
Author(s):  
Ioannis Asimakopoulos ◽  
◽  
Athanasios P. Fassas ◽  
Dimitris Malliaropulos
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Governance Framework ◽  
Market Participants ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
The Right

The relation between accounting earnings and firm valuation has long been a topic of interest to academics and stock market participants. The study analyses the relationship between earnings quality and firm value using a sample of non-financial firms with shares listed on the Athens Exchange over the period 2004-2019. The empirical findings indicate that investors value earnings quality, and this is reflected in a better valuation for firms having earnings of higher quality. The results are robust to different methodologies and controls for firm-specific factors. The evidence is of particular importance for Greek firms seeking to expand their sources of financing beyond the Greek banking system. Such a development requires constant monitoring and strengthening of the corporate governance framework, with the aim of improving the quality of information conveyed by the firms to investors. In this respect, the provisions of Law 4706/2020 regarding the Greek corporate governance framework and the operation of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission seem to be in the right direction.

Web-based disclosure and the cost of debt: MENA countries evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-561
Author(s):  
Henda Abdi ◽  
Mohamed Ali Brahim Omri
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of web - based disclosure on the cost of debt for the MENA region setting. Design/methodology/approach The sample of this paper consists of 237 MENA listed non-financial companies for the year 2017. Multiple regression models were used to examine the impact of online disclosure on the cost of debt. Content analysis is used to measure the extent of web-based disclosure. Findings The results reveal that there is a negative and significant association between the web-based disclosure and the company’s cost of debt. These results support the hypothesis of the economic utility of the information disclosed on the website for creditors in this region. Practical implications The results of the study have important implications for managers in the MENA region. It is necessary for managers to improve the company’s transparency through web-based disclosure. The companies must benefit from the different technologies offered by the Internet in order to offer to the creditors unlimited access to up to date information. In fact, web-based disclosure may mitigate the information asymmetry, the uncertainty of creditors and, consequently, reduces the cost of debt. 10; 10;Moreover, the results of the study provide empirical evidence for the advantages of voluntary web-based disclosure. The results highlight the importance to companies and regulators of understanding the benefits of using the website as a means of information disclosure. The regulators in MENA countries can rely on these results to establish suitable policies to improve the quality of web-based disclosure. The regulators need also to put in rules in relation to the online disclosure. In fact, an understanding of web-based disclosure is important for regulators and companies. Given the positive effect of online disclosure (the reduction of the cost of debt), knowledge about the economic consequences of web-based disclosure would enable companies in the MENA region to optimize their online disclosure policies. Originality/value This study, added to the existing literature by examining the consequences of online disclosure practices in MENA countries. Most previous studies conducted in this region were limited to analyzing the determinants of the company’s web-based disclosure. This paper would extend the literature on the online disclosure practices by investigating the association between these practices and the cost of debt in a developing economics: the MENA region. Previous studies were limited to testing this association only in developed countries.

Discussion of the Quality of Accruals and Earnings: The Role of Accrual Estimation Errors

2002 ◽  
Vol 77 (s-1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen F. McNichols
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Error ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Estimation Errors ◽  
Empirical Estimates

Dechow and Dichev (2002) model earnings quality as the magnitude of estimation errors in accruals, and provide empirical estimates of this construct based on the relation between accruals and cash flows. I characterize the innovation and limitations in this approach, and provide empirical evidence of measurement error in their empirical specification. I also adapt their model to assess the specification of the Jones' (1991) model and document that this model provides estimates of discretionary accruals that are significantly associated with cash flows, which are likely to be substantially nondiscretionary. I conclude with suggestions for future research on earnings quality and earnings management.

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