Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T04:34:42.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Is the Market Surprised by Poor Earnings Realizations following Seasoned Equity Offerings?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

Abstract

We examine the stock price reaction to earnings announcements in the five years following seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). On average, post-SEO earnings announcements are met with a significantly negative abnormal stock price reaction. Although this negative reaction accounts for a disproportionately large portion of long-run post-SEO abnormal stock returns, on average, abnormal stock price reactions to post-seo earnings announcements are reliably negative only within the smallest quartile of equity issuers. For small firms, therefore, these findings are broadly consistent with the hypothesis that firms issue equity when the market overestimates the firm's future earnings perfomance.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © School of Business Administration, University of Washington 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Karnnert Graduate School of Management, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, and Leavey College of Business and Administration, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, Respectively. We are grateful for helpful comments received from Brad Barber, Diane Denis, Greg Kadlec, Jonathan Karpoff (the editor), David Lesmond, Tim Loughran, Raghu Fau, Jay Ritter, Sunil Wahall, Susan Watts, an Anonymous Referee, and Seminar Participants at Indiana University, Tulane University, and the University of Missouri.

References

Atiase, R.Predisclosure Information, Firm capitalization, and Security Price Behavior around Earnings Announcements.” Journal of Accounting Research, 23 (1985), 2136.10.2307/2490905Google Scholar
Ball, R., and Brown, P.. “An Empirical Evaluation of Accounting Income Numbers.” Journal of Accounting Research, 6 (1968), 159178.10.2307/2490232CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barber, B. M., and Lyon, J. D.. “Detecting Long-Run Abnormal Stock Returns: The Empirical Power and Specification of Test Statistics.” Journal of Financial Economics, 43 (1997), 341372.10.1016/S0304-405X(96)00890-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barber, B. M., and Lyon, J. D.. “Improved Methos for Tests of Long-Run Abnormal Stock Returns”. Journal of Finance, 54 (1999), 165201.10.1111/0022-1082.00101Google Scholar
Barberis, N.; Shelifer, A.; and Vishny, R.. “A Model of Investor Sentiment”. Journal of Financial Economics, 49 (1998), 307343.10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00027-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernard, V. L., and Thomas, J. K.. “Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift: Delayed Price Response or Risk Premium?Journal of Accounting Research, Suppl. 27 (1989), 136.10.2307/2491062Google Scholar
Bernard, V. L., and Thomas, J. K.. “Evidence that Stock Prices Do Not Fully Reflect the Implications of Current Earnings for Future Earnings”. Jounal of Accounting and Economics, 13 (1990), 305340.10.1016/0165-4101(90)90008-RGoogle Scholar
Brav, A.; Geczy, C.; and Gompers, P. A.. “Is the Abnormal Return Following Equity Issuances Anomalous?Journal of Financial Economics, 56 (2000), 209250.10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00040-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brous, P. A.; Datar, V.; and Kini, O.. “Is the Market Optimistic about the Future Earnings of Seasoned Equity Offering Firms?Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 36 (2001), 141168.10.2307/2676269S0022109000009455CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chambers, A. E., and Penman, S. H.. “Timeliness of Reporting and the Stock Price Reaction to Earnings Announcements”. Jounal of Accounting Research, 22 (1984), 2147.10.2307/2490700CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chari, V.V.; Jagannathan, R.; and Ofer, A. R.. “Seasonalities in Security Returns: The Case of Earnings Announcements”. Journal of Financial Economics, 21 (1988), 101121.10.1016/0304-405X(88)90033-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chopra, N.; Lakonishok, J.; and Ritter, J. R.. “Measuring Abnormal Performance: Do Stocks Overreact”? Journal of Financial Economics, 31 (1992), 235268.10.1016/0304-405X(92)90005-ICrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornett, M. M.; Mehran, H.; and Tehranian, H.. “Are Financial Markets Overly Optimistic Abour the Prospets of Firms that Issue Equity Evidencel from Voluntary versus Involuntary Equity Issuances by Banks”. Journal of Finance, 53 (1998), 21392160.10.1111/0022-1082.00085CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daniel, K.; Hirshlefier, D.; and Subramanyam, A.. “Investor Psychology and Security Market Uner and Overreaction”. Journal of Finance, 53 (1998), 18391886.10.1111/0022-1082.00077CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dechow, P.M.; Hutton, A. P.; and Sloan, R. G.. “The Relation Between Analysts Forecasts of Long Term Earnings Growth and Stock Price Performance Following Equity Offerings”. Working Paper, Univ. of Michigan (1998).Google Scholar
Eckbo, E. B.; Masulis, R. W.; Norli, Land O.. “Seasoned Public Offerings: Resolution of New Issues Puzzle”. Journal of Financial Economics, 56 (2000), 251292.10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00041-6Google Scholar
Fama, E. R.Market Efficiency, Long-Term Returns, and Behavioral Finance”. Journal of Financial Economics, 49 (1998), 283306.10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00026-9Google Scholar
Hansen, R. S., and Crutchley, C.. “Corporate Earnings and Financings: An Empirical Analysis”. Jourlnal of Business, 63 (1990), 347371.10.1086/296511CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, R. S., and Sarin, A.. “Are Analysts Overoptimistic Around Seasoned Equity Offerings?” Working Paper, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ. (1998).Google Scholar
Hong, H., and Stein, J. C.. “A Unified Theory of Underreaction, Momentum Trading, and Overreaction in Asset Markets”. Journal of Finance, 54 (1999), 21432184.10.1111/0022-1082.00184CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jegadeesh, N.Long-Run Performance of Seasoned Equity Offerings: Benchmark Errors and Biases in Expectations”. Working Paper, Univ. of Illinois (1998).Google Scholar
Jeter, D. C., and Shivakumar, L.. “Cross-Sectional Estimation of Abnormal Accruals Using Quarterly and Annual Data: Effectiveness in Detecting Event-Specific Earnings Management”. Accountin and Business Research, 29 (1999), 299319.10.1080/00014788.1999.9729590Google Scholar
Jones, J.Earnigs Managment During Import Relief Investigations”. Journal of Accountin Research, 29 (1991), 193228.10.2307/2491047CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahle, K.Insider Trading and the Long-Run Performance of New Security Issues”. Journal of Corporate Finance, 6 (2000), 2553.10.1016/S0929-1199(99)00015-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, J.; Kim, Y.; and Stulz, R. M.. “The Underreaction Hypolthesis and the New Issue Puzzle: Evidence from Japan”. Review of Financial Studies, 12 (1999, 519534.10.1093/rfs/12.3.519CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karpoff, J. M., and Lee, D.. “Insider Trading before new Issue Announcements”. Financial Management, 20 (1991), 1826.10.2307/3666093CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Korajczuk, R. A.; Lucas, D. J.; and McDonald, R. L.. “The Effect of Information Releases on the Pricing and Timing of Equity Issues”. Review of Financial studies, 4 (1991), 685708.10.1093/rfs/4.4.685CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kothari, S. P., and Warner, J. B.. “Measuring Long-Horizon Security Price Performance”. Journal of Financial Economics, 43 (1997), 301340.10.1016/S0304-405X(96)00899-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kross, W., and Schroeder, D. A.. “An Empirical Investigation of the Effect of Quarterly Earnings Announcement Timing on Stock Returns”. Journal of Accounting Research, 22 (1984), 153176.10.2307/2490706Google Scholar
LaPorta, R.Expectations and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns”. Journal of Finance, 51 (1996), 17151742.10.2307/2329535CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LaPorta, R.; Lakonishok, J.; Shleifer, A.; and Vishny, R.. “Good News for Value Stocks: Further Evidence on Market Efficiency”. Journal of Finance, 52 (1997), 85987010.2307/2329502Google Scholar
Lee, I.Do Managers Knowingly Sell Overvalued Equity?Journal of Finance, 52 (1997), 1469–1466.10.2307/2329442CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loughran, T., and Ritter, J. R.. “The New Issues Puzzlle”. Journal of Finance, 52 (1995), 2352.10.2307/2329238Google Scholar
Loughran, T., and Ritter, J. R.. “The Operating Performance of Firms Conducting Seasoned Equity Offerings”. Journal of Finance, 52 (1997), 18231850.10.2307/2329466CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loughran, T., and Ritter, J. R.. “Uniformly Least Powerful Tests of Market Efficiency”. Journal of Financial Economics, 55 (2000), 361389.10.1016/S0304-405X(99)00054-9Google Scholar
Mclaughlin, R.; Safieddine, A.; and Vasudevan, G.. “The Operating Performance of Seasoned Equity Issuers: Free Cash Flow, and Post-Issue Performance”. Financial Management, 25 (1996), 4153.10.2307/3665588CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, M. L., and Stafford, E.. “Managerial Decisions and Long-Term Stock Price Performance”. Journal of Business, 73 (2000), 287329.10.1086/209645CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rajan, R., and Servaes, H.. “Analyst Following of Initial Public Offerings”. Hournal of Finance, 52 (1997), 507529.10.2307/2329488CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rangan, S.Earnings Management and the Performance of Seasoned Equity Offerings”. Journal of Financial Keconomics, 50 (1998), 10112210.1016/S0304-405X(98)00033-6Google Scholar
Shivakumar, L.Do Firms Mislead Investors by Overstating Earnings before Seasoned Equity Offerings?” Working Paper, London Business School (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skinner, D. J.Why Firms Voluntarily Disclose Bad News”. Journal of Accounting Research, 32 (1994), 3860.10.2307/2491386CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spiess, D. K., and Affleck-Graves, J.. “Underperformance in Long-Run Stock Returns Following Seasoned Equity Offerings”. Journal of Financial Economics, 38 (1995), 243268.10.1016/0304-405X(94)00817-KCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teoh, S.; Welch, I.; and Wong, T. J.. “Earnings Management and the Underperformance of Seasoned Equity Offerings”. Journal of Financial Economics, 50 (1998), 639910.1016/S0304-405X(98)00032-4Google Scholar
Teoh, S., and Wong, T. J.. “Analysts' Credulity About Reported Earnings and the Overoptimism in New Equity Issues”. Review of Financial Studies (forthcoming 2001).Google Scholar