财务分析师盈余预测精确度决定因素的实证分析

文章以2004~2005年的上市公司数据为样本,分析了我国财务分析师在预测上市公司未来盈余时影响其预测精确度的主要因素。研究发现,预测机构数量的增加、盈余可预测性以及信息披露质量的提高,将伴随着高的盈余预测精确度,而盈余波动程度越大、公司规模越大,预测的精确度则越低。同时,可预测性、盈余管理、盈余波动以及公司扩张速度对分析师的悲观预测有显著的影响,而可预测性、盈余管理以及公司规模则显著影响分析师对盈余的乐观估计。     

An international comparison of analysis' earnings forecast accuracy

A major task of financial analysts working for stockbrokers and investment firms is to forecast future earnings of listed companies. The usefulness of their work crucially depends on the accuracy of the forecasts. A great many studies have examined the accuracy, bias, and other characteristics of profit forecasts made in the U.S. In contrast, however, there is very little research on forecasting accuracy in other countries despite the increasingly global nature of investing. This paper examines the accuracy of corporate earnings forecasts in 34 different countries. In addition, a model is developed that seeks to explain differences across companies and countries. The findings show that eight countries have better forecast accuracy than the U.S. This cross-sectional model shows that with the inherent difficulty in forecasting for a specific company (proxied by the change in its earnings), risk and the number of analysts following the stock are the major factors in explaining earnings forecast accuracy.     

Waste disclosure and corporate cash holdings

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we address an important and emerging question: Can firms’ voluntary waste disclosure affect corporate cash holdings? Using a sample of S&P 500 firms, we find strong evidence for a positive relationship between waste disclosure and the cash holding policy of firms. Furthermore, we find that waste disclosure significantly increases cash holdings only for firms with strong corporate governance quality. We also find that the significant relationship between waste disclosure and cash holdings remains unchanged only for firms that operate in environmentally sensitive industries. Our paper provides novel evidence on the role of voluntary waste disclosure as an environmental dimension that influences the cash policy of firms and highlights the little-known issue of waste disclosure as a significant research topic.     

差错责任追究制度与分析师盈余预测

本文分别从分析师跟踪、盈余预测误差和分歧度三个方面考察年报信息披露重大差错责任追究制度对分析师行为的影响.研究发现,建立差错责任追究制度公司的分析师跟踪人数更多、盈余预测误差和分歧度更低,并且这种关系主要存在于高管为男性以及盈余质量较差的公司.进一步研究发现,建立差错责任追究制度的公司盈余信息含量更高、分析师更可能发布...     

Toward an Understanding of the Risky Choice Behavior of Professional Financial Analysts

Several studies have reported inefficiencies and/or biases in analysts' ability to incorporate new information into their earnings forecasts. We propose that an important psychological factor associated with optimistic earnings forecasts is the propensity of analysts to engage in risky choice behavior as described by prospect theory. Furthermore, the motivational incentives faced by analysts may exacerbate risky choice behavior during forecast revision, thereby magnifying overestimates of earnings.

Sixty professional financial analysts were asked to issue a first quarter and then an annual EPS forecast of a company. The analysts were randomly assigned to two initial forecast accuracy conditions that indicated their initial forecast earnings was 1) essentially the same as actual earnings, or 2) substantially higher than actual earnings. Analysts were also assigned to one of three motivational incentive conditions indicating the analyst and brokerage firm would 1) have no future contact with the forecast firm, 2) begin to follow the forecast firm, or 3) establish an underwriting relationship with the forecast firm.

The results indicate that analysts who perceived a loss function due to the inaccuracy of prior earnings forecasts tended to choose riskier prospects in subsequent forecast revisions than analysts who perceived their prior earnings forecasts to be accurate. These riskier prospects translate into greater overestimates of earnings. Furthermore, while the average risk attitude of the analysts was optimistic, higher levels of motivational incentives were associated with greater risk-seeking behavior by the analysts who perceive a loss function. It appears that the motivational incentives inherent in brokerage firms can exacerbate the risky choice behavior of financial analysts during forecast revision. These findings support the utility of incorporating both cognitive and motivational factors into the prediction of analyst behavior.     

An empirical study of the determinants of UK oil and gas voluntary disclosures

Significant oil and gas firm market value is derived from their physical reserve quantum, assets which are not recorded on their statements of financial position. This article provides empirical evidence regarding voluntary disclosure of such reserves in line with the previously unresearched UK sector with regard to its unique reporting guidelines. The study considers both the reporting of the reserve quantum and the quality of that reporting. This article seeks to inform the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB’s) on-going consideration of mineral resource reporting. Listed companies are considered to evidence forms of reserve disclosure with a logistical regression approach applied to measure determinants of reporting. The risk associated with mineral reporting reserves is hypothesized as the key disclosure driver whilst controlling other relevant variables. The majority of firms disclosed reserve quantities in some form but only a minority disclosed in line with recommended practice, disclosure quality being more variable between companies. The findings indicate that a voluntary disclosure approach is ineffective, partially explained by agency related behaviour. Risk, proxied by the stage of production, drives reserve disclosure showing that producer firms are more likely to disclose reserve quantum balances and of a significantly higher quality.     

Does director affiliation lead to analyst bias?

This study examines the ability of security analysts to provide objective earnings forecasts for firms with which the analyst’s brokerage firm has a director affiliation. The affiliation that we examine is where the brokerage firm has, on its board of directors, a director or an upper management individual from the firm which an analyst at the brokerage firm provides coverage. We find that affiliated analysts tend to provide earnings forecasts that are insignificantly different from unaffiliated analysts in terms of accuracy. However, we also find that forecasts provided by affiliated analysts tend to be significantly more pessimistic than those provided by their unaffiliated counterparts. This pessimistic bias in their earnings forecast will more easily allow the covered firm to beat earnings expectations when earnings are realized. We find that this bias surfaced after the Global Settlement decision, an enforcement agreement between large investment banks and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding issues surrounding conflicts of interest.     

Executive shareholding,compensation, and analyst forecast of Chinese firms

We examine the impact of executive and leadership shareholding and cash compensation on analyst forecast error and dispersion as proxies for information asymmetry. We find that firms pay higher compensation (or excess compensation) to executives and directors are associated with higher information asymmetry. The positive association is stronger where executives’ and directors’ shareholdings are higher. Shareholding appears to facilitate managerial entrenchment and gives highly paid executives/leadership stronger structural power which adversely affects information disclosure leading to larger forecast error and dispersion. These results are robust to different measures of compensation and alternative models controlling for the predictability of firm-level earnings. Our findings indicate that executive/director shareholding and compensation do not provide sufficient incentives for information disclosure by Chinese firms.     

The role of short selling threat in corporate environmental disclosure strategies: Evidence from China

Using staggered deregulation of short sales constraints in the Chinese capital market, this study investigates how short selling threat related to corporate environmental disclosure strategies. Our study finds that pilot firms experience a larger increase in hard disclosures, and a larger decrease in soft disclosures after short selling deregulation. Specifically, the increase in hard disclosure is found primarily at good environmental performers, whereas the decrease in soft disclosure is primarily found at poor environmental performers. Further analysis shows that the increase in hard disclosure and the decrease in soft disclosure is significantly more pronounced at firms that are covered by small number of media and analysts, with low institutional ownership and stock liquidity. Overall, our findings suggest that firms might change the type of environmental disclosure to mitigate their exposures to short selling threat, and provide evidence of the disciplining effect of short sales on environmental disclosures.     

Do Sell-Side Stock Analysts Exhibit Escalation of Commitment?

This paper presents evidence that when an analyst makes an out-of-consensus forecast of a company's quarterly earnings that turns out to be incorrect, she escalates her commitment to maintaining an out-of-consensus view on the company. Relative to an analyst who was close to the consensus, the out-of-consensus analyst adjusts her forecasts for the current fiscal year's earnings less in the direction of the quarterly earnings surprise. On average, this type of updating behavior reduces forecasting accuracy, so it does not seem to reflect superior private information. Further empirical results suggest that analysts do not have financial incentives to stand by extreme stock calls in the face of contradictory evidence. Managerial and financial market implications are discussed.     

真实盈余管理动机下R&D削减行为与创新产出——数量、质量与效率

以2007—2017年沪深A股上市公司为样本，基于零盈余、上期盈余和分析师预测盈余对真实盈余管理动机进行刻画识别，检验公司在真实盈余管理动机下削减R&D支出对创新产出的影响。研究发现，与其它动机相比，真实盈余管理动机下的R&D削减会导致未来三期更低的创新产出、创新质量及创新效率。进一步，扩大盈余管理识别范围、使用全样本进行双重差分、替换被解释变量分别检验后，结果依然稳健。     

企业自愿性信息披露行为的“同伴效应”研究 ——来自管理层业绩预告的实证证据

信息披露关乎整个资本市场的运行质量和健康发展,但现有研究主要关注企业内部特征和制度环境对信息披露行为的影响,较少考察企业间的相互作用。借助同伴效应的分析逻辑,以2010—2019年沪深A股上市公司发布的业绩预告为样本,对自愿披露同伴效应的形成机制、情境因素及经济后果进行探究。结果表明:企业业绩预告披露行为存在明显的"同伴效应";且异质性研究发现:环境不确定性高、对外融资依赖强的企业更易受到同伴披露行为的影响;此外,基于同伴效应的信息披露行为,可以提升个体企业的未来价值。本文不仅为企业策略性信息披露提供一种新解释,而且有助于提高企业信息披露管理能力,对于加强信息披露监管和金融风险防范等方面均具有重要现实意义。     

Mandated disclosures under IAS 36 Impairment of Assets and IAS 38 Intangible Assets: value relevance and impact on analysts’ forecasts

Drawing on a large sample of European firms, we examine whether variant compliance levels with mandated disclosures under IAS 36 Impairment of Assets and IAS 38 Intangible Assets are value relevant and affect analysts’ forecasts. Our results indicate a mean (median) compliance level of about 84% (86%) but high variation among firms and disclosure levels regarding IAS 36 being much lower than those regarding IAS 38. In depth, analysis reveals that non-compliance relates mostly to proprietary information and information that reveals managers’ judgment and expectations. Furthermore, we find a positive (negative) relationship between average disclosure levels and market values (analysts’ forecast dispersion). Results, however, hold more specifically for disclosures related to IAS 36, and these also improve analysts’ forecast accuracy. Our findings add knowledge regarding the economic consequences of mandatory disclosures, have an appeal to regulators and financial statement preparers and reflect on the IASB’s concerns to increase the guidance and principles on presentation and disclosure.     

Credit ratings and corporate disclosure behaviour: evidence from regulation fair disclosure in Korea

This article provides evidence that firms with high market expectations disclose more information to investors, utilizing the fair disclosure regulation in Korea to proxy for their disclosure choices. This finding is consistent with the argument that in order to retain their dominant positions, highly evaluated firms are more concerned about the market’s perception of them as providers of timely and detailed disclosure. We also find that the impact of market expectations on disclosure is more pronounced for chaebol firms. Combined with prior research on the relationship between firm performance and voluntary disclosure, we provide important implications for the determinants of corporate disclosure     

Environmental information disclosure in capital raising

In 2010, the Chinese Government issued a policy to require enterprises to disclose environmental information. Using the environmental disclosure information of 204 Chinese listed companies in 20 polluting sectors over the period of 2011–2015, we find that managers tend to withhold environmental information and selectively disguise sensitive environmental information in the face of financial pressure, and where the disclosure of sensitive environmental information would significantly increase the cost of debt financing. Furthermore, agency conflicts and information asymmetry between managers and outside investors promote the managers' tendencies to withhold environmental information when facing financial pressure.     

低碳经济模式下环境信息披露的实证研究——以湖南上市公司为例

强化上市公司的环境信息披露责任,强制上市公司履行和承担环境责任,已成为和谐社会建设刻不容缓的任务。本文以湖南省上市公司为样本,采用Logistic模型研究上市公司财务状况对环境信息披露的影响。结论表明：公司盈利能力与环境信息披露正相关,盈利能力越强的公司越倾向于披露环境信息;企业规模与环境信息披露正相关,规模大的公司更有动力披露环境信息,以减少信息不对称产生的代理成本;发展能力、上市公司的负债程度与环境信息披露负相关,但不显著。同时,重污染行业与环境信息披露正相关,重污染行业为向社会传递其主动承担环保责任的信息,环境信息披露比例高于非重污染企业,且披露的环境信息内容丰富。本文对提高环境信息透明度、规范上市公司环境信息披露提出了相应的政策建议。     

微博、信息披露与分析师盈余预测

信息技术和社交网络的发展改变了信息的数量、类型及其传播方式。作为金融市场上最专业的信息使用者,分析师无疑会受到这一变化的影响。文章研究了上市公司开通微博对分析师盈余预测的影响,结果发现：（1）开通微博后,分析师盈余预测的修正频率增加,说明分析师会使用微博信息及时更新盈余预测。（2）开通微博后,分析师的平均盈余预测偏差和盈余预测分歧度都显著下降,说明微博信息是分析师进行预测的重要信息源,有助于其更好地了解和分析公司的经营活动。（3）开通微博后,公司股价对分析师盈余预测修正的反应更大。一个合理的解释是,投资者对微博发布的信息反应不足,而分析师能够帮助理解这些信息。文章的研究结论对于监管部门制定基于微博的社交网络信息披露标准,以及分析师如何在资本市场信息定价效率方面最大程度地发挥作用具有参考意义。     

企业经营绩效、媒体关注与环境信息披露

督促企业披露有“含金量”的环境信息,对构建绿色金融体系、助力生态文明建设意义重大。基于我国化工行业上市公司2013-2017年的数据,本文从经营不善的视角探讨企业披露环境信息的动机,将环境信息分为“财务类环境信息”和“非财务类环境信息”两类,分析其披露倾向,并讨论媒体关注对上述披露行为的治理作用。研究发现:企业在经营绩效不佳时提升了环境信息披露水平,媒体关注对此起到正向调节作用。值得注意的是,企业原本倾向于披露非财务类环境信息,但在媒体关注的治理作用下,企业更侧重于披露财务类环境信息。所有权异质性分析发现,相比于非国有企业,国有企业更乐于在经营不善时披露环境信息,特别是非财务类环境信息;媒体关注能强化非国有企业经营不善时披露环境信息的动机,促使其增加财务类环境信息的披露,而对国有企业不存在显著影响。本文研究结论有助于投资者更理性地认识企业环境信息披露行为,并为督促各类企业披露有“含金量”的环境信息提供了思路。     

A note on schooling and wage inequality in the public and private sector

The few studies that have examined the wage impact of education across the earning distribution have focused on high-income countries and show education to be more profitable at the top of the distribution. The implication is that education may increase inequality. Extending the analysis to 16 East Asian and Latin American countries, in Latin America we observe a pattern similar to that of Europe/North America (increasing wage effects), while in East Asia the wage effects are predominantly decreasing by earnings quantile. However, once the analysis is performed separately for the public and the private sector, it is revealed that the strongly decreasing impact of schooling on earnings in the public sectors of East Asian countries is responsible for the overall observed decreasing pattern, while the impact of schooling on earnings in the private sectors of these countries is non-decreasing.     

政商关系、分析师预测与股价同步性——基于腐败官员落马的准自然实验

关系型交易会影响分析师的信息传递效率,进而对企业的信息环境产生影响.文章基于腐败官员落马这一准自然实验对上述假说进行了检验.文章以2005?2011年与24位省部级以上落马高官有关联的企业为样本,研究了政商关系的外生变化对分析师行为和企业信息环境的影响.文章基于双重差分模型,发现腐败官员落马后,与之关联企业的分析师预测准确性提高,预测分歧度降低,分析师跟踪数量增加,企业股价同步性降低.进一步检验发现,在官员落马影响关联企业股价同步性的过程中,分析师发挥了中介作用.可见,反腐能够降低分析师获取信息的门槛,提高分析师传递信息的效率,进而改善企业信息环境.