前瞻性信息披露对盈余预测准确度的影响研究

上市公司信息披露能够为投资者提供更多前瞻性信息，是投资者进行决策的重要信息来源。证券分析师作为资本市场的信息中介，对缓解信息不对称具有重要的作用。为厘清上市公司前瞻性信息披露能否影响分析师盈余预测的准确度，以2007—2020年A股上市公司为样本，研究前瞻性信息披露对分析师盈余预测准确度的影响。研究结果显示，上市公司前瞻性信息能够显著提高分析师盈余预测准确度。进一步研究发现，融资约束低、机构持股比例高、年报可读性高和股价同步性高的上市公司，前瞻性信息披露对分析师盈余预测准确度的提升效果更为明显。研究结论从前瞻性信息的信息含量视角丰富了分析师盈余预测准确度的相关研究，为全面注册制背景下进一步健全资本市场信息披露制度提供了政策参考。     

年报风险信息披露有助于提高分析师预测准确度吗?

年报风险信息披露既可能提高信息质量而对分析师预测行为产生积极影响,又可能因增加分析师的风险感知而对分析师预测行为产生消极影响。本文通过文本分析法量化年报风险信息披露,进而探讨其对分析师预测准确度的影响。基于公司层面的证据表明:风险信息披露频率越高,分析师预测准确度越高,而且这种积极影响主要体现在非国有企业、盈余质量较高及公司治理较好组。基于分析师层面的证据表明:风险信息披露频率越高,分析师预测准确度越高,这种积极影响主要体现在非明星、行业专长较低、对公司追踪时间较少的分析师中。这说明我国年报风险信息异质性较弱,有助于提高分析师预测准确度,从而支持了风险信息披露的信息观。本文结论有助于丰富信息披露以及分析师预测文献。     

非财务信息披露与分析师预测——基于深市上市企业社会责任报告的实证检验

以深市上市企业披露的社会责任报告作为非财务信息的替代变量,实证检验了非财务信息披露质量与分析师盈利预测的关系。多元回归分析结果表明,企业社会责任报告披露质量越好,其分析师盈利预测越精确,并且在财务透明度低的企业中,这种正向关系更显著。这说明社会责任报告披露的这类非财务信息对分析师预测不仅具有信息含量,而且能够通过对财务信息的补充作用,缓解财务不透明对分析师预测精度的不利后果。     

上市公司信息披露质量与证券分析师盈利预测

本文研究了上市公司信息披露状况与分析师预测行为之间的关系，结果发现，分析师的预测准确性总体上显著优于随机游走模型。进一步的研究发现，上市公司信息披露状况会对证券分析师的预测特征产生影响，信息披露透明度越高，分析师预测对会计盈利数据的依赖程度越低，预测准确性也随之提高。     

上市公司信息披露政策对分析师预测的多重影响研究

本文选取针对2001～2007年度年报发布的分析师预测样本,以深交所信息披露考核结果以及是否按规定发布业绩预告作为衡量上市公司信息披露政策的指标,分别考察二者对于分析师预测数量及质量的影响。多元回归分析结果表明,上市公司信息披露政策越透明,则跟随其进行预测的分析师数量越多,预测的分歧度越小,准确度越高。这说明,上市公司高水平的信息披露对分析师具有重要作用,并有利于缓解资本市场的信息不对称问题。本文提示我们,深交所信息披露考核指标以及是否按规定发布业绩预告分别从不同角度体现了上市公司的信息披露政策导向;市场参与者亟待更为全面且公允的信息披露评级指标出台。     

信息披露质量、分析师行业专长与预测准确性——来自我国深市A股的经验证据

本文分析认为,分析师行业专长是影响预测准确性的一个重要因素,上市公司信息披露质量在上述关系中起到调节作用。以分析师跟踪某行业的公司数量占该分析师跟踪的总公司数量的比重衡量分析师行业专长,在控制了其他可能影响预测准确性的因素之后,我们发现,分析师行业专长与预测准确性之间存在正相关关系。进一步的研究发现,高质量的信息披露会弱化分析师行业专长与预测准确性之间的正相关关系。     

公司内部治理与财务分析师预测的研究综述--基于会计信息披露的视角

公司内部治理与财务分析师预测都是近年来学术界研究的重要问题。公司内部治理通过对公司会计信息披露产生影响,进而影响了财务分析师的预测。本文对国内外有关公司内部治理与会计信息披露、财务分析师预测以及会计信息披露对财务分析师预测的影响这三方面的文献进行回顾与评述,提出了我国学者应进一步关注和研究公司内部治理与财务分析师预测的关系,为管理者及投资者的正确决策提供依据。     

研发文本信息:真的多说无益吗?——基于分析师预测的文本分析

本文采用文本分析技术提取年报研发文本信息,并从分析师预测角度解读其信息价值.研究发现:(1)R&D文本信息显著降低了分析师预测偏差及分歧度,而且信息透明度发挥了中介效应.(2)R&D文本信息披露越多,未来三年的创新产出以及政府研发补助越多,说明企业倾向于选择性披露有利于企业的研发信息.(3)企业披露动机越强,分析师获取私有信息的能力越弱,R&D文本信息对分析师预测偏差和分歧度的降低作用越显著.以上结论说明我国年报R&D文本信息具有一定信息含量,对分析师来讲“多说有益”.本文从研发文本视角以及分析师预测角度验证了我国年报文本信息的积极效应,有助于丰富R&D以及分析师预测文献.     

QFII持股与分析师预测准确性

本文使用2006―2020年中国A股上市公司数据，研究QFII持股对分析师预测行为的影响和传导机制。研究发现：（1）QFII持股能够显著提高分析师预测当年、未来一年和未来两年的准确性，在使用工具变量法缓解内生性并进行一系列稳健性检验后，以上结论仍成立。（2）机制检验发现，QFII持股通过吸引更多的分析师跟踪、提高股票流动性、改善信息披露质量来提高分析师预测当年的准确性，并且可以通过改善信息披露质量来提高分析师预测未来一年和未来两年的准确性。本文结论表明，QFII持股可以为投资者的投资选择提供指引，对提高信息披露质量、促进资本市场平稳发展具有重要的理论与现实意义。     

衍生工具应用能改善资本市场信息环境吗？——基于分析师预测行为的视角

本文通过文本搜索获得企业衍生工具运用情况,在此基础上研究了企业衍生工具应用对分析师跟踪和预测信息结构的影响,并且进一步区分了明星分析师和非明星分析师预测行为的差异。研究结果表明,企业运用衍生工具会导致分析师跟踪数量显著减少,公共信息精度下降,从而对资本市场信息环境产生负面影响。但是,进一步我们发现分析师跟踪数量的减少和公共信息精度的下降是由非明星分析师所致,明星分析师跟踪数量和公共信息精度没有显著变化,私有信息精度反而增加;而非明星分析师跟踪数量显著减少,公共信息精度明显下降。本文的结论有助于我们进一步理解衍生工具应用对资本市场信息环境的影响,以及分析师在信息传递中的作用机制。     

The Impact of AASB 8 Operating Segments on Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts: Australian Evidence

This paper evaluates the impact of firms’ adoption of AASB 8 segment disclosure rules on analysts’ earnings forecasts. It examines whether providing more disaggregated segment information following the adoption of AASB 8 is associated with an increase in analysts’ ability to forecast earnings. We find that analysts’ earnings forecasts have not improved significantly after adopting AASB 8 in Australia, regardless of whether firms disclosed more disaggregated segment information. Our use of control firms provides assurance that the results are due to AASB 8 and not to some other events concurrent with the adoption of AASB 8. Overall, our results imply that the benefits associated with the management approach as experienced by financial analysts in the United States have not been realised by financial analysts in Australia. This suggests that the successful adoption of an accounting standard in one country should not be the justification for recommending adoption in other countries. Further, our results raise questions about whether the enhanced disclosures required in the new standard are more for the other users of financial statements, such as investors, rather than analysts.     

Causal language intensity in performance commentary and financial analyst behaviour

We use automated techniques to measure causal reasoning on earnings‐related financial outcomes of a large sample of MD&A sections of US firms and examine the intensity of causal language in that context against extent of analyst following and against properties of analysts’ earnings forecasts. We find a positive and significant association between a firm's causal reasoning intensity and analyst following and analyst earnings forecast accuracy respectively. Correspondingly, analysts’ earnings forecast dispersion is negatively and significantly associated with causal reasoning intensity. These results suggest that causal reasoning intensity provides incremental information about the relationship between financial performance outcomes and its causes, thereby reducing financial analysts’ information processing and interpreting costs and lowering overall analyst information uncertainty. Additionally, we find that decreases in analyst following are followed by more causal reasoning on performance disclosure. We also find that firms with a considerable increase of causal disclosure especially attract new analysts who already cover many firms. Overall, our evidence of the relationship between causal reasoning intensity and properties of analyst behaviour is consistent with the proposition that causal reasoning is a generic narrative disclosure quality characteristic, able to provide incremental information to analysts and guide analysts' behaviour.     

Does IFRS Adoption Increase the Accuracy of Chinese Analysts’ Forecasts?

This article investigates the impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption on the accuracy of Chinese analysts’ earnings forecasts. We find that after IFRS adoption, the accuracy of Chinese analysts’ forecasts decreases rather than increasing as they do in developed countries documented by the extant literature. Further investigation finds that this decrease is associated with a fair value measurement of financial assets held for trading. Our finding provides empirical evidence supporting the argument that the effectiveness of IFRS adoption could be negative in a developing country depending on its setting and fair value measurement brought about by IFRS could contribute to the negative effect in this setting.     

年报可读性对分析师盈余预测的影响

利用2010—2017年上市公司A股相关数据,本文研究了企业年报文本信息可读性对分析师盈余预测的影响。研究发现,企业年报文本信息可读性越低,分析师关注水平、预测质量也越低。进一步研究发现,较高的机构投资者持股水平能够显著缓解年报可读性对分析师关注的影响,但是没有发现机构投资者持股改善分析师预测质量的证据。高质量的审计以及高水平的信息披露质量评级可以改善企业的信息环境,从而有效缓解年报文本信息可读性对分析师盈余预测的影响。研究结论为企业年报文本信息可读性影响资本市场信息解读和传播效率提供了证据,有助于监管部门重视企业年报文本信息披露监管法律法规的制定和完善。     

IFRS adoption and analysts’ earnings forecasts: Australian evidence

We study 145 large listed Australian firms to explore the impact of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) adoption on the properties of analysts’ forecasts and the role of firm disclosure about IFRS impact. We find that analyst forecast accuracy improves, and there is no significant change in dispersion in the adoption year, suggesting that analysts coped effectively with transition to IFRS. However, we do not observe the expected relationship between firms’ IFRS impact disclosures in their financial statements issued at the end of the transition year with forecast error and dispersion in the adoption year. The results question the timeliness and usefulness of financial statement disclosure, even in a setting where disclosure was mandated by accounting standards (AASB 1047 and AASB 1) and firms had strong incentives to provide information to analysts.     

The association between quarter length,forecast errors,and firms’ voluntary disclosures

Approximately 60 percent of adjacent fiscal quarters contain a different number of calendar days. In preliminary analyses, we find the change in quarter length is significantly associated with the changes in sales and earnings and that analysts condition on the prior quarter's results when making their forecasts. These results indicate that it is important for analysts to adjust for changes in quarter length when making forecasts. However, we find the quarterly change in days is positively associated with analysts’ sales and earnings forecasts errors, where forecast error equals the actual earnings minus the forecasted earnings. These results indicate that analysts systematically underestimate (overestimate) performance when quarter length increases (decreases). We find evidence indicating investors make similar errors as returns around earnings announcements are positively associated with the change in quarter length, but only when changes in firm performance is more sensitive to changes in quarter length. Corroborating these findings, managers are more (less) likely to discuss quarter length during conference calls when quarter length decreases (increases). These results are consistent with managers’ strategic disclosure incentives. In summary, our evidence suggests analysts and investors fail to fully take account of the quasi-mechanical effect that quarter length has on firm performance and managers strategically alter their voluntary disclosures to take advantage of these failures.     

Mandatory CSR disclosure and analyst forecast properties: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

Based on a quasi-natural experiment that mandates a subset of listed firms to issue standalone corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, we examine whether mandatory CSR disclosure improves analysts’ information environment. We focus on two properties of analysts’ earnings forecasts: forecast error and forecast dispersion. We find that the mandatory issuance of standalone CSR reports is related to less forecast error and less dispersed forecasts, and the effect varies with the firm-level information environment and province-level marketization. Additional tests show that the improvement in forecast properties is mainly driven by CSR reports that i) are of high quality and ii) contain more long-term-oriented information than other CSR reports. Our findings provide evidence that mandatory CSR disclosure plays an important informational role for financial analysts.     

Do banks care about analysts' forecasts when designing loan contracts?

We investigate whether banks rely on the information content in equity analysts’ annual earnings forecasts when assessing the risk of potential borrowers. While a long literature finds that analysts provide useful information to market participants, it is not clear that banks, which have access to privileged information, would benefit from publicly available analysts’ forecasts. If, however, banks do rely on this information, then more precise private information in earnings forecasts may inform banks. We focus our analysis on the requirement of collateral because it is a direct measure of default risk, whereas other loan terms such as interest spread and debt covenants can also protect against other risks, such as asset misappropriation. The direct link between collateral and default risk allows us to examine whether information from analysts is relevant to banks when designing loan contracts. Consistent with our predictions, we find that higher precision of the private information in analysts’ earnings forecasts is associated with a lower likelihood of requiring collateral, and this effect is larger when a borrower does not have a prior relationship with the lender or their accounting or credit quality is low. We also find that this association disappears after the implementation of Regulation FD, consistent with this regulation reducing analysts’ access to private information.     

Analyst reputation and management earnings forecasts

Prior studies show that analysts with high reputation are influential in the market. This paper examines whether managers consider analyst reputation in shaping their voluntary disclosure strategy. Using Institutional Investor magazine’s All-American (AA) rankings as a proxy for analyst reputation, we find that the coverage of AA analysts is positively associated with the likelihood of quarterly management earnings forecasts (MEFs). We also find that AA analysts’ forecast optimism is more positively associated with the likelihood of MEFs than non-AA analysts’ forecast optimism when the firm is covered by AA analysts. Analyses based on AA analyst coverage changes and AA status changes confirm the relation between analyst reputation and MEFs. We further find that analyst reputation influences other MEF properties, such as forecast news, bias, and revisions, and that our results are robust to alternative measures of analyst reputation. Further analyses show that market reactions at quarterly earnings announcements are more positive (negative) when firms meet/beat (miss) AA analysts’ forecasts than when firms meet/beat (miss) non-AA analysts’ forecasts. Collectively, our findings suggest that managers strategically provide voluntary forecasts by taking into account the reputation of individual analysts following their firms.