Investor Reaction to Inter-corporate Business Contracting: Evidence and Explanation

We examine the stock market reaction to 1227 inter-corporate ordinary business contract announcements reported by Dow Jones between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2001. Around contract announcement dates, we find statistically significant positive average abnormal returns and abnormal trading volume for contractors, but insignificant positive abnormal returns and negative abnormal volume for contractees. Cross-sectionally, contract announcement period returns are higher for contractors who are small relative to the contract size, have higher return volatility, larger market-to-book ratios and higher profitability. The announcement period returns of contract-awarding firms are not significant and are only marginally related to cross-sectional explanatory factors. The results are consistent with two explanatory stories: contractor quasi-rents induced by the winner's curse and information signalling about contractor production costs. The results are not consistent with perfect competition, with contracts having positive net present values for both parties, and with a version of incomplete contracting theory.     

The Impact of Receiving Debtor-in-Possession Financing on the Probability of Successful Emergence and Time Spent Under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

The ability to obtain financing is a critical element in attempting to successfully reorganise a firm which has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing has become an increasingly popular method in recent years. This paper examines whether receiving DIP financing is related to successful reorganisations and a shortened duration under Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. This study finds that there is an increase in realised returns to equity at the announcement of DIP loan agreements which is positive and statistically significant. It is also found that DIP-financed firms have a reduced probability of liquidation, and shorter time spent under bankruptcy proceedings.     

STOCK REPURCHASES AND SECURITYHOLDER RETURNS: A CASE STUDY OF TELEDYNE

This study examines securityholder returns around nine major repurchase announcements and 10 other repurchase-related announcements by the Teledyne Corporation between 1972 and 1984. Statistically significant positive excess returns to common stock and convertible preferred stockholders are documented. Contrary to prior research that investigated the average response to repurchase announcements, however, there is a wealth transfer from bondholders to stockholders. Bondholder returns around the repurchase announcements are significantly negative. These returns are examined for each announcement and each bond issue.     

Changes to Income Trust Taxation in Canada: Investor Reaction and Dividend Clientele Theory

Abstract:  This paper explores the relationship between tax-induced dividend clientele theory and the recent changes to the taxation of income trusts in Canada. On October 31, 2006, the Canadian government announced the Tax Fairness Plan ( TFP ) calling for the elimination of the considerable tax advantage enjoyed by income trusts. Generally, distributions from income trusts are now taxed at rates comparable to those imposed on corporate dividends. We examine market reaction to the  TFP  to address three issues: first, whether the valuation effect of a dividend tax increase is consistent with the traditional or the new view of dividend taxation; secondly, whether the market reaction to tax increases has a differential impact on firm value that is related to the tax preferences of taxable, tax-exempt, and foreign investor tax clienteles; and thirdly, whether firms change their dividend policies in response to the preference of institutional investors (tax-based dividend policy effect) or whether institutional investors are sorting themselves across firms based on their dividend policies (investor sorting effect). Our results provide strong evidence as follows. First, the valuation effect in reaction to the  TFP  announcement is consistent with the traditional view of dividend taxation – i.e. that taxes on dividends reduce the net return to investors, increase the firm's cost of capital and lower the firm's ability to access capital markets, thereby discouraging investment and savings. Secondly, we saw that trusts with a larger percentage of their units held by tax-exempt, low-tax, and foreign investors had a higher decline in value when compared with trusts held mostly by ordinary taxable investors. These results support dividend tax clientele theory. Finally, we observed changes in institutional investor clienteles consistent with the investor sorting effect.     

Stock Market Response to Voluntary Liquidations and Reorganizations of Real Estate Corporations

Announcements of voluntary liquidation or reorganization by real estate corporations are analyzed. There is a positive stock price response to announcement of liquidation, and a negative stock price response to announcements of reorganization. Results were the same before and after the 1978 Bankruptcy Reform Act took affect.     

Capital Structure and the Cost of Capital for Untaxed Firms: The Case of REITs

REITs offer the opportunity to examine the relationship between capital structure and cost of capital in the absence of corporate earnings taxes. The evidence supports the leverage clientele effect as the motivation for the use of financial leverage by REITs.     

Factors Influencing Corporate Environmental Disclosures

We investigate the effectiveness of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a not‐for‐profit organization that facilitates environmental disclosures of firms with institutional investors, thereby serving as a corporate governance mechanism for shareholders to influence the firm's environmental disclosures. We examine firm characteristics associated with firms' decisions to disclose carbon‐related information via the CDP for a sample of 319 Canadian firms over a four‐year period. In particular, we examine how firms' decisions to disclose via CDP are associated with shareholder activism, litigation risk, and the opportunity for low‐cost positive publicity once requested by the firms' “signatory” investors. Our results also show that management's decision to release climate change data is associated with domestic, but not foreign, signatory investors. We also find that disclosing firms tend to be those from lower polluting industries with less exposure to litigation risk. This suggests that this new form of coordinated shareholder activism may not be successful at altering the behavior of firms that are heavier polluters.     

Accounting irregularities,management compensation structure and information asymmetry

The discovery of accounting irregularities is an important negative event for a company. The restatement resulting from the irregularity represents an average of 364 per cent of net income for the 152‐firm sample and the irregularities are predominantly revenue enhancing. The irregularity firms exhibit both lower transparency and visibility compared to a matched sample of non‐irregularity firms. Furthermore, prior to the announcement, these firms experienced poorer operating performance and their executive compensation structure is found to be significantly more equity‐based. Therefore, firms that have greater opportunity and incentive are shown to be more likely to commit accounting irregularities.     

Market Reactions, Characteristics, and the Effectiveness of Corporate Layoffs

Two hypotheses are considered to explain employee layoffs by corporations: (1) the declining investment opportunities hypothesis; and (2) the efficiency hypothesis. The stock market response to employee layoff announcements is estimated to be negative, which is consistent with the declining investment opportunities hypothesis as opposed to the efficiency hypothesis. Large, permanent, and unanticipated layoffs are associated with higher market reaction relative to small, temporary, and anticipated layoffs. A significant difference exists between industry type and for the stated reason of the layoff. Corporate layoffs per se increased the efficiency of the firm, as evidenced by a significant increase in return on equity and net income to employee in the post-announcement relative to the pre-announcement period.