Excess Cash and Stock Returns |
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Authors: | Mikhail Simutin |
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Institution: | Mikhail Simutin is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. |
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Abstract: | I document a positive relationship between corporate excess cash holdings and future stock returns. The difference in returns of portfolios of high and low excess cash firms amounts to 5% annually or 6% after standard three-factor risk adjustment. Firms with more excess cash have higher market betas and earn lower returns during market downturns. High excess cash companies invest considerably more in the future than do their low cash peers, but do not experience stronger future profitability. On the whole, this evidence is consistent with the notion that excess cash holdings proxy for risky growth options. |
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