IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/corfin/v24y2014icp101-111.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cash-settled convertible bonds and the value relevance of their accounting treatment

Author

Listed:
  • Lewis, Craig
  • Verwijmeren, Patrick

Abstract

Cash settlements became a popular design feature in convertible securities once they obtained favorable accounting treatment for diluted earnings per share in 2002. The unexpected proliferation of cash settlements provoked the FASB to eliminate their favorable accounting treatment in 2008. We find that shareholders of firms that use cash-settled convertibles react negatively to the announcement of these recent changes. Firms that issued cash-settled convertible debt to avoid earnings dilution no longer have an incentive to keep them on their balance sheets. Consistent with this observation, we find that investors respond more favorably if the cash-settled convertibles of these firms include call features. We conclude that call features can be valuable in times of uncertainty related to possible accounting changes as they allow the firm to efficiently mitigate the effects of the accounting changes on their financial reporting.

Suggested Citation

  • Lewis, Craig & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2014. "Cash-settled convertible bonds and the value relevance of their accounting treatment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 101-111.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:24:y:2014:i:c:p:101-111
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2013.06.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929119913000539
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2013.06.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richardson, Scott A. & Sloan, Richard G. & Soliman, Mark T. & Tuna, Irem, 2005. "Accrual reliability, earnings persistence and stock prices," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 437-485, September.
    2. Ingersoll, Jonathan Jr., 1977. "A contingent-claims valuation of convertible securities," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 289-321, May.
    3. Mayers, David, 1998. "Why firms issue convertible bonds: the matching of financial and real investment options," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 83-102, January.
    4. Jensen, Michael C, 1986. "Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow, Corporate Finance, and Takeovers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 323-329, May.
    5. Abe de Jong & Eric Duca & Marie Dutordoir, 2013. "Do Convertible Bond Issuers Cater to Investor Demand?," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 42(1), pages 41-78, March.
    6. Carter, Mary Ellen & Lynch, Luann J., 2003. "The consequences of the FASB's 1998 proposal on accounting for stock option repricing," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 51-72, April.
    7. Green, Richard C., 1984. "Investment incentives, debt, and warrants," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 115-136, March.
    8. Hribar, Paul & Jenkins, Nicole Thorne & Johnson, W. Bruce, 2006. "Stock repurchases as an earnings management device," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1-2), pages 3-27, April.
    9. Carol Marquardt & Christine Wiedman, 2005. "Earnings Management through Transaction Structuring: Contingent Convertible Debt and Diluted Earnings per Share," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(2), pages 205-243, May.
    10. Espahbodi, Hassan & Espahbodi, Pouran & Rezaee, Zabihollah & Tehranian, Hassan, 2002. "Stock price reaction and value relevance of recognition versus disclosure: the case of stock-based compensation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 343-373, August.
    11. Brennan, M J & Schwartz, Eduardo S, 1977. "Convertible Bonds: Valuation and Optimal Strategies for Call and Conversion," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 32(5), pages 1699-1715, December.
    12. Schipper, K & Thompson, R, 1983. "The Impact Of Merger-Related Regulations On The Shareholders Of Acquiring Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 184-221.
    13. Brennan, Michael J & Kraus, Alan, 1987. "Efficient Financing under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(5), pages 1225-1243, December.
    14. de Jong, Abe & Dutordoir, Marie & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2011. "Why do convertible issuers simultaneously repurchase stock? An arbitrage-based explanation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 113-129, April.
    15. Stein, Jeremy C., 1992. "Convertible bonds as backdoor equity financing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 3-21, August.
    16. Abe De Jong & Miguel Rosellón & Patrick Verwijmeren, 2006. "The Economic Consequences of IFRS: The Impact of IAS 32 on Preference Shares in the Netherlands," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 169-185, October.
    17. Stephen J. Brown & Bruce D. Grundy & Craig M. Lewis & Patrick Verwijmeren, 2012. "Convertibles and Hedge Funds as Distributors of Equity Exposure," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(10), pages 3077-3112.
    18. Ingersoll, Jonathan E, Jr, 1977. "An Examination of Corporate Call Policies on Convertible Securities," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 32(2), pages 463-478, May.
    19. Imhoff, E.A. & Thomas, J.K., 1988. "Economic Consequences Of Accounting Standards: The Lease Disclosure Rule Change," Papers fb-_88-36, Columbia - Graduate School of Business.
    20. Darwin Choi & Mila Getmansky & Brian Henderson & Heather Tookes, 2010. "Convertible Bond Arbitrageurs as Suppliers of Capital," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(6), pages 2492-2522, June.
    21. de Jong, A. & Rosellón, M.A. & Verwijmeren, P., 2006. "The Economic Consequences of IFRS: The Impact of IAS 32 on Preference Shares in the Netherlands," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-021-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    22. Lewis, Craig M. & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2011. "Convertible security design and contract innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 809-831, September.
    23. Bens, Daniel A. & Nagar, Venky & Skinner, Douglas J. & Wong, M. H. Franco, 2003. "Employee stock options, EPS dilution, and stock repurchases," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1-3), pages 51-90, December.
    24. Imhoff, Eugene Jr. & Thomas, Jacob K., 1988. "Economic consequences of accounting standards : The lease disclosure rule change," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 277-310, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lewis, Craig M. & Veld, Chris, 2014. "Convertible bond financing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 1-2.
    2. Paul Cousins & Marie Dutordoir & Benn Lawson & João Quariguasi Frota Neto, 2020. "Shareholder Wealth Effects of Modern Slavery Regulation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(11), pages 5265-5289, November.
    3. Verwijmeren, Patrick & Yang, Antti, 2020. "The fluctuating maturities of convertible bonds," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    4. Dutordoir, Marie & Lewis, Craig & Seward, James & Veld, Chris, 2014. "What we do and do not know about convertible bond financing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 3-20.
    5. Bechmann, Ken L. & Lunde, Asger & Zebedee, Allan A., 2014. "In- and out-of-the-money convertible bond calls: Signaling or price pressure?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 135-148.
    6. Dorion, Christian & François, Pascal & Grass, Gunnar & Jeanneret, Alexandre, 2014. "Convertible debt and shareholder incentives," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 38-56.
    7. Neil Fargher & Baljit K. Sidhu & Ann Tarca & Warrick van Zyl, 2019. "Accounting for financial instruments with characteristics of debt and equity: finding a way forward," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 59(1), pages 7-58, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dutordoir, Marie & Lewis, Craig & Seward, James & Veld, Chris, 2014. "What we do and do not know about convertible bond financing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 3-20.
    2. King, Tao-Hsien Dolly & Mauer, David C., 2014. "Determinants of corporate call policy for convertible bonds," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 112-134.
    3. de Jong, Abe & Dutordoir, Marie & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2011. "Why do convertible issuers simultaneously repurchase stock? An arbitrage-based explanation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 113-129, April.
    4. Christian Dorion & Pascal François & Gunnar Grass & Alexandre Jeanneret, 2014. "Convertible Debt and Shareholder Incentives," Cahiers de recherche 1403, CIRPEE.
    5. Henderson, Brian J. & Zhao, Bo, 2014. "More than meets the eye: Convertible bond issuers' concurrent transactions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 57-79.
    6. Dorion, Christian & François, Pascal & Grass, Gunnar & Jeanneret, Alexandre, 2014. "Convertible debt and shareholder incentives," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 38-56.
    7. Agarwal, Vikas & Fung, William H. & Loon, Yee Cheng & Naik, Narayan Y., 2011. "Risk and return in convertible arbitrage: Evidence from the convertible bond market," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 175-194, March.
    8. Agarwal, Vikas & Fung, William H. & Loon, Yee Cheng & Naik, Narayan Y., 2004. "Risk and return in convertible arbitrage: Evidence from the convertible bond market," CFR Working Papers 04-03, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    9. Marle, Mats van & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2017. "The long and the short of convertible arbitrage: An empirical examination of arbitrageurs’ holding periods," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 237-249.
    10. Isagawa, Nobuyuki, 2002. "Callable convertible debt under managerial entrenchment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 255-270, July.
    11. Lewis, Craig M. & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2011. "Convertible security design and contract innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 809-831, September.
    12. Jonathan A. Batten & Karren Lee-Hwei Khaw & Martin R. Young, 2014. "Convertible Bond Pricing Models," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 775-803, December.
    13. Rastad, Mahdi, 2016. "Capital structure pre-balancing: Evidence from convertible bonds," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 43-65.
    14. Burlacu, Radu, 2000. "New evidence on the pecking order hypothesis: the case of French convertible bonds," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 10(3-4), pages 439-459, December.
    15. Verwijmeren, Patrick & Yang, Antti, 2020. "The fluctuating maturities of convertible bonds," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    16. Lyandres, Evgeny & Zhdanov, Alexei, 2014. "Convertible debt and investment timing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 21-37.
    17. Marie Dutordoir & Patrick Verwijmeren, 2008. "Why do Convertible Issuers simultaneously Repurchase Stock? An Arbitrage-based Explanation," Working Papers 0802, Departament Empresa, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, revised Feb 2008.
    18. Dutordoir, Marie & Li, Hui & Liu, Frank Hong & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2016. "Convertible bond announcement effects: Why is Japan different?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 76-92.
    19. Khalid Elbadraoui & Jean-Jacques Lilti & Bouchra M'Zali, 2008. "La performance opérationnelle à long terme des entreprises françaises émettrices d’obligations convertibles," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 11(3), pages 125-154, September.
    20. Alderson, Michael J. & Betker, Brian L. & Stock, Duane R., 2006. "Investment and financing activity following calls of convertible bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 895-914, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Convertible securities; Cash settlements; Call features; Earnings management; Economic consequences of accounting changes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:24:y:2014:i:c:p:101-111. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcorpfin .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.