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Firm profitability and expected stock returns: Evidence from Latin America

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  • Berggrun, Luis
  • Cardona, Emilio
  • Lizarzaburu, Edmundo

Abstract

Despite their higher valuation ratios, larger size, and higher investment needs, profitable firms outperform, in both raw and risk-adjusted returns, unprofitable firms in Latin America. The positive effect of firm profitability on stock returns is pervasive in univariate and bivariate sorts, panel regressions, across sub-regional markets, and among small and large stocks. A five-factor model that includes market, size, distress, profitability, and investment factors prices profitability portfolios better than other popular factor models. Five-factor alphas of profitability portfolios tend to be lower and less statistically significant, both individually and collectively, than alphas from other three widely-used pricing models.

Suggested Citation

  • Berggrun, Luis & Cardona, Emilio & Lizarzaburu, Edmundo, 2020. "Firm profitability and expected stock returns: Evidence from Latin America," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:51:y:2020:i:c:s0275531919305513
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2019.101119
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    Cited by:

    1. Berggrun, Luis & Cardona, Emilio & Lizarzaburu, Edmundo, 2020. "Profitability of momentum strategies in Latin America," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    2. Yin, Libo & Wei, Ya & Han, Liyan, 2020. "Firms' profit instability and the cross-section of stock returns: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    3. Zhang, Qun & Zhang, Peihui & Liu, Hao, 2023. "Does expected idiosyncratic skewness of firms' profit predict the cross-section of stock returns? Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    4. Li Shuangjie & Hu Xuefeng & Wang Liming, 2020. "Could the Stock Market Adjust Itself? An Empirical Study Based on Mean Reversion Theory," Journal of Systems Science and Information, De Gruyter, vol. 8(2), pages 97-115, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Operating profitability; Cross-sectional returns; Five-factor model; Emerging markets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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