IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/jre/issued/v38n12016p129-164.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Who Follows REITs?

Author

Listed:
  • Elizabeth Devos

    (Eastern Michigan University)

  • Erik Devos

    (University of Texas at El Paso)

  • Seow Eng Ong

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Andrew C. Spieler

    (Hofstra University)

Abstract

This paper provides evidence that analysts who issue recommendations for REITs are primarily associated with investment banks that are active in underwriting such as full service banks and syndicate banks. Analysts at brokerage houses and independent research houses rarely issue REIT recommendations These findings suggest that underwriting activities are an important reason for investment banks and their analysts to issue recommendations for REITs. We find that recommendations are optimistic for all types of investment banks after Regulation FD, but optimistic recommendations only hold in a univariate setting for syndicates and brokerages. When we compare recommendations for REITs and non-REITS, we find differences in the type of banks that issue the recommendations and the level of optimism. These systematic differences do not diminish over time. We explore additional characteristics that can affect recommendation optimism for REITs and find that around the time of a REIT SEO, book runners of that issue become more optimistic. These findings are consistent with a conflict of interest explanation. We further find that analysts of higher ranked investment (bulge) banks tend to be less optimistic which suggests that reputational concerns may curb some of the optimism.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth Devos & Erik Devos & Seow Eng Ong & Andrew C. Spieler, 2016. "Who Follows REITs?," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 38(1), pages 129-164.
    • Handle: RePEc:jre:issued:v:38:n:1:2016:p:129-164
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://pages.jh.edu/jrer/papers/pdf/forth/vol38n01/9853-05.129_164.pdf
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Erik Devos, 2014. "Are Analysts’ Recommendations for Other Investment Banks Biased?," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 43(2), pages 327-353, June.
    2. David H. Downs & Z. Nuray Güner, 1999. "Is the Information Deficiency in Real Estate Evident in Public Market Trading?," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 27(3), pages 517-541, September.
    3. Lin, Hsiou-wei & McNichols, Maureen F., 1998. "Underwriting relationships, analysts' earnings forecasts and investment recommendations," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 101-127, February.
    4. David Michayluk & Patrick J. Wilson & Ralf Zurbruegg, 2006. "Asymmetric Volatility, Correlation and Returns Dynamics Between the U.S. and U.K. Securitized Real Estate Markets," Published Paper Series 2006-5, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney.
    5. Amitabh Dugar & Siva Nathan, 1995. "The Effect of Investment Banking Relationships on Financial Analysts' Earnings Forecasts and Investment Recommendations," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(1), pages 131-160, September.
    6. Warren Bailey & Haitao Li & Connie X. Mao & Rui Zhong, 2003. "Regulation Fair Disclosure and Earnings Information: Market, Analyst, and Corporate Responses," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(6), pages 2487-2514, December.
    7. Kolasinski, Adam C. & Kothari, S. P., 2008. "Investment Banking and Analyst Objectivity: Evidence from Analysts Affiliated with Mergers and Acquisitions Advisors," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(4), pages 817-842, December.
    8. Womack, Kent L, 1996. "Do Brokerage Analysts' Recommendations Have Investment Value?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 51(1), pages 137-167, March.
    9. William Hardin III & Matthew D. Hill, 2008. "REIT Dividend Determinants: Excess Dividends and Capital Markets," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 36(2), pages 349-369, June.
    10. Anup Agrawal & Mark A. Chen, 2008. "Do Analyst Conflicts Matter? Evidence from Stock Recommendations," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(3), pages 503-537, August.
    11. Ulrike Malmendier & Devin Shanthikumar, 2014. "Do Security Analysts Speak in Two Tongues?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(5), pages 1287-1322.
    12. Francis, J & Soffer, L, 1997. "The relative informativeness of analysts' stock recommendations and earnings forecast revisions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 193-211.
    13. Benjamin Blau & Matthew Hill & Hao Wang, 2011. "REIT Short Sales and Return Predictability," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 481-503, May.
    14. Ko Wang & John Erickson & Su Han Chan, 1995. "Does the REIT Stock Market Resemble the General Stock Market?," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 10(4), pages 445-460.
    15. Asquith, Paul & Mikhail, Michael B. & Au, Andrea S., 2005. "Information content of equity analyst reports," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 245-282, February.
    16. Paul Anglin & Robert Edelstein & Yanmin Gao & Desmond Tsang, 2011. "How Does Corporate Governance Affect the Quality of Investor Information? The Curious Case of REITs," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 33(1), pages 1-24.
    17. Sinan Gokkaya & Matthew D. Hill & G. Wayne Kelly, 2013. "On The Direct Costs Of Reit Seos," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 35(4), pages 407-444.
    18. Erik Devos & Seow Ong & Andrew Spieler, 2007. "Analyst Activity and Firm Value: Evidence from the REIT Sector," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 333-356, October.
    19. Patricia C. O'Brien & Maureen F. Mcnichols & Lin Hsiou‐Wei, 2005. "Analyst Impartiality and Investment Banking Relationships," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 623-650, September.
    20. Chan, Louis K. C. & Karceski, Jason & Lakonishok, Josef, 2007. "Analysts' Conflicts of Interest and Biases in Earnings Forecasts," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 42(4), pages 893-913, December.
    21. Partha S. Mohanram & Shyam V. Sunder, 2006. "How Has Regulation FD Affected the Operations of Financial Analysts?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(2), pages 491-525, June.
    22. Clement, Michael B., 1999. "Analyst forecast accuracy: Do ability, resources, and portfolio complexity matter?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 285-303, July.
    23. Francis, J & Philbrick, D, 1993. "Analysts Decisions As Products Of A Multitask Environment," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 216-230.
    24. Michaely, Roni & Womack, Kent L, 1999. "Conflict of Interest and the Credibility of Underwriter Analyst Recommendations," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 12(4), pages 653-686.
    25. Chung, Kee H. & Jo, Hoje, 1996. "The Impact of Security Analysts' Monitoring and Marketing Functions on the Market Value of Firms," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(4), pages 493-512, December.
    26. Cowen, Amanda & Groysberg, Boris & Healy, Paul, 2006. "Which types of analyst firms are more optimistic?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1-2), pages 119-146, April.
    27. Ko Wang & John Erickson & George Gau & Su Han Chan, 1995. "Market Microstructure and Real Estate Returns," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 23(1), pages 85-100, March.
    28. Walter Boudry & Jarl Kallberg & Crocker Liu, 2011. "Analyst Behavior and Underwriter Choice," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 5-38, July.
    29. Steven H. Ott & Timothy J. Riddiough & Ha-Chin Yi, 2005. "Finance, Investment and Investment Performance: Evidence from the REIT Sector," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 33(1), pages 203-235, March.
    30. Kimberly R. Goodwin, 2013. "Discounting and Underpricing of REIT Seasoned Equity Offers," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 35(2), pages 153-172.
    31. David Michayluk & Patrick J. Wilson & Ralf Zurbruegg, 2006. "Asymmetric Volatility, Correlation and Returns Dynamics Between the U.S. and U.K. Securitized Real Estate Markets," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 34(1), pages 109-131, March.
    32. Walter I. Boudry & Jarl G. Kallberg & Crocker H. Liu, 2010. "An Analysis of REIT Security Issuance Decisions," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 38(1), pages 91-120, March.
    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. Coën, Alain & Desfleurs, Aurélie, 2022. "The relative performance of green REITs: Evidence from financial analysts’ forecasts and abnormal returns," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    2. Elizabeth Devos & Erik Devos & Seow Eng Ong & Andrew C. Spieler, 2019. "Are REIT Investors Overly Optimistic after Equity Offerings?: Evidence from Analyst Forecast Errors," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 148-165, August.
    3. Elizabeth Devos & Erik Devos & Seow Eng Ong & Andrew Spieler, 2017. "Are REIT Investors Overly Optimistic after Equity Offerings?: Evidence from Analyst Forecast Errors," ERES eres2017_129, European Real Estate Society (ERES).
    4. Elizabeth Devos & Erik Devos & Seow Eng Ong & Andrew C. Spieler, 2019. "Information Asymmetry and REIT Capital Market Access," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 90-110, July.

    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. Ramnath, Sundaresh & Rock, Steve & Shane, Philip, 2008. "The financial analyst forecasting literature: A taxonomy with suggestions for further research," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 34-75.
    2. Elizabeth Devos & Erik Devos & Seow Eng Ong & Andrew Spieler, 2017. "Are REIT Investors Overly Optimistic after Equity Offerings?: Evidence from Analyst Forecast Errors," ERES eres2017_129, European Real Estate Society (ERES).
    3. Beyer, Anne & Cohen, Daniel A. & Lys, Thomas Z. & Walther, Beverly R., 2010. "The financial reporting environment: Review of the recent literature," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 296-343, December.
    4. Elizabeth Devos & Erik Devos & Seow Eng Ong & Andrew C. Spieler, 2019. "Are REIT Investors Overly Optimistic after Equity Offerings?: Evidence from Analyst Forecast Errors," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 148-165, August.
    5. Thabang Mokoaleli‐Mokoteli & Richard J. Taffler & Vineet Agarwal, 2009. "Behavioural Bias and Conflicts of Interest in Analyst Stock Recommendations," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3‐4), pages 384-418, April.
    6. Mehran, Hamid & Stulz, Rene M., 2007. "The economics of conflicts of interest in financial institutions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 267-296, August.
    7. Cheolwoo Lee, 2013. "Analyst firm parent–subsidiary relationship and conflict of interest: evidence from IPO recommendations," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 53(3), pages 763-789, September.
    8. Rees, Lynn & Sharp, Nathan Y. & Wong, Paul A., 2017. "Working on the weekend: Do analysts strategically time the release of their recommendation revisions?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 104-121.
    9. Lim, Youngdeok & Kim, Hyungtae, 2019. "Market reaction to optimistic bias in the recommendations of chaebol-affiliated analysts," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 224-242.
    10. Mei-Chen Lin & J. Jimmy Yang, 2023. "Do lottery characteristics matter for analysts’ forecast behavior?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1057-1091, October.
    11. Andreas Charitou & Irene Karamanou, 2020. "Sleeping with the enemy: should investment banks be allowed to engage in prop trading?," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 513-557, June.
    12. Rui Lu & Wenxuan Hou & Henry Oppenheimer & Ting Zhang, 2018. "The Integrity of Financial Analysts: Evidence from Asymmetric Responses to Earnings Surprises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 761-783, September.
    13. Andrew C. Call & Nathan Y. Sharp & Paul A. Wong, 2019. "Changes in analysts’ stock recommendations following regulatory action against their brokerage," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1184-1213, December.
    14. Zhang, Chao & Shrider, David G. & Han, Dun & Wu, Yanran, 2022. "Accurate forecasts attract clients; Biased forecasts keep them happy," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    15. Hu, Jun & Long, Wenbin & Luo, Le & Peng, Yuanhuai, 2021. "Share pledging and optimism in analyst earnings forecasts: Evidence from China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    16. Dambra, Michael & Field, Laura Casares & Gustafson, Matthew T. & Pisciotta, Kevin, 2018. "The consequences to analyst involvement in the IPO process: Evidence surrounding the JOBS Act," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 302-330.
    17. Bradley, Daniel, 2018. "Discussion of “analyst stock ownership and stock recommendations”," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 499-505.
    18. Thabang Mokoaleli-Mokoteli & Richard J. Taffler & Vineet Agarwal, 2009. "Behavioural Bias and Conflicts of Interest in Analyst Stock Recommendations," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3-4), pages 384-418.
    19. Gus De Franco & Hai Lu & Florin P. Vasvari, 2007. "Wealth Transfer Effects of Analysts' Misleading Behavior," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 71-110, March.
    20. Nerissa C. Brown & Kelsey D. Wei & Russ Wermers, 2014. "Analyst Recommendations, Mutual Fund Herding, and Overreaction in Stock Prices," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(1), pages 1-20, January.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L85 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Real Estate Services

    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:jre:issued:v:38:n:1:2016:p:129-164. 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: JRER Graduate Assistant/Webmaster (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.aresnet.org/ .

    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.