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Do stock splits signal future profitability?

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  • Gow-Cheng Huang
  • Kartono Liano
  • Ming-Shiun Pan

Abstract

This study examines whether stock split announcements contain information content about future profitability, measured in terms of future earnings change, future earnings, or future abnormal earnings. We find that the split announcement year has the highest earnings change and the earnings change declines substantially over the subsequent five years. Our empirical results show little evidence that stock splits are positively related to future profitability. In fact, stock splits are in general negatively related to future profitability in subsequent years after the announcement, except for dividend-paying firms with a split factor less than 0.5. This negative relation holds regardless of future profitability measure. Therefore, our empirical finding suggests that stock splits are not useful signals of a firm’s future earnings prospects. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2006

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  • Gow-Cheng Huang & Kartono Liano & Ming-Shiun Pan, 2006. "Do stock splits signal future profitability?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 347-367, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:rqfnac:v:26:y:2006:i:4:p:347-367
    DOI: 10.1007/s11156-006-7437-z
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    2. Yagüe, José & Gómez-Sala, J. Carlos & Poveda-Fuentes, Francisco, 2009. "Stock split size, signaling and earnings management: Evidence from the Spanish market," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 31-47.
    3. Tadeusz Dudycz & Bogumiła Brycz, 2021. "Why the Par Value of Share Matters to Investors," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Maria Chiara Iannino & Sergey Zhuk, 2020. "Signaling through Timing of Stock Splits," Discussion Paper Series, School of Economics and Finance 202009, School of Economics and Finance, University of St Andrews, revised 18 Jun 2021.
    5. Nan-Ting Kuo, 2013. "Dividend tax signaling and the pricing of future earnings: a case of taxable stock dividends," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 539-570, April.
    6. Terrence Martell & Gwendolyn Webb, 2008. "The performance of stocks that are reverse split," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 253-279, April.
    7. Green, T. Clifton & Hwang, Byoung-Hyoun, 2009. "Price-based return comovement," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 37-50, July.
    8. Bill B. Francis & Iftekhar Hasan & Mingming Zhou, 2013. "The effects of stock splits on the bid-ask spread of syndicated loans," International Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(1/2), pages 159-187.

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