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The ownership structure of UK firms and the informativeness of accounting earnings

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  • Raymond Donnelly
  • Caitriona Lynch

Abstract

This paper provides evidence that in the UK, a firm's ownership structure is related to the informativeness of its accounting earnings for price. Evidence is reported that concentrated outside ownership is negatively related to the contemporaneous price-earnings association. This is interpreted as indicative of more non-accounting information being collected and disseminated for firms whose ownership includes large outside (non-managerial) blocks and a consequential loss of informativeness of contemporaneous accounting earnings. Having controlled for the information environment, we provide evidence that the overall relation between return and earnings is attenuated for firms with diffuse outside ownership. This is interpreted as evidence of the market anticipating opportunistic managerial manipulation of earnings when outside ownership is diffuse.

Suggested Citation

  • Raymond Donnelly & Caitriona Lynch, 2002. "The ownership structure of UK firms and the informativeness of accounting earnings," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 245-257.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acctbr:v:32:y:2002:i:4:p:245-257
    DOI: 10.1080/00014788.2002.9728973
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Song, Qian & Holland, Kevin, 2023. "The quality of tax accounting for financial reporting purposes: International evidence from the United Kingdom," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    4. Andrzej Piosik & Ewa Genge, 2019. "The Influence of a Company’s Ownership Structure on Upward Real Earnings Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-24, December.

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