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Does Asymmetric Information Affect the Premium in Mergers and Acquisitions?

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  • Georges Dionne
  • Mélissa La Haye
  • Anne-Sophie Bergères

Abstract

Our objective is to test the influence of information asymmetry between potential buyers on the premium paid for an acquisition. We analyze mergers and acquisitions as English auctions with asymmetric information. The theory of dynamic auctions with private values predicts that more informed bidders should pay a lower price for an acquisition. We test that prediction with a sample of 1,026 acquisitions in the United States between 1990 and 2007. We hypothesize that blockholders of the target’s shares are better informed than other bidders because they possess privileged information on the target. Information asymmetry between participants is shown to influence the premium paid. Blockholders pay a much lower conditional premium than do other buyers (around 70% lower). Tests also show that the characteristics of the target, specifically the runup, sales growth and size, affect the premium. The size of the target relative to the buyer, the choice of a public takeover bid and the hostility of the bid are also influential.

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  • Georges Dionne & Mélissa La Haye & Anne-Sophie Bergères, 2010. "Does Asymmetric Information Affect the Premium in Mergers and Acquisitions?," Cahiers de recherche 1015, CIRPEE.
    • Handle: RePEc:lvl:lacicr:1015
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    Cited by:

    1. Mussa Hussaini & Ugo Rigoni & Paolo Perego, 2023. "The strategic choice of payment method in takeovers: The role of environmental, social and governance performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 200-219, January.
    2. Glenn Boyle & Gerald Ward, 2016. "Do Better Informed Investors Always Do Better?," Working Papers in Economics 16/29, University of Canterbury, Department of Economics and Finance.
    3. Lacerda, José & Pereira, Paulo J. & Rodrigues, Artur, 2021. "Toehold acquisitions as option games," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    4. Mamun, Abdullah & Tannous, George & Zhang, Sicong, 2021. "Do regulatory bank mergers improve operating performance?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 152-174.
    5. Patty Bick & Matthew D. Crook & Andrew A. Lynch & Brian R. Walkup, 2017. "Does Distance Matter In Mergers And Acquisitions?," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 40(1), pages 33-54, March.
    6. Dionne, Georges & Michaud, Pierre-Carl & Pinquet, Jean, 2013. "A review of recent theoretical and empirical analyses of asymmetric information in road safety and automobile insurance," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 85-97.
    7. Pierre Picard & Kili Wang, 2015. "INSURANCE FRAUD THROUGH COLLUSION BETWEEN POLICYHOLDERS AND CAR DEALERS: THEORY AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE Pierre PICARD," Working Papers hal-01140590, HAL.
    8. Dionne, Georges & Fenou, Akouété & Mnasri, Mohamed, 2023. "Consolidation of the US property and casualty insurance industry: Is climate risk a causal factor for mergers and acquisitions?," Working Papers 23-1, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.
    9. Glenn Boyle & Gerald Ward, 2018. "Do Better Informed Investors Always Do Better? A Buyback Puzzle," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(4), pages 2137-2157, October.
    10. Pierre Picard & Jennifer Wang & Kili Wang, 2019. "Collusion between Retailers and Customers: The Case of Insurance Fraud in Taiwan," Working Papers hal-02045335, HAL.
    11. Jedidi, Helmi & Dionne, Georges, 2019. "Nonparametric testing for information asymmetry in the mortgage servicing market," Working Papers 19-1, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management, revised 28 Oct 2019.
    12. Gomes, Mathieu & Marsat, Sylvain, 2018. "Does CSR impact premiums in M&A transactions?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 71-80.
    13. Dalkır, Elif, 2015. "Shareholder information and partial tender offers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 64-66.
    14. Dionne, Georges, 2012. "The empirical measure of information problems with emphasis on insurance fraud and dynamic data," Working Papers 12-10, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.
    15. Paul Borochin & Chinmoy Ghosh & Di Huang, 2019. "Target information asymmetry and takeover strategy: Insights from a new perspective," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 25(1), pages 38-79, January.
    16. Suin Lee & Christos Pantzalis & Jung Chul Park, 2024. "Interstate migration‐based social networks and M&A decisions," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 59(1), pages 113-153, February.
    17. Nikhil Ramkrishna Bandodkar & Renu Singh, 2022. "Small and Startup IT Firms, Information Chasms, and the Market for Acquisitions," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-21, September.
    18. Hussaini, Mussa & Hussain, Nazim & Nguyen, Duc Khuong & Rigoni, Ugo, 2021. "Is corporate social responsibility an agency problem? An empirical note from takeovers," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Asymmetric information; merger and acquisition; blockholder; premium; English auction; test for over-identifying restriction (Sargan test); test for endogeneity (Durbin-Wu-Hausman test);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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