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Do Buyouts (Still) Create Value?

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  • Shourun Guo
  • Edie S. Hotchkiss
  • Weihong Song

Abstract

This paper examines whether, and how, leveraged buyouts from the most recent wave of public to private transactions created value. For a sample of 192 buyouts completed between 1990 and 2006, we show that these deals are somewhat more conservatively priced and lower levered than their predecessors from the 1980s. For the subsample of deals with post-buyout data available, median market adjusted returns to pre- and post-buyout capital invested are 78% and 36%, respectively. In contrast, gains in operating performance are either comparable to or slightly exceed those observed for benchmark firms. We examine the relative contribution of several potential determinants of returns; in addition to gains in operating performance, returns are strongly related to increases in industry valuation multiples. Overall, our results provide insights into how transactions from the most recent wave of leveraged buyouts created value.

Suggested Citation

  • Shourun Guo & Edie S. Hotchkiss & Weihong Song, 2008. "Do Buyouts (Still) Create Value?," NBER Working Papers 14187, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14187
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Phillip Leslie & Paul Oyer, 2008. "Managerial Incentives and Value Creation: Evidence from Private Equity," NBER Working Papers 14331, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Hege, Ulrich & Lovo, Stefano & Slovin, Myron B. & Sushka, Marie E., 2018. "Divisional buyouts by private equity and the market for divested assets," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 21-37.
    3. A. Edward Safarian, 2011. "International Mergers and Acquisitions," Chapters, in: Miroslav N. Jovanović (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Integration, Volume III, chapter 6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Hege, Ulrich & Lovo, Stefano & Slovin, Myron B. & Sushka, Marie E., 2009. "Asset sales and the role of buyers: strategic buyers versus private equity," MPRA Paper 39549, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Feb 2012.
    5. Peter Harbula, 2008. "Fonds d’investissement : bulle financière ? Leviers de création de valeur, endettement et gouvernement d’entreprise," Revue d'Économie Financière, Programme National Persée, vol. 93(3), pages 179-200.
    6. Lahr, Henry & Kaserer, Christoph, 2009. "Net asset value discounts in listed private equity funds," CEFS Working Paper Series 2009-12, Technische Universität München (TUM), Center for Entrepreneurial and Financial Studies (CEFS).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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