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Does the Pricing of Financial Reporting Quality Change Around Dividend Changes?

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  • SHUPING CHEN
  • TERRY SHEVLIN
  • YEN H. TONG

Abstract

We examine whether accrual earnings quality is a priced information risk factor in a dividend change setting. We define information risk as the probability that firm‐specific financial statement information pertinent to investor pricing decisions is of low precision, and use the factor‐mimicking portfolio returns formed on the Dechow‐Dichev [2002] accrual quality (AQ) metric to proxy for the information risk (IR) factor returns. We augment the Fama‐French three‐factor model with this IR factor, and find that dividend initiation and increase firms exhibit a decrease in the factor loadings on the IR factor while dividend decrease firms exhibit an increase in the corresponding factor loadings, but such changes in the factor loadings occur months prior to the dividend change announcements. The results are robust to further controls for operating risk and using an alternative measure of information risk. Further analysis on changes in information characteristics such as AQ, the probability of informed trading score (PIN), forecast dispersion, and return volatility surrounding dividend change events are consistent with the asset pricing results. Overall, we interpret our results as being consistent with investors treating the information risk associated with the precision of financial statement information as a priced risk factor, with both the precision and pricing changing in predictable directions around dividend changes. However, while we attempt to control for operating risk changes in additional tests, we cannot completely rule out changes in operating risk as a competing alternative explanation for our observed results.

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  • Shuping Chen & Terry Shevlin & Yen H. Tong, 2007. "Does the Pricing of Financial Reporting Quality Change Around Dividend Changes?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 1-40, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:45:y:2007:i:1:p:1-40
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-679X.2007.00225.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Sati P. Bandyopadhyay & Alan Guoming Huang & Kevin Jialin Sun & Tony S. Wirjanto, 2017. "The return premiums to accruals quality," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 83-115, January.
    2. Philip Gray & Ping-Sheng Koh & Yen H Tong, 2009. "Accruals Quality, Information Risk and Cost of Capital: Evidence from Australia," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1-2), pages 51-72.
    3. Smith, Deborah Drummond & Pennathur, Anita K. & Marciniak, Marek R., 2017. "Why do CEOs agree to the discipline of dividends?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 38-48.
    4. Mohanram, Partha & Rajgopal, Shiva, 2009. "Is PIN priced risk?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 226-243, June.
    5. Dempsey, Stephen J. & Sheng, Hainan, 2023. "Dividend change announcements, ROE, and the cost of equity capital," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    6. Ding, Chao & Ho, Choy Yeing & Chang, Millicent, 2021. "CEO and CFO equity compensation and dividend payout over the firm lifecycle," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    7. Andreas Charitou & Neophytos Lambertides & Giorgos Theodoulou, 2010. "The Effect of Past Earnings and Dividend Patterns on the Information Content of Dividends When Earnings Are Reduced," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 46(2), pages 153-187, June.
    8. Richard A. Lambert & Christian Leuz & Robert E. Verrecchia, 2011. "Information Asymmetry, Information Precision, and the Cost of Capital," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 16(1), pages 1-29.
    9. Schreder, Max, 2018. "Idiosyncratic information and the cost of equity capital: A meta-analytic review of the literature," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 142-172.
    10. Yenn-Ru Chen & Mi-Hsiu Chiang & Chia-Hsiang Weng, 2019. "Are investors always compensated for information risk? Evidence from Chinese reverse-merger firms," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 159-196, January.
    11. Fatma Triki & Rym Hachana, 2008. "Impact De La Qualite Du Resultat Comptable Sur Le Cout Des Fonds Propres Des Entreprises Tunisiennes," Post-Print halshs-00525990, HAL.
    12. Philip Gray & Ping‐Sheng Koh & Yen H Tong, 2009. "Accruals Quality, Information Risk and Cost of Capital: Evidence from Australia," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1‐2), pages 51-72, January.
    13. Suresh Nallareddy & Maria Ogneva, 2017. "Accrual quality, skill, and the cross-section of mutual fund returns," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 503-542, June.
    14. Serge Agbodjo & Isabelle Martinez, 2012. "La création de valeur actionnariale est-elle pertinente pour la prise de décision d'investissement ? Une étude empirique du SBF250 par secteurs d'activité," Post-Print hal-00935809, HAL.
    15. Charles G. Ham & Zachary R. Kaplan & Steven Utke, 2023. "Attention to dividends, inattention to earnings?," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 265-306, March.
    16. Woo-Jong Lee, 2011. "Managerial entrenchment and the value of dividends," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 297-322, February.
    17. Byun, Hae-Young & Hwang, Lee-Seok & Lee, Woo-Jong, 2011. "How does ownership concentration exacerbate information asymmetry among equity investors?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 511-534, November.
    18. Hayley Baker & Millicent Chang & Choy Yeing (Chloe) Ho, 2021. "Value of dividend signaling in uncertain times," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 21(4), pages 1419-1440, December.
    19. Xiaoting Wei & Cameron Truong & Viet Do, 2020. "When are dividend increases bad for corporate bonds?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(2), pages 1295-1326, June.
    20. Luo He & Daniel B. Thornton, 2013. "The Impact of Disclosures of Internal Control Weaknesses and Remediations on Investors' Perceptions of Earnings Quality," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), pages 101-140, June.
    21. David S. Koo & Santhosh Ramalingegowda & Yong Yu, 2017. "The effect of financial reporting quality on corporate dividend policy," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 753-790, June.
    22. Pamela Kent & James Routledge & Jenny Stewart, 2010. "Innate and discretionary accruals quality and corporate governance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 50(1), pages 171-195, March.
    23. Trinh, Vu Quang & Kara, Alper & Elnahass, Marwa, 2022. "Dividend payout strategies and bank survival likelihood: A cross-country analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    24. Jeff P. Boone & Inder K. Khurana & K.K. Raman, 2009. "Impact of Job Complexity and Performance on CFO Compensation," Working Papers 0098, College of Business, University of Texas at San Antonio.
    25. Core, John E. & Guay, Wayne R. & Verdi, Rodrigo, 2008. "Is accruals quality a priced risk factor?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 2-22, September.

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