IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/corfin/v67y2021ics0929119920301620.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Why do investment banks buy put options from companies?

Author

Listed:
  • Gyoshev, Stanley B.
  • Kaplan, Todd R.
  • Szewczyk, Samuel H.
  • Tsetsekos, George P.

Abstract

Companies have collected billions in premiums from privately sold put options written on their own stock. It is puzzling that counterparties, investment banks, would agree to make such transactions with better-informed companies which have extraordinary ability to time the market as documented by Jenter et al. (2011). To resolve this puzzle, we develop a model that shows that investment banks, by offering to buy put options from better-informed parties, receive private information about issuing companies. Our model also incorporates the practice of firms (such as Microsoft) of sometimes repurchasing their own put options and thus providing additional private information to investment banks. Empirically, we find support for our theory from an abnormal 9% increase in the stock prices and a 40% increase in the trading volumes around the put sales. Examination of 13D filings reveals that trading by upper management insiders cannot completely account for the change in volume.

Suggested Citation

  • Gyoshev, Stanley B. & Kaplan, Todd R. & Szewczyk, Samuel H. & Tsetsekos, George P., 2021. "Why do investment banks buy put options from companies?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:67:y:2021:i:c:s0929119920301620
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101718
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929119920301620
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101718?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kim, Yong O. & Kallberg, Jarl, 1998. "Convertible calls and corporate taxes under asymmetric information," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 19-40, January.
    2. Ota, Koji & Kawase, Hironori & Lau, David, 2019. "Does reputation matter? Evidence from share repurchases," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 287-306.
    3. Clifford P. Stephens & Michael S. Weisbach, 1998. "Actual Share Reacquisitions in Open-Market Repurchase Programs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(1), pages 313-333, February.
    4. Randall A. Heron & Erik Lie, 2009. "What Fraction of Stock Option Grants to Top Executives Have Been Backdated or Manipulated?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(4), pages 513-525, April.
    5. Philip Bond & Hongda Zhong, 2016. "Buying High and Selling Low: Stock Repurchases and Persistent Asymmetric Information," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 29(6), pages 1409-1452.
    6. Jensen, Michael C, 1986. "Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow, Corporate Finance, and Takeovers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 323-329, May.
    7. Chan, Konan & Ikenberry, David L. & Lee, Inmoo & Wang, Yanzhi, 2010. "Share repurchases as a potential tool to mislead investors," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 137-158, April.
    8. Matthew T. Billett & Hui Xue, 2007. "The Takeover Deterrent Effect of Open Market Share Repurchases," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(4), pages 1827-1850, August.
    9. Babenko, Ilona & Tserlukevich, Yuri & Vedrashko, Alexander, 2012. "The Credibility of Open Market Share Repurchase Signaling," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(5), pages 1059-1088, October.
    10. Azi Ben-Rephael & Jacob Oded & Avi Wohl, 2014. "Do Firms Buy Their Stock at Bargain Prices? Evidence from Actual Stock Repurchase Disclosures," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 18(4), pages 1299-1340.
    11. Campbell, Cynthia J & Wasley, Charles E, 1996. "Measuring Abnormal Daily Trading Volume for Samples of NYSE/ASE and NASDAQ Securities Using Parametric and Nonparametric Test Statistics," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 309-326, May.
    12. Erik Lie, 2005. "On the Timing of CEO Stock Option Awards," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(5), pages 802-812, May.
    13. Oded, Jacob, 2011. "Stock repurchases: How firms choose between a self tender offer and an open-market program," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 3174-3187.
    14. Evgeniou, Theodoros & de Fortuny, Enric Junqué & Nassuphis, Nick & Vermaelen, Theo, 2018. "Volatility and the buyback anomaly," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 32-53.
    15. Ajinkya, Bipin B. & Jain, Prem C., 1989. "The behavior of daily stock market trading volume," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 331-359, November.
    16. Cziraki, Peter & Lyandres, Evgeny & Michaely, Roni, 2021. "What do insiders know? Evidence from insider trading around share repurchases and SEOs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    17. William F. Maxwell & Clifford P. Stephens, 2003. "The Wealth Effects of Repurchases on Bondholders," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(2), pages 895-920, April.
    18. Liu, Harrison & Swanson, Edward P., 2016. "Is price support a motive for increasing share repurchases?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 77-91.
    19. William F. Maxwell & Clifford P. Stephens, 2003. "The Wealth Effects of Repurchases on Bondholders," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(2), pages 895-919, April.
    20. Cready, William M. & Ramanan, Ramachandran, 1991. "The power of tests employing log-transformed volume in detecting abnormal trading," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 203-214, June.
    21. John D. Lyon & Brad M. Barber & Chih‐Ling Tsai, 1999. "Improved Methods for Tests of Long‐Run Abnormal Stock Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(1), pages 165-201, February.
    22. Gustavo Grullon & Roni Michaely, 2004. "The Information Content of Share Repurchase Programs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 59(2), pages 651-680, April.
    23. Moser, William J., 2007. "The Effect of Shareholder Taxes on Corporate Payout Choice," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 42(4), pages 991-1019, December.
    24. Manconi, Alberto & Peyer, Urs & Vermaelen, Theo, 2019. "Are Buybacks Good for Long-Term Shareholder Value? Evidence from Buybacks around the World," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(5), pages 1899-1935, October.
    25. Vermaelen, Theo, 1984. "Repurchase Tender Offers, Signaling, and Managerial Incentives," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(2), pages 163-181, June.
    26. Guth, Werner & Schmittberger, Rolf & Schwarze, Bernd, 1982. "An experimental analysis of ultimatum bargaining," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 367-388, December.
    27. Heron, Randall A. & Lie, Erik, 2007. "Does backdating explain the stock price pattern around executive stock option grants?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 271-295, February.
    28. Dirk Jenter & Katharina Lewellen & Jerold B. Warner, 2011. "Security Issue Timing: What Do Managers Know, and When Do They Know It?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(2), pages 413-443, April.
    29. Hovakimian, Armen & Opler, Tim & Titman, Sheridan, 2001. "The Debt-Equity Choice," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(1), pages 1-24, March.
    30. Lee, Inmoo & Park, Yuen Jung & Pearson, Neil D., 2020. "Repurchases after being well known as good news," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    31. Ikenberry, David & Lakonishok, Josef & Vermaelen, Theo, 1995. "Market underreaction to open market share repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 181-208.
    32. James W. Kolari & Seppo Pynnönen, 2010. "Event Study Testing with Cross-sectional Correlation of Abnormal Returns," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(11), pages 3996-4025, November.
    33. Ilona Babenko, 2009. "Share Repurchases and Pay‐Performance Sensitivity of Employee Compensation Contracts," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(1), pages 117-150, February.
    34. Hirshleifer, David & Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Li, Dongmei, 2013. "Innovative efficiency and stock returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 632-654.
    35. Bond, Philip & Zhong, Hongda, 2016. "Buying high and selling low: stock repurchases and persistent asymmetric information," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67011, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    36. Jacob Oded, 2005. "Why Do Firms Announce Open-Market Repurchase Programs?," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 271-300.
    37. Bargeron, Leonce & Kulchania, Manoj & Thomas, Shawn, 2011. "Accelerated share repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 69-89, July.
    38. Pascal Busch & Stefan Obernberger, 2017. "Actual Share Repurchases, Price Efficiency, and the Information Content of Stock Prices," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(1), pages 324-362.
    39. Albert S. Kyle, 1989. "Informed Speculation with Imperfect Competition," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 56(3), pages 317-355.
    40. Jessica Kay Dunn & Alex Fayman & Jamie John McNutt, 2011. "An Empirical Examination of the Stated Purposes of Issuer Tender Offers to Purchase Common Stock," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 40(4), pages 941-972, December.
    41. Dai, Lili & Fu, Renhui & Kang, Jun-Koo & Lee, Inmoo, 2016. "Corporate governance and the profitability of insider trading," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 235-253.
    42. Hsieh, Jim & Wang, Qinghai, 2008. "Insiders' Tax Preferences and Firms' Choices between Dividends and Share Repurchases," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 213-244, March.
    43. Chan, Konan & Ikenberry, David L. & Lee, Inmoo, 2007. "Do managers time the market? Evidence from open-market share repurchases," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(9), pages 2673-2694, September.
    44. Doron Kliger & Gregory Gurevich, 2014. "Event Studies for Financial Research," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-36879-9.
    45. Vermaelen, Theo, 1981. "Common stock repurchases and market signalling : An empirical study," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 139-183, June.
    46. James J. Angel & Gary L. Gastineau & Clifford J. Weber, 1997. "Using Exchange‐Traded Equity Flex Put Options In Corporate Stock Repurchase Programs," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 10(1), pages 109-113, March.
    47. Harold Bierman Jr. & Richard West, 1966. "The Acquisition Of Common Stock By The Corporate Issuer†," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 21(4), pages 687-696, December.
    48. De Cesari, Amedeo & Espenlaub, Susanne & Khurshed, Arif & Simkovic, Michael, 2012. "The effects of ownership and stock liquidity on the timing of repurchase transactions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 1023-1050.
    49. Dittmar, Amy K, 2000. "Why Do Firms Repurchase Stock?," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 73(3), pages 331-355, July.
    50. Cuny, Charles J. & Martin, Gerald S. & Puthenpurackal, John J., 2009. "Stock Options and Total Payout," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(2), pages 391-410, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ingolf Dittmann & Amy Yazhu Li & Stefan Obernberger & Jiaqi Zheng, 2022. "The corporate calendar and the timing of share repurchases and equity compensation," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 21-101/IV, Tinbergen Institute.
    2. Su, Xuan-Qi & Lin, Yung-Chieh & Chen, Chin-Ming & Lowe, Alpha, 2019. "Are educational managers credible or overconfident? Evidence from share repurchases in Taiwan," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 93-112.
    3. Li, Lingxiang, 2016. "New findings on repurchase anomaly — The first-month effect," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 331-349.
    4. Moore, David, 2023. "Strategic repurchases and equity sales: Evidence from equity vesting schedules," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    5. Grey, Colette & Flynn, Antoinette & Donnelly, Ray, 2020. "Management compensation contracts and distribution policies in the US technology sector," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    6. Liu, Jia & Wang, Bin & Kong, Linghui & Gu, Xiaolong, 2023. "Does a Chairperson's military experience promote share repurchase? Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    7. Chen, Sheng-Syan & Wang, Yanzhi, 2012. "Financial constraints and share repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(2), pages 311-331.
    8. Andriosopoulos, Dimitris & Andriosopoulos, Kostas & Hoque, Hafiz, 2013. "Information disclosure, CEO overconfidence, and share buyback completion rates," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5486-5499.
    9. Ota, Koji & Lau, David & Kawase, Hironori, 2022. "Signal strength adjustment behavior: Evidence from share repurchases," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Huang, Chia-Wei, 2015. "Takeover vulnerability and the credibility of signaling: The case of open-market share repurchases," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 405-417.
    11. Mark Mietzner, 2017. "Why do firms decide to stop their share repurchase programs?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 815-855, October.
    12. Andriosopoulos, Dimitris & Hoque, Hafiz, 2013. "The determinants of share repurchases in Europe," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 65-76.
    13. Ni‐Yun Chen & Chi‐Chun Liu, 2021. "Share repurchases and market signaling: Evidence from earnings management," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 21(4), pages 1203-1224, December.
    14. Lei, Zicheng & Zhang, Chendi, 2016. "Leveraged buybacks," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 242-262.
    15. Chen, Ni-Yun & Chen, Kun-Chih & Liu, Chi-Chun, 2019. "Debt-financed repurchases and credit ratings with the respect of free cash flow and repurchase purpose," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 23-36.
    16. Bonaimé, Alice A. & Hankins, Kristine W. & Jordan, Bradford D., 2016. "The cost of financial flexibility: Evidence from share repurchases," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 345-362.
    17. Nicholas Clarke & Dylan Norris & Andrew Schrowang, 2024. "Share repurchases and managerial reference points," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 59(1), pages 57-87, February.
    18. Andreou, Panayiotis C. & Cooper, Ilan & de Olalla Lopez, Ignacio Garcia & Louca, Christodoulos, 2018. "Managerial overconfidence and the buyback anomaly," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 142-156.
    19. Ota, Koji & Lau, David, 2021. "Share repurchases on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Trading Network," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    20. Bong Soo Lee & Nathan Mauck, 2018. "Informed Repurchases, Information Asymmetry and the Market Response to Open Market Share Repurchases," Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies (RPBFMP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(03), pages 1-32, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Screening; Separating equilibrium; Put options; Information acquisition; Strategic trading;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • C7 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:67:y:2021:i:c:s0929119920301620. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcorpfin .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.