IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jjrfmx/v16y2023i4p224-d1115025.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investment Efficiency and Earnings Quality: European Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Cristina Gaio

    (ADVANCE/CSG, ISEG—Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa, 1200-781 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Tiago Cruz Gonçalves

    (ADVANCE/CSG, ISEG—Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa, 1200-781 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • João Cardoso

    (ISEG—Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa, 1200-781 Lisboa, Portugal)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the relationship between earnings quality and investment efficiency in the European context, in order to understand whether higher earnings quality mitigates investment inefficiencies. To further understand the relationship between earnings quality and investment efficiency, the roles of cash and financial constraints are also analyzed. We use firm-year data based on unbalanced panel data, and control for country, year, and industry fixed effects using a sample composed of listed and unlisted European companies from 19 countries and 17 industries for the period 2010–2018. The results show a positive and significant relationship between earnings quality and investment efficiency. In both scenarios of investment inefficiency, overinvestment and underinvestment, the results suggest that a higher quality of reported earnings mitigates investment inefficiencies. The results also suggest that the negative relationship holds for cash-constrained and unconstrained firms, and that in firms that are financially unconstrained (higher levels of cash and lower levels of leverage) the combined effect with earnings quality is associated with a lower investment efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina Gaio & Tiago Cruz Gonçalves & João Cardoso, 2023. "Investment Efficiency and Earnings Quality: European Evidence," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jjrfmx:v:16:y:2023:i:4:p:224-:d:1115025
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1911-8074/16/4/224/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1911-8074/16/4/224/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malcolm Baker & Jeremy C. Stein & Jeffrey Wurgler, 2003. "When Does the Market Matter? Stock Prices and the Investment of Equity-Dependent Firms," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(3), pages 969-1005.
    2. Dang Ngoc Hung & Vu Thi Thuy Van & Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong, 2020. "Impacts of Earnings Quality and Debt Maturity on Investment Efficiency: Study Case in Vietnam," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(4), pages 421-431, July.
    3. Myers, Stewart C. & Majluf, Nicholas S., 1984. "Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 187-221, June.
    4. Yasean A. Tahat & Ahmed H. Ahmed & David Power, 2022. "Earnings quality and investment efficiency: the role of the institutional settings," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1277-1306, April.
    5. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    6. Myers, Stewart C., 1977. "Determinants of corporate borrowing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 147-175, November.
    7. Gilles Hilary & Gary C. Biddle, 2006. "Accounting Quality and Firm-Level Capital Investment," Post-Print hal-00481720, HAL.
    8. Vo Thi Van Khanh & Dang Ngoc Hung, 2020. "Impact of Earnings Quality on the Debt Maturity: The Case of Vietnam," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rawat, Savita & Chaudhry, Neeru, 2025. "Earnings quality, business group affiliation, and investment efficiency," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

    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. Biddle, Gary C. & Hilary, Gilles & Verdi, Rodrigo S., 2009. "How does financial reporting quality relate to investment efficiency?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(2-3), pages 112-131, December.
    2. Bo-Hung Chiou & Shen-Ho Chang, 2020. "Influence of Investment Efficiency by Managers and Accounting Conservatism on Idiosyncratic Risks to Investors," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8.
    3. Chan-Jane Lin & Tawei Wang & Chao-Jung Pan, 2016. "Financial reporting quality and investment decisions for family firms," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 499-532, June.
    4. Xin Qu & Majella Percy & Fang Hu & Jenny Stewart, 2022. "Can CEO equity‐based compensation limit investment‐related agency problems?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2579-2614, June.
    5. Cao, Ning & McGuinness, Paul B. & Xi, Chao, 2024. "Majority-of-the-minority shareholder votes and investment efficiency," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Malcolm Baker & Richard S. Ruback & Jeffrey Wurgler, 2004. "Behavioral Corporate Finance: A Survey," NBER Working Papers 10863, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Ahmad, Muhammad Munir & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Taskin, Dilvin, 2023. "Do asymmetric information and leverage affect investment decisions?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 337-345.
    8. Knetsch, Andreas & Salzmann, Astrid, 2022. "Societal trust and corporate underinvestment," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    9. Liu, Sun & Zhang, Jie, 2023. "Conditional conservatism and investment efficiency under a state ownership environment: Further evidence from China," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    10. I-Ju Chen & Shin-Hung Lin, 2013. "Managerial Optimism, Investment Efficiency, and Firm Valuation," Multinational Finance Journal, Multinational Finance Journal, vol. 17(3-4), pages 295-340, September.
    11. Jaehong Lee & Eunsoo Kim, 2020. "The Influence of Corporate Environmental Responsibility on Overinvestment Behavior: Evidence from South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-20, March.
    12. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Guay, Wayne R. & Weber, Joseph P., 2010. "The role of information and financial reporting in corporate governance and debt contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 179-234, December.
    13. Shih-Chuan Tsai, 2005. "Dynamic Models of Investment Distortions," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 357-381, December.
    14. Asiri, Mohammed & Al-Hadi, Ahmed & Taylor, Grantley & Duong, Lien, 2020. "Is corporate tax avoidance associated with investment efficiency?," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    15. Bo, Hong & Huang, Zhongnan & Wang, Changyun, 2011. "Understanding seasoned equity offerings of Chinese firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1143-1157, May.
    16. Chen, Minjia & Matousek, Roman, 2020. "Do productive firms get external finance? Evidence from Chinese listed manufacturing firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    17. Rawat, Savita & Chaudhry, Neeru, 2025. "Earnings quality, business group affiliation, and investment efficiency," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    18. Farinha, Jorge & Mateus, Cesario & Soares, Nuno, 2018. "Cash holdings and earnings quality: evidence from the Main and Alternative UK markets," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 238-252.
    19. Chao, Ching-Hsiang & Huang, Chih-Jen & Ho, Ruey-Jenn & Huang, Hsin-Yi, 2022. "Catering to investors through capital expenditures: Testing assets substitution problem around financing," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    20. Heitor Almeida & Murillo Campello & Michael S. Weisbach, 2002. "Corporate Demand for Liquidity," NBER Working Papers 9253, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    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:gam:jjrfmx:v:16:y:2023:i:4:p:224-:d:1115025. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.