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Australian Takeovers: Capital Market Efficiency and Shareholder Risk and Return

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  • Terry S. Walter

    (Department of Accounting, University of New South Wales. This paper is drawn from my Ph.D. thesis at the University of Western Australia. The study was inspired by Professor Philip Brown whose comments and encouragement are gratefully acknowledged. The comments of participants at workshops at the Australian Graduate School of Management, the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia and those of examiners and a reviewer are also acknowledged, in particular R. Ball, P. Dodd, G. Foster, F. Finn and R. Officer. The usual exclusions apply.)

Abstract

This paper explains the share market's response to Australian takeover bids. Both successful and unsuccessful bids are considered. Two issues are addressed. Firstly, takeovers are viewed in terms of corporate investment decisions; the profitability of these decisions to the offeree and to the offeror are investigated. Secondly, takeover bids are seen as a valuable source of information relevant to the determination of a firm's share market capitalisation. The adjustment of share prices to this information source is studied within the context of the Efficient Markets Hypothesis. The results indicate that offeree shareholder returns are normal or below normal prior to a bid; whereas offerors exhibit above average returns. When a bid is made, offeree shareholders typically receive significant positive excess returns; whereas offeror shareholders gain no additional benefit. Australian share markets are confirmed to be semi-strong efficient in the Fama sense, namely that information made public during takeover negotiations is rapidly and without bias incorporated into share prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Terry S. Walter, 1984. "Australian Takeovers: Capital Market Efficiency and Shareholder Risk and Return," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 9(1), pages 63-118, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ausman:v:9:y:1984:i:1:p:63-118
    DOI: 10.1177/031289628400900105
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ray Ball & Philip Brown & Frank J. Finn, 1977. "Share Capitalization Changes, Information, And the Australian Equity Market," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 2(2), pages 105-125, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elaine Hutson & Graham Partington, 1994. "Takeover Bids, Share Prices, and the Expected Value Hypothesis," Working Paper Series 36, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney.
    2. Joshua Porter & Harminder Singh, 2010. "What Factors Drive Takeovers in Australia?," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 9(2), pages 87-103, August.
    3. Winson Chan & David Emanuel, 2011. "Board governance and acquirers’ returns: A study of Australian acquisitions," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 36(2), pages 174-199, August.
    4. Martin Bugeja & Vinay Patel & Terry Walter, 2015. "The microstructure of Australian takeover announcements," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 40(1), pages 161-188, February.
    5. Shams, Syed M.M. & Gunasekarage, Abeyratna & Colombage, Sisira R.N., 2013. "Does the organisational form of the target influence market reaction to acquisition announcements? Australian evidence," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 89-108.
    6. Firth, Michael, 1997. "Takeovers in New Zealand: Motives, stockholder returns, and executive share ownership," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 419-440, September.
    7. Steven R. Bishop, 1991. "Pre-Bid Acquisitions and Substantial Shareholder Notices," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 16(1), pages 1-33, June.
    8. Faff, Robert & Prasadh, Shyaam & Shams, Syed, 2019. "Merger and acquisition research in the Asia-Pacific region: A review of the evidence and future directions," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 267-278.
    9. Patricia Dechow, 1987. "The Share Market's Assessment of Initial Acquisitions by Seven Controversial Investors," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 12(1), pages 23-48, June.
    10. Hoa Luong & Abeyratna Gunasekarage & Syed Shams, 2021. "CEO pay slice and acquisitions in Australia: the role of tournament incentives," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(5), pages 833-868, September.
    11. Otchere, Isaac & Ip, Edwina, 2006. "Intra-industry effects of completed and cancelled cross border acquisitions in Australia: A test of the acquisition probability hypothesis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 209-230, April.
    12. Grant Fleming, 2003. "Corporate Governance in Australia," Agenda - A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, Australian National University, College of Business and Economics, School of Economics, vol. 10(3), pages 195-212.
    13. Ross A. Maller & Rosemary Tan & Mark Vyver, 2002. "How Might Companies Value ESOs?," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 12(26), pages 11-24, March.
    14. Don Anderson & Andrea Haynes & Richard Heaney, 1994. "Company Takeovers and Equity Returns: The Target Size Effect," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-30, June.
    15. Lien Duong & Izan H. Y. Izan, 2012. "Consequences of Riding Takeover Waves: A ustralian Evidence," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 12(4), pages 399-434, December.
    16. Karen Benson & Millicent Chang & Philip Gray & Sue Wright, 2019. "The enduring and evolving influence of Ball and Brown (1968)," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 44(1), pages 153-159, February.
    17. Steve Bishop & Peter Dodd, 1987. "Partial Takeovers: Are They Coercive?," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 12(1), pages 9-22, June.
    18. Philip Brown & Andrew Horin, 1986. "Assessing Competition in The Market for Corporate Control: Australian Evidence," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 11(1), pages 23-50, June.

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