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The information content of earnings announcements: new insights from intertemporal and cross-sectional behavior

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  • William H. Beaver

    (Stanford University)

  • Maureen F. McNichols

    (Stanford University)

  • Zach Z. Wang

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Abstract

This study examines the information content of quarterly earnings announcements, measured as the magnitude of stock price revision at earnings announcements relative to price revision at other times. We investigate whether quarterly earnings announcements are informative using a nonparametric approach and 1971–2011 sample period. The findings affirm prior evidence on earlier sample periods that significantly more information is conveyed to investors in the three days around earnings announcements than in randomly chosen three-day periods. Next, we examine the behavior of information content over our sample period and document four key findings. First, there is a dramatic increase in information content at earnings dates from 2001 onward. Second, the market reaction to loss firms is substantially less than that for profitable firms. Third, there is a significantly greater reaction to larger firms. Fourth, reaction at earnings dates is significantly increasing in analyst coverage, and once analyst coverage is controlled, the association with size becomes less significant.

Suggested Citation

  • William H. Beaver & Maureen F. McNichols & Zach Z. Wang, 2018. "The information content of earnings announcements: new insights from intertemporal and cross-sectional behavior," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 95-135, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:reaccs:v:23:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11142-017-9417-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11142-017-9417-z
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    3. Weiwei Gao & Ting Cao & Zhen Huang, 2021. "Do outsiders listen to insiders? The role of government support in market reactions to earnings announcements," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(4), pages 781-795, June.
    4. Beaver, William H. & McNichols, Maureen F. & Wang, Zach Z., 2020. "Increased market response to earnings announcements in the 21st century: An Empirical Investigation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1).
    5. Miguel Duro & Jonas Heese & Gaizka Ormazabal, 2019. "The effect of enforcement transparency: Evidence from SEC comment-letter reviews," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 780-823, September.
    6. Ball, Ray & Nikolaev, Valeri V., 2022. "On earnings and cash flows as predictors of future cash flows," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1).
    7. Stephen Taylor & Alex Tong, 2023. "How important are semi‐annual earnings announcements? An information event perspective," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 3585-3607, September.
    8. Wei-Da Chen & Chin-Te Yu, 2022. "The information value of interim accounting disclosures: evidence from mandatory monthly revenue reports," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 245-295, January.
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    12. Chordia, Tarun & Miao, Bin, 2020. "Market efficiency in real time: Evidence from low latency activity around earnings announcements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2).
    13. Das, Somnath & King, Alexander Z., 2021. "Measuring the informativeness of earnings announcements: The role of event windows," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 350-367.
    14. Joachim Gassen & Hollis A. Skaife & David Veenman, 2020. "Illiquidity and the Measurement of Stock Price Synchronicity," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 419-456, March.
    15. John R. M. Hand & Henry Laurion & Alastair Lawrence & Nicholas Martin, 2022. "Explaining firms’ earnings announcement stock returns using FactSet and I/B/E/S data feeds," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 1389-1420, December.
    16. Thompson, Anne M., 2022. "Political connections and the SEC confidential treatment process," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1).
    17. Vicentina Gomes, Liliane & Odálio dos Santos, José & Lana Silva, Cristiane & Ferreira de Souza, Maurício, 2018. "Divulgações de informações e o efeito no retorno de ações da maior empresa de educação listada na B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) [Information disclosures and the effect on the return of stocks of the l," MPRA Paper 93123, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 30 May 2018.
    18. Miroslava Vlčková & Tomáš Buus, 2021. "Some Statistical Properties of Models of Transitory Earnings," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 69(2), pages 189-198.
    19. Schnaubelt, Matthias & Seifert, Oleg, 2020. "Valuation ratios, surprises, uncertainty or sentiment: How does financial machine learning predict returns from earnings announcements?," FAU Discussion Papers in Economics 04/2020, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute for Economics.
    20. Choi, Bong-Geun & Choi, Jung Ho & Malik, Sara, 2023. "Not just for investors: The role of earnings announcements in guiding job seekers," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1).
    21. Mamatzakis, Emmanuel, 2022. "An international study on the impact of corruption on analysts’ forecasts," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    22. Paul A. Griffin & David H. Lont, 2021. "Evidence of an increasing trend in earnings surprises over the past two decades: The role of positive manager‐initiated non‐GAAP adjustments," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(9-10), pages 1525-1559, October.
    23. S. P. Kothari & Charles Wasley, 2019. "Commemorating the 50‐Year Anniversary of Ball and Brown (1968): The Evolution of Capital Market Research over the Past 50 Years," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(5), pages 1117-1159, December.

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