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Initial Offer Precision and M&A Outcomes

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Building on recent research in social psychology, this paper analyzes the link between the precision of initial cash offers and M&A outcomes. About one-half of the offers are made at the precision of one or five dollars per share, and an additional one-third at the precision of half dollar or one quarter. The practice of making offers at granular price per share levels is associated with the following unfavorable outcomes for the bidder: (1) higher purchase price for target shares, (2) lower probability to complete the deal, and (3) lower announcement return. A median-sized offer made at the precision of one or five dollars per share is associated with a 45 million dollars higher expected transaction price than one made at a precision greater than one quarter. Our results are consistent with the idea that bidders have learned to avoid making offers at the most granular level.

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  • Keloharju, Matti & Hukkanen, Petri, 2014. "Initial Offer Precision and M&A Outcomes," Working Paper Series 1038, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1038
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Initial Offer Precision; Mergers and Acquisitions;

    JEL classification:

    • G00 - Financial Economics - - General - - - General
    • G02 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Behavioral Finance: Underlying Principles
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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