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Voluntary disclosure of profit forecasts by target companies in takeover bids

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  • Niamh Brennan

Abstract

This paper examines factors influencing voluntary forecast disclosure by target companies, whether good/bad news forecasts are disclosed and the influence of forecasts on the outcome of hostile bids. Disclosure was significantly more likely during contested bids. In agreed bids, probability of forecast disclosure was greater the shorter the bid horizon. In contested bids, forecasts were more likely where there were large block shareholdings, for larger targets and for targets in the capital goods industry. There was a clear tendency to disclose good news forecasts. A significant positive association between forecast disclosure and increase in offer price was found.

Suggested Citation

  • Niamh Brennan, 1999. "Voluntary disclosure of profit forecasts by target companies in takeover bids," Open Access publications 10197/2922, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
  • Handle: RePEc:rru:oapubs:10197/2922
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2922
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    Cited by:

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    3. Isabelle Martinez & Emmanuelle Negre, 2011. "Les déterminants de la communication volontaire des entreprises cibles d'OPA/OPE : le cas des synergies," Post-Print hal-00650551, HAL.
    4. Richard Chung & Bryan Byung-Hee Lee & Woo-Jong Lee & Byungcherl Charlie Sohn, 2016. "Do Managers Withhold Good News from Labor Unions?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(1), pages 46-68, January.
    5. Niamh Brennan & S. J. Gray, 2000. "Rhetoric and argument in financial reporting : disclosures in profit forecasts and takeover documents," Open Access publications 10197/2965, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    6. Brennan, Niamh M. & Daly, Caroline A. & Harrington, Claire S., 2010. "Rhetoric, argument and impression management in hostile takeover defence documents," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 253-268.
    7. Vasiliki Athanasakou & Khaled Hussainey, 2014. "The perceived credibility of forward-looking performance disclosures," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(3), pages 227-259, June.
    8. Martin Guggenberger & Anna Rohlfing-Bastian, 2016. "Delegation of strategic decision-making authority to middle managers," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 155-179, May.
    9. Peter M. Clarkson & Allen Craswell & Prue Mackenzie, 2008. "The Effect of Board Independence on Target Shareholder Wealth," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 18(2), pages 135-148, June.
    10. Belanès, Amel & Saihi, Malek, 2016. "Evidence on complementarity and substitution contingency in monitoring and bonding mechanisms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 161-171.
    11. Niamh Brennan, 2000. "An empirical examination of forecast disclosure by bidding companies," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 175-194.
    12. Norhani Aripin & Greg Tower & Grantley Taylor, 2011. "Insights on the diversity of financial ratios communication," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(1), pages 68-85, May.
    13. Anders Ekholm & Daniel Pasternack, 2005. "The negative news threshold—An explanation for negative skewness in stock returns," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(6), pages 511-529.
    14. Ruth V. Aguilera & Igor Filatotchev & Howard Gospel & Gregory Jackson, 2008. "An Organizational Approach to Comparative Corporate Governance: Costs, Contingencies, and Complementarities," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(3), pages 475-492, June.
    15. Bugeja, Martin, 2007. "Voluntary use of independent valuation advice by target firm boards in takeovers," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 368-387, September.
    16. Emmanuelle Negre & Isabelle Martinez, 2012. "Une Analyse Lexicale Des Communiques De Presse Volontaires Emis Lors Des Opa/Ope : Quels Profils De Diffusion ?," Post-Print hal-00936567, HAL.
    17. Bazrafshan, Ebrahim & Kandelousi, Amene S. & Hooy, Chee-Wooi, 2016. "The impact of earnings management on the extent of disclosure and true financial performance: Evidence from listed firms in Hong Kong," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 206-219.
    18. Charoenwong, Charlie & Ding, David K. & Siraprapasiri, Vasan, 2011. "Adverse selection and corporate governance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 406-420, June.
    19. Healy, Paul M. & Palepu, Krishna G., 2001. "Information asymmetry, corporate disclosure, and the capital markets: A review of the empirical disclosure literature," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 405-440, September.
    20. Yuan Ding & Hervé Stolowy, 2003. "Les facteurs déterminants de la stratégie des groupes français en matière de communication sur les activités de R&D," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 6(1), pages 39-62, March.
    21. Glode, Vincent & Opp, Christian C. & Zhang, Xingtan, 2018. "Voluntary disclosure in bilateral transactions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 652-688.

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