Idiosyncratic Risk and the Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns

Theories such as Merton (1987) predict a positive relation between idiosyncratic risk and expected return when investors do not diversify their portfolio. Ang, Hodrick, Xing, and Zhang (2006, Journal of Finance 61, 259-299) however find that monthly stock returns are negatively related to the one-month lagged idiosyncratic volatilities. I show that idiosyncratic volatilities are time-varying and thus their findings should not be used to imply the relation between idiosyncratic risk and expected return. Using the exponential GARCH models to estimate expected idiosyncratic volatilities, I find a significantly positive relation between the estimated conditional idiosyncratic volatilities and expected returns. Further evidence suggests that Ang et al.’s findings are largely explained by the return reversal of a subset of small stocks with high idiosyncratic volatilities

Overinvestment and the Operating Performance of SEO Firms

Prior studies have documented that firms ’ operating performance deteriorates following seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). This paper proposes and empirically tests the hypothesis that this poor performance is the result of managers ’ overinvestment. I find that, subsequent to the offering, SEO firms tend to invest more heavily than nonissuing control firms that are in the same industry and have enough financial slack and similar investment opportunities. More importantly, I find a negative correlation between postissue investment and operating performance, controlling for investment opportunities and preissue performance. Overinvestment results in a reduction in asset productivity and is more severe for firms with relatively fewer investment opportunities. Previous studies have documented that firms ’ operating performance deteriorates following seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). Meanwhile, the postissue stock returns of SEO firms are inordinately low relative to various benchmarks of expected returns.1 A popular explanation seems to be managers ’ timing the market where their decision of SEO is in anticipation of poor future performance. In this paper, I present an overinvestment explanation for poor firm performance after SEOs. Managers ’ overinvestment of SEO proceeds leads to this poor performance. More specifically, I find that controlling for the differences in industry, investment opportunities

Acquisitions driven by stock overvaluation: are they good deals?

Theory and recent evidence suggest that overvalued firms can create value for shareholders if they exploit their overvaluation by using their stock as currency to purchase less overvalued firms. We challenge this idea and show that, in practice, overvalued acquirers significantly overpay for their targets. These acquisitions do not, in turn, lead to synergy gains. Moreover, these acquisitions seem to be concentrated among acquirers with the largest governance problems. CEO compensation, not shareholder value creation, appears to be the main motive behind acquisitions by overvalued acquirers

The Persistence of Long-Run Abnormal Returns Following Stock Repurchases and Offerings

The long-run abnormal returns following both stock repurchases and seasoned equity offerings disappear for the events in 2003–2012. The disappearance is associated with the changing market environment: increased institutional investment, decreased trading costs, improved liquidity, and enhanced regulations on corporate governance and information disclosure. In response to the more efficient pricing of stocks, firms become less opportunistic in stock repurchases and offerings. Recent events of stock repurchases and offerings are motivated more by business-operating reasons than to exploit mispricing. Both external market factors and internal firm factors contribute to the disappearance of the postevent abnormal returns. Our findings on the recent events contrast with those of earlier studies and shed light on how the changing market environment affects both asset pricing and corporate behavior. This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance. </jats:p