We analyze the characteristics of transactions in a comprehensive set of mergers and acquisitions based on SDC data from 1992 through 2009. We do not impose restrictions found in previous empirical work such as excluding private bidders, small targets or those deals with no target value...

This paper examines the association between ineffective internal control over financial reporting and the profitability of insider trading. We predict and find that the profitability of insider trading is significantly greater in firms disclosing material weaknesses in internal control relative...

This article analyses the market reaction to stock splits announcements, using a unique US sample over the period 2000 to 2009. Our event study finds a significantly positive Cumulative Average Abnormal Return (CAAR) around the announcement date. Liquidity increases lead to higher stock price...

Until 2001, certain stock acquisitions could be accounted for as pooling-of-interests. There were concerns that pooling was associated with earnings fixation and weak corporate governance. I investigate the cross-sectional variation in the purchase-pooling choice and its association with...

A large proportion of acquisitions results in shareholder wealth destruction. This study examines who is responsible for allowing bad acquisitions. Using a sample of 349 tax-free, stock-for-stock, pooling acquisitions over 1993-2001, the announcement period abnormal returns of acquirers are...

How is corporate governance to be measured? Much past research has focused on forming an index but this approach ignores the correlations between the variables forming the index and may also carry redundant variables. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a possible solution to these issues by...

We examine IPO and acquisition waves, exit choices, and pre-money valuations at exit for 7082 venture-backed private companies over the 19-year period from 1978 through 2006. Consistent with other literature, we hypothesize that levels of IPO and acquisition activity and the choice between IPO...

In this paper, we construct a Governance Index for a sample of Greek companies quoted on the Athens Stock Exchange. We then classify firms, using each firm governance index, into three governance portfolios. Furthermore, the Fama and French model, extended to include a momentum variable, is...

We analyze a sample of 330 firms making unaudited disclosures required by Section 302 and 383 firms making audited disclosures required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes - Oxley Act. We find that Section 302 disclosures are associated with negative announcement abnormal returns of -1.8 percent, and...

This paper proposes and tests an explanation as to why rational managers seeking to maximize shareholder value can pursue value-decreasing mergers. It can be optimal to overpay for a target firm and decrease shareholder value if the loss is less than in an alternative where the merger is...