The objective of this paper is to develop a theoretical analysis of “mandatory convertibles,” which are securities that automatically (“mandatorily”) convert to common stock on a pre-specified date. We consider a firm facing a financial market characterized by asymmetric information and...

This paper provides a rationale for the use of convertible securities as the medium of exchange in corporate change-of-control transactions. We argue that convertible securities can resolve the information asymmetry about the bidder’s value while at the same time mitigating the information...

In the paper, we find that diversification reduces the heterogeneity of investor beliefs on firm value. We obtain this finding by comparing not only between diversified and focused firms but also between diversifying and non-diversifying mergers. We also find that the reduced heterogeneity of...