Open Market Share Repurchases and Earnings Management

In this study we examine earnings management around open market share repurchases. We examine two hypotheses: managerial opportunism and market response, both of which predict that managers will manage earnings down prior to an open market repurchase. Using 2,939 repurchase announcements during 1980- 1998 we find evidence that managers do manage earnings down before share repurchases. We also find that the market does not identify the earnings manipulation when the repurchase is announced, and that discretionary accruals can explain a significant part of long-term positive returns following repurchases. Altogether the evidence is consistent with the managerial opportunism hypothesis. Further investigation indicates that managers with higher ownership in the firm are more likely to manage earnings down.

Market reaction to tender and private offers on the JSE

Investors can benefit when incorporating the information-signalling effect of share repurchases in their investment strategies. Previous South African studies on open market share repurchases confirmed the globally observed signalling-effect, but found open market share repurchases not to be the outright favoured share repurchase type in this country – as is the case globally. The present study is the first to examine the market reaction to the preferred share repurchase type, namely specific (or tender and private offers) share repurchases, in the South African regulatory environment. Abnormal returns were calculated using a 12-parameter benchmark over a four-year event window, for share repurchases announced from 1999 to 2009. Pro rata tender offers were found not to possess information-signalling benefits, but significant excess returns subsequent to the announcement date were reported for the two private offer types (namely other specific offers and the repurchase by the holding company of shares held by subsidiaries). The other specific offers were found to possess significant information-signalling benefits – especially over the long term and in respect of value companies.

Asymmetric Information, Financial Reporting, and Open-Market Share Repurchases

We explore the link between open-market share repurchases (OMRs) and asymmetric information based on financial reporting quality and find thatopaquefirms experience positive abnormal returns of twice the magnitude of those oftransparentfirms. These significant differences remain after controlling for governance, earnings management, and firm characteristics. We document significantly positive long-run postannouncement returns for opaque firms, but not for transparent firms. We find that takeover activity and premiums rise with repurchase activity by opaque firms, which may explain some of the wealth effects. Our results suggest that asymmetric information plays an important role in the wealth effects around OMRs.

Managerial discretion in authorising open market share repurchases: empirical evidence from the Italian context

This paper contributes to existing literature on open market share repurchases in Italy by studying authorisations that the board of directors needs to obtain from the shareholders' general meeting in order to acquire company's own shares. In such a context, I investigate whether the buyback purpose that managers disclose in their report affects number of shares to be repurchased. Particularly, since managers could potentially benefit from share repurchase programmes carried out in the presence of stock option plans, I explore whether this motivation influences the number of shares they require to include in the buyback programme. In pursuit of my objectives, I analyse reports managers provide shareholders' meeting to obtain the authorisation to acquire company's own shares over a 6-year period (2004-2009) in Italian listed companies. Main results suggest that the buyback motivation affects number of shares managers intend repurchasing, highlighting the role of the quality of the board of directors in this issue.