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The Value Relevance of Mandatory Non-GAAP Earnings

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  • Elmar R. Venter
  • David Emanuel
  • Steven F. Cahan

Abstract

type="main"> This paper examines the value relevance of earnings components where there is a mandatory requirement to report generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) earnings and non-GAAP earnings, and where the items to be eliminated from GAAP earnings are defined in detail. The setting is different from non-GAAP earnings disclosures presented in the United States and elsewhere, where managers have discretion over whether to report a non-GAAP earnings number, and what to exclude from GAAP earnings. Our mandatory setting enables us to report value relevance results that are not confounded by managers' discretionary choices regarding non-GAAP earnings exclusions. We use price-level regressions, based on the Ohlson (1995) model, to test for incremental and relative value relevance. The results show that non-GAAP earnings reported under a mandatory regime have higher value relevance than GAAP earnings. The disaggregation of these items is useful to investors in a setting where managerial motivations are minimized.

Suggested Citation

  • Elmar R. Venter & David Emanuel & Steven F. Cahan, 2014. "The Value Relevance of Mandatory Non-GAAP Earnings," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 50(1), pages 1-24, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:abacus:v:50:y:2014:i:1:p:1-24
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/abac.12020
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    2. Denis Cormier & Samira Demaria, 2014. "Pertinence des mesures non-GAAP pour les marchés boursiers : le cas des firmes du CAC 40," GREDEG Working Papers 2014-22, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    3. Melik Ertugrul & Volkan Demir, 2018. "How Does Unobserved Heterogeneity Affect Value Relevance?," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 28(2), pages 288-301, June.
    4. Karen Benson & Peter M Clarkson & Tom Smith & Irene Tutticci, 2015. "A review of accounting research in the Asia Pacific region," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 40(1), pages 36-88, February.
    5. Charitou, Andreas & Floropoulos, Nikolaos & Karamanou, Irene & Loizides, George, 2018. "Non-GAAP Earnings Disclosures on the Face of the Income Statement by UK Firms: The Effect on Market Liquidity," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 183-202.
    6. Manganaris, Panayotis & Spathis, Charalambos & Dasilas, Apostolos, 2015. "The effects of mandatory IFRS adoption and conditional conservatism on European bank values," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 72-81.
    7. Claudia Arena & Simona Catuogno & Nicola Moscariello, 2021. "The unusual debate on non-GAAP reporting in the current standard practice. The lens of corporate governance," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(3), pages 655-684, September.
    8. Mawih Kareem AL Ani & Kavita Chavali, 2023. "The relationship between investment intensity and profitability measures from the perspective of foreign investors," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Grégoire Davrinche & Guillaume Dumas & Isabelle Martinez, 2017. "Résultats non-GAAP et opportunisme des dirigeants," Post-Print hal-03948521, HAL.
    10. Sascha B. Herr & Peter Lorson & Jochen Pilhofer, 2022. "Alternative Performance Measures: A Structured Literature Review of Research in Academic and Professional Journals," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 389-451, September.

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