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Unit initial public offerings: Staged equity or signaling mechanism?

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  • Martin Lee
  • Philip Lee
  • Stephen Taylor

Abstract

We investigate the use of unit (i.e., package) initial public offerings by Australian industrial firms and conclude that their use reflects their role as a signaling mechanism (Chemmanur and Fulghieri, 1997), as distinct from the agency–cost explanation offered by Schultz (1993). From a sample of 394 IPOs between 1976 and 1994, the 66 firms making unit offerings are typically riskier, use less prestigious underwriters and have a lower level of retained ownership than other IPO firms. While these results are also consistent with Schultz's agency cost explanation, other results we report are not. We find no difference in underpricing etween unit IPOs and other IPO firms, nor are there any significant differences in the planned uses of proceeds reported in the prospectus, post–listing failure rates or secondary equity offerings of the type predicted by Schultz. We do however, report evidence consistent with a prediction unique to the signaling explanation. After controlling for the level of ownership retained by insiders, the proportion of firm value sold as warrants is increasing in IPO firms’ riskiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Lee & Philip Lee & Stephen Taylor, 2003. "Unit initial public offerings: Staged equity or signaling mechanism?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 43(1), pages 63-85, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:43:y:2003:i:1:p:63-85
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-629X.00083
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    Cited by:

    1. Mazouz, Khelifa & Saadouni, Brahim & Yin, Shuxing, 2008. "The long-term performance of Hong Kong share-only and unit initial public offerings (IPOs)," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 209-228, July.
    2. Mazouz, Khelifa & Saadouni, Brahim & Yin, Shuxing, 2008. "Warrants in IPOs: Evidence from Hong Kong," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 539-554, November.
    3. Jamaani, Fouad & Ahmed, Abdullahi D., 2021. "Modifier effects of country-level transparency on global underpricing difference: New hierarchical evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    4. James R. Barth & Min Gu & Jiachen Liu, 2023. "SPACs: An overview and assessment of returns," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 82(2), pages 129-139, March.
    5. Balasingham Balachandran & Sutharson Kanapathippillai & Chandrasekhar Krishnamurti & Michael Theobald & Eswaran Velayutham, 2017. "The issuance of warrants in rights offerings: Agency costs and signaling effects," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 42(4), pages 608-636, November.
    6. repec:dau:papers:123456789/2917 is not listed on IDEAS

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