IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/finrev/v59y2024i1p57-87.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Share repurchases and managerial reference points

Author

Listed:
  • Nicholas Clarke
  • Dylan Norris
  • Andrew Schrowang

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between managerial reference points and corporate payout policy. We find that share repurchase activity increases as a firm's current stock price declines in relation to the price at which it previously repurchased shares. To facilitate a behavioral interpretation of this relation, we show that it weakens around stock splits, is asymmetric over gains and losses, and strengthens when prior repurchase prices are more salient. Further, the relation is not explained by traditional repurchase motives. The results suggest a behavioral pattern in which managers use prior repurchase prices as reference points for current repurchases.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Clarke & Dylan Norris & Andrew Schrowang, 2024. "Share repurchases and managerial reference points," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 59(1), pages 57-87, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:finrev:v:59:y:2024:i:1:p:57-87
    DOI: 10.1111/fire.12364
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/fire.12364
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/fire.12364?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stewart C. Myers & Nicholas S. Majluf, 1984. "Corporate Financing and Investment Decisions When Firms Have InformationThat Investors Do Not Have," NBER Working Papers 1396, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Myers, Stewart C. & Majluf, Nicholas S., 1984. "Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 187-221, June.
    3. Dittmar, Amy & Duchin, Ran & Zhang, Shuran, 2020. "The timing and consequences of seasoned equity offerings: A regression discontinuity approach," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(1), pages 254-276.
    4. Ikenberry, David & Lakonishok, Josef & Vermaelen, Theo, 1995. "Market underreaction to open market share repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 181-208.
    5. Raj Chetty & Emmanuel Saez, 2005. "Dividend Taxes and Corporate Behavior: Evidence from the 2003 Dividend Tax Cut," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 120(3), pages 791-833.
    6. Chen, Honghui & Nguyen, Hoang Huy & Singal, Vijay, 2011. "The information content of stock splits," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2454-2467, September.
    7. Jagannathan, Murali & Stephens, Clifford P. & Weisbach, Michael S., 2000. "Financial flexibility and the choice between dividends and stock repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 355-384, September.
    8. Bagwell, Laurie Simon & Shoven, John B, 1989. "Cash Distributions to Shareholders," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 3(3), pages 129-140, Summer.
    9. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    10. Baker, Malcolm & Xuan, Yuhai, 2016. "Under new management: Equity issues and the attribution of past returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(1), pages 66-78.
    11. Urs Peyer, 2009. "The Nature and Persistence of Buyback Anomalies," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 1693-1745, April.
    12. Jensen, Michael C, 1986. "Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow, Corporate Finance, and Takeovers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 323-329, May.
    13. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    14. Tim Loughran & Jay R. Ritter, 2002. "Why Don't Issuers Get Upset About Leaving Money on the Table in IPOs?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 413-444, March.
    15. repec:bla:jfinan:v:59:y:2004:i:3:p:1125-1165 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Bargeron, Leonce & Kulchania, Manoj & Thomas, Shawn, 2011. "Accelerated share repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 69-89, July.
    17. Matthew T. Billett & Hui Xue, 2007. "The Takeover Deterrent Effect of Open Market Share Repurchases," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(4), pages 1827-1850, August.
    18. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    19. Azi Ben-Rephael & Jacob Oded & Avi Wohl, 2014. "Do Firms Buy Their Stock at Bargain Prices? Evidence from Actual Stock Repurchase Disclosures," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 18(4), pages 1299-1340.
    20. Alexander Ljungqvist & William J. Wilhelm, 2005. "Does Prospect Theory Explain IPO Market Behavior?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(4), pages 1759-1790, August.
    21. Christopher Riley & Barbara Summers & Darren Duxbury, 2020. "Capital Gains Overhang with a Dynamic Reference Point," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4726-4745, October.
    22. Geoffrey C. Friesen & Noel Pavel Jeutang & Emre Unlu, 2022. "The Effect of Unsuccessful Past Repurchases on Future Repurchasing Decisions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(1), pages 716-739, January.
    23. Shefrin, Hersh M. & Statman, Meir, 1984. "Explaining investor preference for cash dividends," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 253-282, June.
    24. Almeida, Heitor & Fos, Vyacheslav & Kronlund, Mathias, 2016. "The real effects of share repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(1), pages 168-185.
    25. Bonaimé, Alice A. & Hankins, Kristine W. & Jordan, Bradford D., 2016. "The cost of financial flexibility: Evidence from share repurchases," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 345-362.
    26. Daniel A. Bens & Venky Nagar & M. H. Franco Wong, 2002. "Real Investment Implications of Employee Stock Option Exercises," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 359-393, May.
    27. Manel Baucells & Martin Weber & Frank Welfens, 2011. "Reference-Point Formation and Updating," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(3), pages 506-519, March.
    28. Baker, Malcolm & Pan, Xin & Wurgler, Jeffrey, 2012. "The effect of reference point prices on mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(1), pages 49-71.
    29. Liang, Woan-lih, 2016. "Sensitivity to investor sentiment and stock performance of open market share repurchases," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 75-94.
    30. Dittmar, Amy & Field, Laura Casares, 2015. "Can managers time the market? Evidence using repurchase price data," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 261-282.
    31. Christine Jolls, 1998. "Stock Repurchases and Incentive Compensation," NBER Working Papers 6467, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    32. Vermaelen, Theo, 1981. "Common stock repurchases and market signalling : An empirical study," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 139-183, June.
    33. Easterbrook, Frank H, 1984. "Two Agency-Cost Explanations of Dividends," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(4), pages 650-659, September.
    34. repec:bla:jfinan:v:59:y:2004:i:2:p:651-680 is not listed on IDEAS
    35. Hillert, Alexander & Maug, Ernst & Obernberger, Stefan, 2016. "Stock repurchases and liquidity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(1), pages 186-209.
    36. Andreou, Panayiotis C. & Cooper, Ilan & de Olalla Lopez, Ignacio Garcia & Louca, Christodoulos, 2018. "Managerial overconfidence and the buyback anomaly," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 142-156.
    37. De Cesari, Amedeo & Espenlaub, Susanne & Khurshed, Arif & Simkovic, Michael, 2012. "The effects of ownership and stock liquidity on the timing of repurchase transactions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 1023-1050.
    38. Dittmar, Amy K, 2000. "Why Do Firms Repurchase Stock?," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 73(3), pages 331-355, July.
    39. Oswald, Dennis & Young, Steven, 2008. "Share reacquisitions, surplus cash, and agency problems," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 795-806, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nyborg, Kjell G. & Wang, Zexi, 2021. "The effect of stock liquidity on cash holdings: The repurchase motive," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 905-927.
    2. Nyborg, Kjell & Wang, Zexi, 2019. "Corporate cash holdings: Stock liquidity and the repurchase motive," CEPR Discussion Papers 13791, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Ulrike Malmendier, 2018. "Behavioral Corporate Finance," NBER Working Papers 25162, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Bong Soo Lee & Nathan Mauck, 2018. "Informed Repurchases, Information Asymmetry and the Market Response to Open Market Share Repurchases," Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies (RPBFMP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(03), pages 1-32, September.
    5. Hussein Abedi Shamsabadi & Byung-Seong Min & Richard Chung, 2016. "Corporate governance and dividend strategy: lessons from Australia," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(5), pages 583-610, October.
    6. Moore, David, 2023. "Strategic repurchases and equity sales: Evidence from equity vesting schedules," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    7. Brav, Alon & Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Michaely, Roni, 2005. "Payout policy in the 21st century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 483-527, September.
    8. Andriosopoulos, Dimitris & Hoque, Hafiz, 2013. "The determinants of share repurchases in Europe," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 65-76.
    9. Andriosopoulos, Dimitris & Lasfer, Meziane, 2015. "The market valuation of share repurchases in Europe," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 327-339.
    10. Gerald J. Lobo & Ashok Robin & Kean Wu, 2020. "Share repurchases and accounting conservatism," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 699-733, February.
    11. Bonaimé, Alice A. & Hankins, Kristine W. & Jordan, Bradford D., 2016. "The cost of financial flexibility: Evidence from share repurchases," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 345-362.
    12. Tzu-Yu Liu & Li-Lun Liu & John Francis Diaz, 2016. "Effect of Managerial Overconfidence and Compensation on Share Repurchase: Empirical Evidence from Taiwanese Firms," Asian Academy of Management Journal of Accounting and Finance (AAMJAF), Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, vol. 12(1), pages 153-179.
    13. Wang, Zigan & Yin, Qie Ellie & Yu, Luping, 2024. "Do share repurchases facilitate movement toward target capital structure? International evidence," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    14. H.Kent Baker & Gary E. Powell & E.Theodore Veit, 2002. "Revisiting the dividend puzzle," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(4), pages 241-261.
    15. Malcolm Baker & Richard S. Ruback & Jeffrey Wurgler, 2004. "Behavioral Corporate Finance: A Survey," NBER Working Papers 10863, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Gyoshev, Stanley B. & Kaplan, Todd R. & Szewczyk, Samuel H. & Tsetsekos, George P., 2021. "Why do investment banks buy put options from companies?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    17. Vinh Huy Nguyen & Suchismita Mishra & Pankaj K. Jain, 2022. "Institutional trading around repurchase announcements: An uphill battle," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 57(3), pages 485-507, August.
    18. Ota, Koji & Kawase, Hironori & Lau, David, 2019. "Does reputation matter? Evidence from share repurchases," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 287-306.
    19. Lily Nguyen & Le Vu & Xiangkang Yin, 2021. "Share repurchases and firm innovation," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(S1), pages 1665-1695, April.
    20. Lei, Zicheng & Zhang, Chendi, 2016. "Leveraged buybacks," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 242-262.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:finrev:v:59:y:2024:i:1:p:57-87. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/efaaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.