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Ex Ante Incentives for Earnings Management and the Informativeness of Earnings

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  • Theodore E. Christensen
  • Robert E. Hoyt
  • Jeffrey S. Paterson

Abstract

This study examines the relation between ex ante incentives of insurance managers to engage in earnings management to meet regulatory standards and the informativeness of earnings. This study extends prior research by simultaneously examining the effects of earnings management and uncertainty about earnings as suggested by Collins and DeAngelo (1990) and Imhoff and Lobo (1992). Results from a sample of 375 quarterly earnings announcements of 41 property and liability insurers during the period 1989 to 1992 support the hypothesis that when managers' incentives for earnings management are high, earnings announcements are less informative to investors (even after controlling for uncertainty associated with exposure to large‐scale catastrophes). Robustness tests suggest that our results are not attributable to firm size, time period effects, firm effects, accounting estimation error, or financial distress risk. These results are consistent with investors using publicly available information to predict P‐L insurance managers' ex ante incentives to manage earnings to meet regulatory standards, and that they use this information in forming their beliefs about earnings quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Theodore E. Christensen & Robert E. Hoyt & Jeffrey S. Paterson, 1999. "Ex Ante Incentives for Earnings Management and the Informativeness of Earnings," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7‐8), pages 807-832, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jbfnac:v:26:y:1999:i:7-8:p:807-832
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-5957.00276
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    Cited by:

    1. Hervé Stolowy & Gaetan Breton, 2000. "A Framework for the Classification of Accounts Manipulations," Working Papers hal-00597249, HAL.
    2. Sattar A. Mansi & William F. Maxwell & Darius P. Miller, 2004. "Does Auditor Quality and Tenure Matter to Investors? Evidence from the Bond Market," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(4), pages 755-793, September.
    3. Theodore E. Christensen & Toni Q. Smith & Pamela S. Stuerke, 2004. "Public Predisclosure Information, Firm Size, Analyst Following, and Market Reactions to Earnings Announcements," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7‐8), pages 951-984, September.
    4. Theodore E. Christensen & Toni Q. Smith & Pamela S. Stuerke, 2004. "Public Predisclosure Information, Firm Size, Analyst Following, and Market Reactions to Earnings Announcements," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7-8), pages 951-984.
    5. Carol A. Marquardt & Christine I. Wiedman, 2004. "The Effect of Earnings Management on the Value Relevance of Accounting Information," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3-4), pages 297-332.
    6. Chou, Julia & Zaiats, Nataliya & Zhang, Bohui, 2014. "Does auditor choice matter to foreign investors? Evidence from foreign mutual funds worldwide," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-20.
    7. Theodore E. Christensen & Jennifer J. Gaver & Pamela S. Stuerke, 2005. "The Relation Between Investor Uncertainty and Market Reactions to Earnings Announcements: Evidence from the Property‐Casualty Insurance Industry in the USA," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1‐2), pages 1-29, January.
    8. Carol A. Marquardt & Christine I. Wiedman, 2004. "The Effect of Earnings Management on the Value Relevance of Accounting Information," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3‐4), pages 297-332, April.
    9. Andrew B. Jackson & Chao Li & Richard D. Morris, 2020. "Earnings Co‐movements and the Informativeness of Earnings," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 56(3), pages 295-319, September.
    10. Wijayana, Singgih & Gray, Sidney J., 2018. "Capital market consequences of cultural influences on earnings: The case of cross-listed firms in the U.S. stock market," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 134-147.
    11. Sanan Mukhtarov & Martijn Schoute & Jacco L. Wielhouwer, 2022. "The information content of the Solvency II ratio relative to earnings," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 89(1), pages 237-266, March.

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