IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/advacc/v31y2015i1p21-32.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The market's response to earnings surprises after first-time going-concern modifications

Author

Listed:
  • Dong, Bei
  • Robinson, Dahlia
  • Robinson, Michael

Abstract

This study investigates the market's response to earnings surprises after first-time going-concern modifications (GCMs). Using a sample of 581 firms and an events-study research design, we document a significant decrease in earnings response coefficients (ERCs) in the quarters following the GCM. However, this result appears to be driven by firms for which the GCM is unexpected. Specifically, we find that firms with high Z-scores prior to the GCM experience an immediate and prolonged decline in ERCs over the four quarters after the GCM, but find no change in ERCs for those firms with low Z-scores. These results are consistent with the GCM potentially resolving investors' fundamental uncertainty about future cash flows, and/or signaling that the earnings numbers generated by the firm are noisier or less persistent than was previously assumed. Further, we find no change in ERCs for a propensity-score matched control sample that did not receive GCMs, suggesting that the decline in earnings informativeness is not a response to general economic conditions. Finally, we document that institutional investors incorporate the information in the GCM. The study makes an important contribution to the going-concern literature by documenting that GCMs influence the pricing of earnings.

Suggested Citation

  • Dong, Bei & Robinson, Dahlia & Robinson, Michael, 2015. "The market's response to earnings surprises after first-time going-concern modifications," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 21-32.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:advacc:v:31:y:2015:i:1:p:21-32
    DOI: 10.1016/j.adiac.2015.03.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882611015000024
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.adiac.2015.03.001?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lipe, Robert C. & Bryant, Lisa & Widener, Sally K., 1998. "Do nonlinearity, firm-specific coefficients, and losses represent distinct factors in the relation between stock returns and accounting earnings?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 195-214, May.
    2. Kormendi, Roger & Lipe, Robert, 1987. "Earnings Innovations, Earnings Persistence, and Stock Returns," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 60(3), pages 323-345, July.
    3. Choi, Sung K. & Jeter, Debra C., 1992. "The effects of qualified audit opinions on earnings response coefficients," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2-3), pages 229-247, August.
    4. Lang, M, 1991. "Time-Varying Stock-Price Response To Earnings Induced By Uncertainty About The Time-Series Process Of Earnings," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 229-257.
    5. Karl E. Hackenbrack & Chris E. Hogan, 2002. "Market Response to Earnings Surprises Conditional on Reasons for an Auditor Change," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), pages 195-223, June.
    6. Johnson, W. Bruce & Lys, Thomas, 1990. "The market for audit services : Evidence from voluntary auditor changes," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1-3), pages 281-308, January.
    7. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    8. Walther, BR, 1997. "Investor sophistication and market earnings expectations," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 157-179.
    9. Kothari, S. P., 2001. "Capital markets research in accounting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 105-231, September.
    10. Dopuch, Nicholas & Holthausen, Robert W. & Leftwich, Richard W., 1986. "Abnormal stock returns associated with media disclosures of `subject to' qualified audit opinions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 93-117, June.
    11. Freeman, Rn & Tse, S, 1989. "The Multiperiod Information-Content Of Accounting Earnings - Confirmations And Contradictions Of Previous Earnings Reports," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27, pages 49-79.
    12. Mark L. DeFond & K. Raghunandan & K.R. Subramanyam, 2002. "Do Non–Audit Service Fees Impair Auditor Independence? Evidence from Going Concern Audit Opinions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 1247-1274, September.
    13. Elliott, Ja, 1982. "Subject To Audit Opinions And Abnormal Security Returns - Outcomes And Ambiguities," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 617-638.
    14. Taffler, Richard J. & Lu, Jeffrey & Kausar, Asad, 2004. "In denial? Stock market underreaction to going-concern audit report disclosures," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 263-296, December.
    15. Elliott, JA & Hanna, JD, 1996. "Repeated accounting write-offs and the information content of earnings," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34, pages 135-155.
    16. Mutchler, Jf, 1985. "A Multivariate-Analysis Of The Auditors Going-Concern Opinion Decision," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 668-682.
    17. Collins, Daniel W. & Kothari, S. P., 1989. "An analysis of intertemporal and cross-sectional determinants of earnings response coefficients," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(2-3), pages 143-181, July.
    18. Holder-Webb, LM & Wilkins, MS, 2000. "The incremental information content of SAS No. 59 going-concern opinions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 209-219.
    19. Edward I. Altman, 1968. "Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis And The Prediction Of Corporate Bankruptcy," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(4), pages 589-609, September.
    20. Edward I. Altman, 1968. "The Prediction Of Corporate Bankruptcy: A Discriminant Analysis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(1), pages 193-194, March.
    21. Zmijewski, Me, 1984. "Methodological Issues Related To The Estimation Of Financial Distress Prediction Models," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22, pages 59-82.
    22. Jennifer L. Blouin & Jana Smith Raedy & Douglas A. Shackelford, 2003. "Capital Gains Taxes and Equity Trading: Empirical Evidence," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(4), pages 611-651, September.
    23. Asad Kausar & Richard J. Taffler & Christine Tan, 2009. "The Going‐Concern Market Anomaly," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 213-239, March.
    24. Jang Youn Cho & Kooyul Jung, 1991. "The differential information content of earnings announcements: The case of merger," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(1), pages 42-61, September.
    25. Holthausen, Rw & Verrecchia, Re, 1988. "The Effect Of Sequential Information Releases On The Variance Of Price Changes In An Intertemporal Multi-Asset Market," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 82-106.
    26. Kathleen Herbohn & Vanitha Ragunathan & Robert Garsden, 2007. "The horse has bolted: revisiting the market reaction to going concern modifications of audit reports," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 47(3), pages 473-493, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ling Zhang & Chao Ge & Wun-Hong Su, 2018. "Auditing Quality, Investor Sentiment and Earnings Response---Evidence from the Chinese A-Share Market," Accounting and Finance Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 7(2), pages 110-110, May.

    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. DeFond, Mark & Zhang, Jieying, 2014. "A review of archival auditing research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 275-326.
    2. repec:mth:ijafr8:v:9:y:2019:i:1:p:135-151 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Robert Freeman & Adam Koch & Haidan Li, 2011. "Can historical returns-earnings relations predict price responses to earnings news?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 35-62, July.
    4. Ruben M.T. Peixinho & Richard J. Taffler, 2011. "Are analysts misleading investors? The case of goingconcern opinions," CEFAGE-UE Working Papers 2011_22, University of Evora, CEFAGE-UE (Portugal).
    5. Ruey S. Tsay & Yi-Mien Lin & Hsiao-Wen Wang, 2009. "Residual income, non-earnings information, and information content," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 487-511.
    6. Fargher, Neil & Wee, Marvin, 2019. "The impact of Ball and Brown (1968) on generations of research," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 55-72.
    7. Sandro Brunelli & Francesco Venuti & Thomas Niederkofler & Camilla Falivena, 2024. "Financial distress, auditors’ going concern modification (GCM) and investors’ reaction in a concentrated ownership environment: new evidence from the Italian stock market," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(2), pages 313-339, June.
    8. Baik, Bok & Kim, Young Jun & Kim, Jungbae & Lee, Su Jeong, 2015. "Usefulness of earnings in credit markets: Korean evidence," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 93-113.
    9. Kothari, S. P., 2001. "Capital markets research in accounting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 105-231, September.
    10. Mei Feng & Chan Li, 2014. "Are Auditors Professionally Skeptical? Evidence from Auditors’ Going‐Concern Opinions and Management Earnings Forecasts," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(5), pages 1061-1085, December.
    11. Brandon Gipper & Christian Leuz & Mark Maffett, 2015. "Public Audit Oversight and Reporting Credibility: Evidence from the PCAOB Inspection Regime," NBER Working Papers 21530, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. S. P. Kothari & Charles Wasley, 2019. "Commemorating the 50‐Year Anniversary of Ball and Brown (1968): The Evolution of Capital Market Research over the Past 50 Years," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(5), pages 1117-1159, December.
    13. Karl E. Hackenbrack & Chris E. Hogan, 2002. "Market Response to Earnings Surprises Conditional on Reasons for an Auditor Change," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), pages 195-223, June.
    14. Michael S. Drake & Darren T. Roulstone & Jacob R. Thornock, 2012. "Investor Information Demand: Evidence from Google Searches Around Earnings Announcements," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(4), pages 1001-1040, September.
    15. K.R. Subramanyam & John J. Wild, 1996. "Going†Concern Status, Earnings Persistence, and Informativeness of Earnings," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 251-273, March.
    16. Sung S. Kwon & John J. Wild, 1994. "Informativeness of Annual Reports for Firms in Financial Distress," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(1), pages 331-351, June.
    17. Ali Uyar & Simone Pizzi & Fabio Caputo & Cemil Kuzey & Abdullah S. Karaman, 2022. "Do shareholders reward or punish risky firms due to CSR reporting and assurance?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(5), pages 1596-1620, July.
    18. Ahsan Habib & Mabel D' Costa & Hedy Jiaying Huang & Md. Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan & Li Sun, 2020. "Determinants and consequences of financial distress: review of the empirical literature," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(S1), pages 1023-1075, April.
    19. Daniel W. Collins & William K. Salatka, 1993. "Noisy Accounting Earnings Signals and Earnings Response Coefficients: The Case of Foreign Currency Accounting," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(1), pages 119-159, September.
    20. Lyandres, Evgeny & Zhdanov, Alexei, 2013. "Investment opportunities and bankruptcy prediction," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 439-476.
    21. repec:grz:wpsses:2020-04 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Barth, Mary E. & Beaver, William H. & Landsman, Wayne R., 1998. "Relative valuation roles of equity book value and net income as a function of financial health," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 1-34, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Going-concern modifications; Earnings response coefficients; Informativeness of earnings; Institutional investors;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • M42 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Auditing
    • M4 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting

    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:eee:advacc:v:31:y:2015:i:1:p:21-32. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/advances-in-accounting/ .

    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.