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Does going private add value through operating improvements?

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  • Ayash, Brian
  • Schütt, Harm

Abstract

Previous studies document a large positive effect of private equity ownership on operating performance between 1980 and 1990 while evidence on the more recent buyout wave is mixed. We revisit the evidence on post-LBO performance and offer an additional explanation for the varied and time-inconsistent results found in the literature: the effect of accounting for LBO transactions and its change over time. Using hand-collected financial statements for 183 U.S. public-to-private LBOs, we illustrate how previously used proxies for operating performance suffer from an accounting distortion induced by the buyout transaction. We reproduce the results of previous studies. However, once proxies are modified slightly to account for the LBO process, we find no robust evidence of post-buyout improvements in public-to-private LBOs, regardless of the time period of the study.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayash, Brian & Schütt, Harm, 2016. "Does going private add value through operating improvements?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 192-215.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:40:y:2016:i:c:p:192-215
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2016.07.015
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    2. Ayash, Brian, 2020. "The origin, ownership and use of cash flows in leveraged buyouts," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 286-295.
    3. Cao, Jiawei & Dong, Dayong & Yue, Sishi, 2024. "Institutional investors’ site visits and firms’ financial distress," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).
    4. Feng, Hongrui & Rao, Ramesh P., 2022. "The positive externalities of leveraged buyouts," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    5. Ayash, Brian & Bartlett, Robert P. & Poulsen, Annette B., 2017. "The determinants of buyout returns: Does transaction strategy matter?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 342-360.
    6. Huang, Ying Sophie & Guo, Feng & Ma, Lina, 2023. "Do M&A funds create value in Chinese listed firms?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Chiarella, Carlo & Ostinelli, Diego, 2020. "Financial or strategic buyers: Who is at the gate?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 393-407.
    8. Ayash, Brian & Rastad, Mahdi, 2021. "Leveraged buyouts and financial distress," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Leveraged buyouts; Financial analysis; Private equity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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