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Earnings management before IPOs: Are institutional investors misled?

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  • Gao, Shenghao
  • Meng, Qingbin
  • Chan, Kam C.
  • Wu, Weixing

Abstract

Leveraging the unique detailed bid data of institutional investors during the IPO process in China, we investigate how investors, especially institutional investors, react to the issuing firm’s pre-IPO earnings management (EM). Our findings suggest that institutional investors’ bid prices are negatively correlated with pre-IPO EM. The results are more pronounced for accrual-based EM than real EM. The findings are robust to a battery of different bid prices. We also document that retail investor oversubscription ratio is negatively or not associated with pre-IPO accrual-based EM. However, such oversubscription ratio is positively correlated with pre-IPO real EM. Additional results show that IPO offer prices (relative to the proposed IPO price range) are negatively correlated with pre-IPO EM, suggesting that institutional investors’ ability to recognize EM pressures IPO issuing firms into setting a lower offer price. Lastly, we find that, the long-run IPO performance is mostly unrelated to EM, which is different from what the literature depicts.

Suggested Citation

  • Gao, Shenghao & Meng, Qingbin & Chan, Kam C. & Wu, Weixing, 2017. "Earnings management before IPOs: Are institutional investors misled?," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 90-108.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:empfin:v:42:y:2017:i:c:p:90-108
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jempfin.2017.02.003
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    Cited by:

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    2. Premti, Arjan & Smith, Garrett, 2020. "Earnings management in the pre-IPO process: Biases and predictors," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    3. Ma, Xinru & He, Jingbin & Liao, Jingchi, 2021. "Does decision fatigue affect institutional bidding behavior? Evidence from Chinese IPO market," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 1-12.
    4. Tomasz Sosnowski, 2021. "The credibility of earnings announced by new stock companies: accrual and real earnings management," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 16(3), pages 661-677, September.
    5. Kim, Yeonghyeon & Lee, Junyong & Lee, Kyounghun & Oh, Frederick Dongchuhl, 2024. "Corporate disclosure behavior during financial crises: Evidence from Korea," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    6. Gao, Shenghao & Liu, Jinzhao & Chan, Kam C., 2017. "Does the removal of the IPO lockup matter in IPO pricing?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 246-252.
    7. Gao, Shenghao & Lu, Ruichang & Ni, Chenkai, 2019. "Institutional investors’ cognitive constraints during initial public offerings," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    8. Lo, Huai-Chun & Wu, Ruei-Shian & Kweh, Qian Long, 2017. "Do institutional investors reinforce or reduce agency problems? Earnings management and the post-IPO performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 62-76.
    9. Gao, Shenghao & Meng, Qingbin & Chan, Jesse Y. & Chan, Kam C., 2018. "Cognitive reference points, institutional investors' bid prices, and IPO pricing: Evidence from IPO auctions in China," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 124-140.
    10. Nikbakht, Ehsan & Sarkar, Sayan & Smith, Garrett C. & Spieler, Andrew C., 2021. "Pre-IPO earnings management: Evidence from India," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    11. Chi Duong Thi, 2023. "Audit Quality, Institutional Environments, and Earnings Management: An Empirical Analysis of New Listings," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(2), pages 21582440231, June.
    12. Zhou, Mingshan & Xiao, Dacheng & Chan, Kam C. & Fung, Hung-Gay, 2019. "The impact of pre-IPO performance pressure on research and development investments of an IPO firm: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 40-46.
    13. Wang, Jiangyuan & Fan, Wenlin & Wang, Zhixiao, 2024. "Tax incentives and earnings management: A study based on accelerated depreciation policy in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 281-296.
    14. Peng, Xuan & Wang, Xiongyuan & Chan, Kam C., 2020. "Does supplier stability matter in initial public offering pricing?," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    15. Ioannis Dokas & Christos Leontidis & Nicolaos Eriotis & Konstantinos Hazakis, 2021. "Earnings Management. An overview of the relative literature," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 25-55.
    16. Zhang, Yuyang & Uchida, Konari & Dong, Liping, 2020. "External financing and earnings management: Evidence from international data," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    17. Tsai-Yin Lin & Jerry Yu & Chia-Yi Lin, 2021. "IPO’s Long-Run Performance: Hot Market versus Earnings Management," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-16, March.
    18. Gao, Shenghao & Brockman, Paul & Meng, Qingbin & Yan, Xuemin, 2020. "Differences of opinion, institutional bids, and IPO underpricing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    19. Hoque, Hafiz & Mu, Shaolong, 2023. "Information spillover in Chinese hybrid IPO auctions," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

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