IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v76y2021icp127-142.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does intensified communication of hedge funds with letters affect abnormal returns?

Author

Listed:
  • Oehler, Andreas
  • Schmitz, Jonas Tobias

Abstract

Hedge funds go beyond their statements on the transaction purpose in Schedule 13D by stating their activism objectives in a letter to the corporate management. Anyhow, prior work does not examine the impact of the communication channel systematically. The content of the letters aims at enabling corporate management to understand the activism goals better. Therefore, the communication channel might reduce the perceived uncertainty regarding the expected activism value. Hence, we presume higher abnormal returns compared to events with no letter. Our results reveal that activism is related to positive reactions, but intensified communication per se is not the reason.

Suggested Citation

  • Oehler, Andreas & Schmitz, Jonas Tobias, 2021. "Does intensified communication of hedge funds with letters affect abnormal returns?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 127-142.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:76:y:2021:i:c:p:127-142
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2021.05.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105905602100112X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2021.05.004?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. Brav, Alon & Jiang, Wei & Ma, Song & Tian, Xuan, 2018. "How does hedge fund activism reshape corporate innovation?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(2), pages 237-264.
    2. Taekjin Shin & Jihae You, 2017. "Pay for Talk: How the Use of Shareholder-Value Language Affects CEO Compensation," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 88-117, January.
    3. Alex Edmans & Vivian W. Fang & Emanuel Zur, 2013. "The Effect of Liquidity on Governance," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 26(6), pages 1443-1482.
    4. Cai, Jie & Walkling, Ralph A., 2011. "Shareholders’ Say on Pay: Does It Create Value?," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(2), pages 299-339, April.
    5. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1986. "Large Shareholders and Corporate Control," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages 461-488, June.
    6. Charles Cao & Bing Liang & Andrew W Lo & Lubomir Petrasek, 2018. "Hedge Fund Holdings and Stock Market Efficiency," The Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(1), pages 77-116.
    7. Gantchev, Nickolay, 2013. "The costs of shareholder activism: Evidence from a sequential decision model," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 610-631.
    8. Tim Loughran & Bill McDonald, 2017. "The Use of EDGAR Filings by Investors," Journal of Behavioral Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 231-248, April.
    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. April Klein & Emanuel Zur, 2009. "Entrepreneurial Shareholder Activism: Hedge Funds and Other Private Investors," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(1), pages 187-229, February.
    11. Marco Becht & Julian Franks & Jeremy Grant & Hannes F. Wagner, 2017. "Returns to Hedge Fund Activism: An International Study," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(9), pages 2933-2971.
    12. E. Gifford, 2010. "Effective Shareholder Engagement: The Factors that Contribute to Shareholder Salience," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 79-97, April.
    13. Flugum, Ryan & Howe, John S., 2020. "Hedge fund activism and analyst uncertainty," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 206-227.
    14. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐de‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 2000. "Agency Problems and Dividend Policies around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(1), pages 1-33, February.
    15. Unknown, 2014. "Media Coverage 2014," 2014: Ethics, Efficiency and Food Security: Feeding the 9 Billion, Well, 26-28 August 2014 225573, Crawford Fund.
    16. Carhart, Mark M, 1997. "On Persistence in Mutual Fund Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(1), pages 57-82, March.
    17. Armitage, Seth, 1995. "Event Study Methods and Evidence on Their Performance," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 25-52, March.
    18. Alon Brav & Wei Jiang & Frank Partnoy & Randall Thomas, 2008. "Hedge Fund Activism, Corporate Governance, and Firm Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(4), pages 1729-1775, August.
    19. Guo, Re-Jin & Kruse, Timothy A. & Nohel, Tom, 2008. "Undoing the powerful anti-takeover force of staggered boards," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 274-288, June.
    20. Krishnan, C.N.V. & Partnoy, Frank & Thomas, Randall S., 2016. "The second wave of hedge fund activism: The importance of reputation, clout, and expertise," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 296-314.
    21. Fama, Eugene F, 1991. "Efficient Capital Markets: II," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(5), pages 1575-1617, December.
    22. Atanas Mihov, 2016. "Predisclosure Accumulations by Activist Investors and Price Impact of Trading," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 20(1), pages 231-263.
    23. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    24. Lucian A. Bebchuk & Alon Brav & Wei Jiang, 2015. "The Long-Term Effects of Hedge Fund Activism," NBER Working Papers 21227, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    25. Lily H. Fang & Joel Peress & Lu Zheng, 2014. "Does Media Coverage of Stocks Affect Mutual Funds' Trading and Performance?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(12), pages 3441-3466.
    26. Yonca Ertimur & Fabrizio Ferri & Volkan Muslu, 2011. "Shareholder Activism and CEO Pay," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(2), pages 535-592.
    27. Cumming, Douglas & Dai, Na & Johan, Sofia A., 2013. "Hedge Fund Structure, Regulation, and Performance around the World," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199862566.
    28. April Klein & Emanuel Zur, 2011. "The Impact of Hedge Fund Activism on the Target Firm's Existing Bondholders," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(5), pages 1735-1771.
    29. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 1993. "Common risk factors in the returns on stocks and bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 3-56, February.
    30. Alexander Hillert & Heiko Jacobs & Sebastian Müller, 2014. "Media Makes Momentum," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(12), pages 3467-3501.
    31. Andreas Oehler & Stefan Wendt & Florian Wedlich & Matthias Horn, 2018. "Investors' Personality Influences Investment Decisions: Experimental Evidence on Extraversion and Neuroticism," Journal of Behavioral Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 30-48, January.
    32. Nicole Boyson & Robert Mooradian, 2011. "Corporate governance and hedge fund activism," Review of Derivatives Research, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 169-204, July.
    33. Wasim K. Al-Shattarat & Basiem K. Al-Shattarat, 2017. "The Relationship Between Cumulative Abnormal Returns And Earnings: Evidence From Emerging Markets," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 51(2), pages 357-368, April-Jun.
    34. Cremers, K.J. Martijn & Litov, Lubomir P. & Sepe, Simone M., 2017. "Staggered boards and long-term firm value, revisited," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(2), pages 422-444.
    35. Oehler, Andreas & Horn, Matthias & Wendt, Stefan, 2017. "Brexit: Short-term stock price effects and the impact of firm-level internationalization," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 175-181.
    36. Lawrence, Alastair, 2013. "Individual investors and financial disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 130-147.
    37. Tang, Tingfeng, 2020. "Hedge fund activism and corporate innovation," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 335-348.
    38. Parthiban David & Matt Bloom & Amy J. Hillman, 2007. "Investor activism, managerial responsiveness, and corporate social performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 91-100, January.
    39. Clifford, Christopher P., 2008. "Value creation or destruction? Hedge funds as shareholder activists," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 323-336, September.
    40. Stuart L. Gillan & Laura T. Starks, 2007. "The Evolution of Shareholder Activism in the United States," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 19(1), pages 55-73, January.
    41. Nickolay Gantchev & Chotibhak Jotikasthira, 2018. "Institutional Trading and Hedge Fund Activism," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(6), pages 2930-2950, June.
    42. Maria Goranova & Rahi Abouk & Paul C. Nystrom & Ehsan S. Soofi, 2017. "Corporate governance antecedents to shareholder activism: A zero-inflated process," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 415-435, February.
    43. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2011. "When Is a Liability Not a Liability? Textual Analysis, Dictionaries, and 10‐Ks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(1), pages 35-65, February.
    44. Coffee, Jr., John C. & Palia, Darius, 2016. "The Wolf at the Door: The Impact of Hedge Fund Activism on Corporate Governance," Annals of Corporate Governance, now publishers, vol. 1(1), pages 1-94, February.
    45. Edwin Elton & Martin Gruber, 1968. "The Effect Of Share Repurchase On The Value Of The Firm," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(1), pages 135-149, March.
    46. Ann†Kristin Achleitner & André Betzer & Jasmin Gider, 2010. "Do Corporate Governance Motives Drive Hedge Fund and Private Equity Fund Activities?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 16(5), pages 805-828, November.
    47. Greenwood, Robin & Schor, Michael, 2009. "Investor activism and takeovers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(3), pages 362-375, June.
    48. Alon Brav & Wei Jiang & Hyunseob Kim, 2015. "Editor's Choice The Real Effects of Hedge Fund Activism: Productivity, Asset Allocation, and Labor Outcomes," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 28(10), pages 2723-2769.
    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. Denes, Matthew R. & Karpoff, Jonathan M. & McWilliams, Victoria B., 2017. "Thirty years of shareholder activism: A survey of empirical research," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 405-424.
    2. Simon Rafaqat & Sana Rafaqat & Sahil Rafaqat & Saoul Rafaqat & Dawood Rafaqat, 2023. "Shareholder Activism and Firm Performance: A Review," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 14(4), pages 31-41.
    3. Bessler, Wolfgang & Vendrasco, Marco, 2022. "Corporate control and shareholder activism in Germany: An empirical analysis of hedge fund strategies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. Flugum, Ryan & Howe, John S., 2020. "Hedge fund activism and analyst uncertainty," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 206-227.
    5. Kim, Sehoon, 2020. "Disappearing Discounts: Hedge Fund Activism in Conglomerates," MPRA Paper 100876, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Mark R. DesJardine & Rodolphe Durand, 2020. "Disentangling the effects of hedge fund activism on firm financial and social performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(6), pages 1054-1082, June.
    7. Bebchuk, Lucian A. & Brav, Alon & Jiang, Wei & Keusch, Thomas, 2020. "Dancing with activists," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(1), pages 1-41.
    8. Marco Becht & Julian Franks & Jeremy Grant & Hannes F. Wagner, 2017. "Returns to Hedge Fund Activism: An International Study," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(9), pages 2933-2971.
    9. Edmans, Alex & Holderness, Clifford, 2016. "Blockholders: A Survey of Theory and Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 11442, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Lucian A. Bebchuk & Alon Brav & Wei Jiang & Thomas Keusch, 2019. "Dancing With Activists," NBER Working Papers 26171, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Ben Arfa, Nouha & Karmani, Majdi & Labaronne, Daniel, 2017. "Antecedents of hedge fund activism in French listed target firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1315-1326.
    12. Bajzík, Josef & Havranek, Tomas & Irsova, Zuzana & Novak, Jiri, 2023. "Does Shareholder Activism Create Value? A Meta-Analysis," CEPR Discussion Papers 18233, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Boyson, Nicole M. & Gantchev, Nickolay & Shivdasani, Anil, 2017. "Activism mergers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(1), pages 54-73.
    14. Barros, Victor & Guedes, Maria João & Santos, Joana & Sarmento, Joaquim Miranda, 2023. "Shareholder activism and firms’ performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    15. Saikat Sovan Deb & Huu Nhan Duong & Amanjot Singh & Harminder Singh, 2024. "Does hedge fund activism improve investment efficiency?," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 2551-2577, September.
    16. Wolfgang Bessler & Wolfgang Drobetz & Julian Holler, 2015. "The Returns to Hedge Fund Activism in Germany," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 21(1), pages 106-147, January.
    17. Swanson, Edward P. & Young, Glen M. & Yust, Christopher G., 2022. "Are all activists created equal? The effect of interventions by hedge funds and other private activists on long-term shareholder value," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    18. Yvan Allaire & François Dauphin, 2016. "The game of ‘activist’ hedge funds: Cui bono?," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(4), pages 279-308, November.
    19. Brav, Alon & Jiang, Wei & Ma, Song & Tian, Xuan, 2018. "How does hedge fund activism reshape corporate innovation?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(2), pages 237-264.
    20. Albuquerque, Rui & Fos, Vyacheslav & Schroth, Enrique, 2022. "Value creation in shareholder activism," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 153-178.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hedge fund activism; Tactical communication; Uncertainty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

    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:reveco:v:76:y:2021:i:c:p:127-142. 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: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620165 .

    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.