IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jecfin/v41y2017i1d10.1007_s12197-015-9332-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Institutional investors’ activism and credit ratings

Author

Listed:
  • Javeria Farooqi

    (Lindenwood University)

  • Surendranath Jory

    (University of Sussex)

  • Thanh Ngo

    (East Carolina University)

Abstract

We study the link between institutional shareholdings and the quality of the credit ratings of the firms they hold in their investment portfolio. The study of the overall impact of institutional investor ownership yields mixed results while more consistent results are obtained when we take into account the heterogeneity of institutional investors. When we classify the institutional investors based on their degree of intervention and activism levels, we find that passive/inactive investors are associated with better-rated firms while active ones are associated with lower-rated firms. Thus, activist institutional investors believe that there is more value to be found at lowly rated firms. They are more likely to find cheap stocks among these firms that require both their financial and managerial inputs to progress. Passive investors, instead, tend to track market indices that consist of mostly highly rated firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Javeria Farooqi & Surendranath Jory & Thanh Ngo, 2017. "Institutional investors’ activism and credit ratings," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 41(1), pages 51-77, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jecfin:v:41:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s12197-015-9332-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12197-015-9332-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12197-015-9332-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12197-015-9332-8?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. Bill Francis & Iftekhar Hasan & Ying Huang & Zenu Sharma, 2012. "Do Banks Value Innovation? Evidence from US Firms," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 41(1), pages 159-185, March.
    2. Elyasiani, Elyas & Jia, Jingyi (Jane) & Mao, Connie X., 2010. "Institutional ownership stability and the cost of debt," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 475-500, November.
    3. Kane, Gregory D. & Velury, Uma, 2004. "The role of institutional ownership in the market for auditing services: an empirical investigation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(9), pages 976-983, September.
    4. Jory, Surendranath R. & Ngo, Thanh N. & Wang, Daphne, 2016. "Credit ratings and the premiums paid in mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PA), pages 93-104.
    5. 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.
    6. Rahaman, Mohammad M. & Zaman, Ashraf Al, 2013. "Management quality and the cost of debt: Does management matter to lenders?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 854-874.
    7. Agnes Cheng, C.S. & He Huang, Henry & Li, Yinghua & Lobo, Gerald, 2010. "Institutional monitoring through shareholder litigation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(3), pages 356-383, March.
    8. K. J. Martijn Cremers & Antti Petajisto, 2009. "How Active Is Your Fund Manager? A New Measure That Predicts Performance," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(9), pages 3329-3365, September.
    9. Roberts, Gordon & Yuan, Lianzeng (Edward), 2010. "Does institutional ownership affect the cost of bank borrowing?," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 62(6), pages 604-626, November.
    10. Wang, Ashley W. & Zhang, Gaiyan, 2009. "Institutional ownership and credit spreads: An information asymmetry perspective," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 597-612, September.
    11. Martijn Cremers & Antti Petajisto, 2006. "How Active is Your Fund Manager? A New Measure That Predicts Performance," Yale School of Management Working Papers amz2370, Yale School of Management, revised 01 May 2009.
    12. Ashbaugh-Skaife, Hollis & Collins, Daniel W. & LaFond, Ryan, 2006. "The effects of corporate governance on firms' credit ratings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 203-243, October.
    13. Doron Avramov & Tarun Chordia & Gergana Jostova & Alexander Philipov, 2007. "Momentum and Credit Rating," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(5), pages 2503-2520, October.
    14. Chung, Kee H. & Zhang, Hao, 2011. "Corporate Governance and Institutional Ownership," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(1), pages 247-273, February.
    15. Fabrizio Rossi & Richard J. Cebula, 2015. "Stock market reactions to announcements of the board of directors: evidence from Italy," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(20), pages 2102-2118, April.
    16. K.J. Martijn Cremers & Vinay B. Nair & Chenyang Wei, 2007. "Governance Mechanisms and Bond Prices," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 20(5), pages 1359-1388, 2007 07.
    17. Darren J. Kisgen, 2006. "Credit Ratings and Capital Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(3), pages 1035-1072, June.
    18. Boylan, Robert & Cebula, Richard & Foley, Maggie & Liu, Xiaowei, 2013. "An Analysis of Omitted Shareholder Proposals," MPRA Paper 56659, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Paige Fields, L. & Fraser, Donald R. & Subrahmanyam, Avanidhar, 2012. "Board quality and the cost of debt capital: The case of bank loans," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 1536-1547.
    20. Sanjeev Bhojraj & Partha Sengupta, 2003. "Effect of Corporate Governance on Bond Ratings and Yields: The Role of Institutional Investors and Outside Directors," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 76(3), pages 455-476, July.
    21. Del Guercio, Diane & Seery, Laura & Woidtke, Tracie, 2008. "Do boards pay attention when institutional investor activists "just vote no"?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 84-103, October.
    22. Akinobu Shuto & Norio Kitagawa, 2010. "The effect of managerial ownership on the cost of debt: Evidence from Japan," Discussion Paper Series DP2010-05, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    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. Bhandari, Avishek & Golden, Joanna, 2021. "CEO political preference and credit ratings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Yehuda Pivin & Yossi Yagil, 2024. "The relationship between institutional investors’ holding in public firms and the level of corporate solvency," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 28(4), pages 1237-1256, December.
    3. Benamraoui, Abdelhafid & Jory, Surendranath Rakesh & Mazouz, Khelifa & Shah, Neeta & Gough, Orla, 2019. "The effect of block ownership on future firm value and performance," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    4. Kai Xu & Michael A. Hitt & Stewart R. Miller, 2020. "The ownership structure contingency in the sequential international entry mode decision process: Family owners and institutional investors in family-dominant versus family-influenced firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(2), pages 151-171, March.

    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. Switzer, Lorne N. & Wang, Jun, 2017. "Institutional investment horizon, the information environment, and firm credit risk," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 57-71.
    2. Driss, Hamdi & Drobetz, Wolfgang & El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane, 2021. "Institutional investment horizons, corporate governance, and credit ratings: International evidence," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    3. Buchanan, Bonnie & Kaya, Caglar, 2024. "Foundation ownership and creditor governance: Evidence from publicly listed companies," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    4. Mohd Saad, Noriza & Haniff, Mohd Nizal & Ali, Norli, 2020. "Corporate governance mechanisms with conventional bonds and Sukuk’ yield spreads," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    5. Sakaki, Hamid & Jory, Surendranath Rakesh, 2019. "Institutional investors' ownership stability and firms' innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 10-22.
    6. Chou, Julia & Ng, Lilian & Wang, Qinghai, 2011. "Are better governed funds better monitors?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(5), pages 1254-1271.
    7. Ballester, Laura & González-Urteaga, Ana & Martínez, Beatriz, 2020. "The role of internal corporate governance mechanisms on default risk: A systematic review for different institutional settings," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    8. Rahaman, Mohammad M. & Zaman, Ashraf Al, 2013. "Management quality and the cost of debt: Does management matter to lenders?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 854-874.
    9. Emma García-Meca & Felix López-Iturriaga & Fernando Tejerina-Gaite, 2017. "Institutional Investors on Boards: Does Their Behavior Influence Corporate Finance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(2), pages 365-382, December.
    10. Chakravarty, Sugato & Rutherford, Leann G., 2017. "Do busy directors influence the cost of debt? An examination through the lens of takeover vulnerability," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 429-443.
    11. Mohamed Abulgasem A. Elhaj & Nurul Aini Muhamed & Nathasa Mazna Ramli & Nor Balkish Zakaria, 2016. "Ownership Monitoring Mechanism over Sukuk Credit Rating," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 6(12), pages 700-720, December.
    12. Chia-Ying Chan & Iftekhar Hasan & Chih-Yung Lin, 2021. "Agency cost of CEO perquisites in bank loan contracts," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1221-1258, May.
    13. Ghouma, Hatem & Ben-Nasr, Hamdi & Yan, Ruiqian, 2018. "Corporate governance and cost of debt financing: Empirical evidence from Canada," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 138-148.
    14. Dafydd Mali & Hyoung‐joo Lim, 2021. "Do Relatively More Efficient Firms Demand Additional Audit Effort (Hours)?," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 31(2), pages 108-127, June.
    15. Andreas Hoepner & Ioannis Oikonomou & Bert Scholtens & Michael Schröder, 2016. "The Effects of Corporate and Country Sustainability Characteristics on The Cost of Debt: An International Investigation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1-2), pages 158-190, January.
    16. Lim, Youngdeok, 2011. "Tax avoidance, cost of debt and shareholder activism: Evidence from Korea," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 456-470, February.
    17. Takanori Tanaka, 2014. "Gender diversity in the boards and the pricing of publicly traded corporate debt: evidence from Japan," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 247-258, February.
    18. Pathan, Shams & Haq, Mamiza & Faff, Robert & Seymour, Trent, 2021. "Institutional investor horizon and bank risk-taking," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    19. Liu, Yukun & Wu, Xi, 2023. "How does shareholder governance affect the cost of borrowing? Evidence from the passage of anti-takeover provisions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(2).
    20. Zhao, Qiuhong & Ziebart, David A., 2015. "SOX and bondholders' reliance on monitors," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 129-137.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Institutional investors; Credit ratings; Active investors;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

    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:spr:jecfin:v:41:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s12197-015-9332-8. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.