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Crisis Poison Pills

Author

Listed:
  • Eldar, Ofer

    (Duke U)

  • Wittry, Michael D.

    (Ohio State U)

Abstract

We show that a large number of firms adopt poison pills during periods of market turmoil. In particular, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many firms adopted poison pills in response to declines in valuations, and stock prices increased upon their announcements. This increase is driven by (1) firms in which activist shareholders acquire ownership stakes, (2) firms in industries that had high exposure to the crisis. Likewise, we find a positive reaction to pills with characteristics that target activist investors. Our results suggest that crisis pills that target potentially disruptive ownership changes may benefit current shareholders.

Suggested Citation

  • Eldar, Ofer & Wittry, Michael D., 2020. "Crisis Poison Pills," Working Paper Series 2020-06, Ohio State University, Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:ohidic:2020-06
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    Cited by:

    1. Rüdiger Fahlenbrach & Kevin Rageth & René M Stulz, 2021. "How Valuable Is Financial Flexibility when Revenue Stops? Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis [The risk of being a fallen angel and the corporate dash for cash in the midst of COVID]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(11), pages 5474-5521.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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