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Too Risky To Hold? The Effect of Downside Risk, Accumulated Equity Wealth, And Firm Performance on CEO Equity Reduction

Author

Listed:
  • Elie Matta

    (GREGH - Groupement de Recherche et d'Etudes en Gestion à HEC - HEC Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Jean Mcguire

    (E.J Ourso College of Business - LSU - Louisiana State University)

Abstract

Although the alignment effect of equity ownership is often studied with emphasis on changes in firm strategy, the exposure of CEOs' firm-specific wealth to firm risk is more easily controlled by changing their level of equity holdings than by changing firm strategic risk. We rely on prospect theory and the behavioral theory of the firm to examine the antecedents of CEO equity reduction and investigate whether it serves to decouple CEO wealth from firm risk. Given its central role in loss avoidance, we underline the effect of the firm's downside risk and distinguish the total loss potential on equity holdings from the loss potential due to firm-specific factors. Allowing for own-performance referents, we also consider firm performance and the value of a CEO's equity holdings in the analysis. Based on a sample of 208 U.S. CEOs for the years 1997–1999, we find empirical support for the role of downside risk and firm performance in CEO equity reductions. Implications on incentive alignment through equity ownership are presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Elie Matta & Jean Mcguire, 2008. "Too Risky To Hold? The Effect of Downside Risk, Accumulated Equity Wealth, And Firm Performance on CEO Equity Reduction," Post-Print hal-00486650, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00486650
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1070.0334
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth N. K. Lim & Brian T. McCann, 2014. "Performance Feedback and Firm Risk Taking: The Moderating Effects of CEO and Outside Director Stock Options," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 262-282, February.
    2. Chiu, Shih-Chi (Sana) & Pathak, Seemantini & Sabz, Azadeh, 2022. "The impact of advisor status on corporate divestitures and market reactions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 107-121.
    3. Kyoung Yong Kim & Pankaj C. Patel, 2021. "A Multilevel Contingency Model of Employee Ownership and Firm Productivity: The Moderating Roles of Industry Growth and Instability," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 625-648, May.
    4. John S. Marsh & Rachel Graefe-Anderson, 2018. "Undermining incentives: CEO reactions to compensation rebalancing," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(2), pages 365-391, June.
    5. Xian Cao & Junyon Im, 2018. "Founder human capital and new technology venture R&D search intensity: the moderating role of an environmental jolt," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 625-642, March.
    6. Xue-Feng Shao & Kostas Gouliamos & Ben Nan-Feng Luo & Shigeyuki Hamori & Stephen Satchell & Xiao-Guang Yue & Jane Qiu, 2020. "Diversification and Desynchronicity: An Organizational Portfolio Perspective on Corporate Risk Reduction," Risks, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-16, May.
    7. Farrukh Naveed & Muhammad Ishfaq & Zahid Maqbool, 2021. "The downside risk of mutual funds: Does the quality of corporate governance matter? Empirical evidence from Pakistan," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(5), pages 376-388, September.
    8. Pathak, Seemantini & Chiu, Shih-Chi (Sana), 2020. "Firm-advisor ties and financial performance in the context of corporate divestiture," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 315-328.
    9. Xie, En & Fang, Alex Junyi & Chen, Xin & Wu, Zhan & Kumar, Vikas, 2022. "Performance feedback on sales growth goal and OFDI location choices for firms in emerging economies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(4).

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