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Ownership concentration and firm risk: the moderating role of mid-sized blockholders

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  • Silvia Rossetto

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Nassima Selmane

    (University of Groningen [Groningen])

  • Raffaele Stagliano

    (University of Messina)

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between mid-sized blockholders and firm risk. We show that ownership structure matters for firm risk beyond the first largest blockholder. Firms with multiple blockholders take more risk than firms with just one blockholder, even when controlling for the stake of the largest blockholder. Consistent with the diversification argument, we find that firm risk increases by 22% when the number of blockholders increases from one to two. Our results are robust to controlling for blockholder type and firm characteristics. We carry out various robustness checks to tackle endogeneity issues. More generally, we provide evidence that firms' decisions are affected by mid-sized blockholders and not merely the largest blockholder. This is in line with theoretical predictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvia Rossetto & Nassima Selmane & Raffaele Stagliano, 2022. "Ownership concentration and firm risk: the moderating role of mid-sized blockholders," Post-Print hal-04067634, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04067634
    DOI: 10.1111/jbfa.12634
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04067634
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Blockholders; Corporate governance; Firm risk; Ownership structure; Volatility of operating performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • 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

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