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Journal of Accounting Research Vol. 47 No. 1 2009

Do Industry‐Level Analyses Improve Forecasts of Financial Performance?

Patricia M. Fairfield1; Sundaresh Ramnath2; Teri Lombardi Yohn3

1 Georgetown University · 2 University of Miami · 3 University of California, Berkeley

Abstract

Prior research documents mean reversion in firm profitability and growth under the implicit assumption that profitability and growth of all firms revert to a common benchmark at the same rate. However, a large body of academic research suggests that there are systematic interindustry differences (e.g., industry barriers to entry) that differentially affect firm performance based on industry membership. We evaluate the relative forecast accuracy of mean reverting models at the industry and economywide levels and find that industry‐specific models are generally more accurate in predicting firm growth but not profitability.

DOI
10.1111/j.1475-679x.2008.00313.x
Volume
47
Issue
1
Pages
147-178
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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