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Journal of Accounting and Economics Vol. 27 No. 2 1999

Earnings management by acquiring firms in stock for stock mergers

Merle Erickson1; Shiing‐wu Wang2

1 University of Chicago · 2 University of Southern California

Abstract

We investigate whether acquiring firms attempt to increase their stock price prior to a stock for stock merger in order to reduce the cost of buying the target. In a sample of stock for stock mergers completed between 1985 and 1990, we find that acquiring firms manage earnings upward in the periods prior to the merger agreement. Our results also indicate that the degree of income increasing earnings management is positively related to the relative size of the merger.

DOI
10.1016/s0165-4101(99)00008-7
Volume
27
Issue
2
Pages
149-176
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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