Journal of Banking & Finance Vol. 43 2014
The sources of shareholder wealth gains from going private transactions: The role of controlling shareholders
Abstract
The present study investigates the sources of shareholder wealth gains – as measured by cumulative abnormal returns and premiums – from going private transactions (GPTs). Using data for 314 GPTs from 18 Western European countries, we find that the announcements of GPTs generate a cumulative average abnormal return of about 22% and that pre-transaction shareholders on average receive a raw premium of about 36%. We further find that these shareholder wealth gains increase with the degree of separation of cash-flow and control rights of the pre-transaction ultimate owner and decrease with its ownership interests and with the presence of a second large shareholder. Taken together, these findings support the view that GPTs are expected to mitigate the inefficiencies induced by pre-transaction agency problems between controlling and minority shareholders. Thus, shareholder wealth gains from GPTs reflect the potential additional value that will be created under private ownership.
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2014.03.025
- Volume
- 43
- Pages
- 226-246
- Language
- en
- Sources
- openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib