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Journal of Finance Vol. 51 No. 5 1996

Expectations and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns.

Rafael La Porta

Abstract

Previous research has shown that stocks with low prices relative to book value, cash flow, earnings, or dividends (that is, value stocks) earn high returns. Value stocks may earn high returns because they are more risky. Alternatively, systematic errors in expectations may explain the high returns earned by value stocks. The author tests for the existence of systematic errors using survey data on forecasts by stock market analysts. He shows that investment strategies that seek to exploit errors in analysts' forecasts earn superior returns because expectations about future growth in earnings are too extreme.

Volume
51
Issue
5
Pages
1715-42
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib

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