← Search

Analysts' Forecasts, Earnings, Variability, and Option Pricing: Empirical Evidence.

Lane A. Daley; David W. Senkow; Robert L. Vigeland

University of Minnesota. 1

The Accounting Review 1988

Abstract ABSTRACT: This study investigates empirical relations that are consistent with the hypothesis that variance in analysts' forecasts of earnings (i.e., disagreement among analysts) is useful as an ex ante measure of the market's aggregate uncertainty regarding a future earnings signal. We hypothesize and test for a positive association between the variance of analysts' forecasts and (1) the ex post magnitude of unexpected earnings. (2) the ex post variance of returns around the actual earnings announcement date. and (3) the average variance of return to maturity implied by prices of options maturing after the earnings announcement date. Our results generally confirm that the disagreement among analysts' earnings forecasts Is a useful Indicator of the market's aggregate uncertainty regarding future earnings announcements.

DOI
10.2308/tar-4482557
Volume
63 (4)
Pages
563-585
Language
en
Export
BibTeX
Sources
openalex crossref