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Identifying Peer Firms: Evidence from EDGAR Search Traffic


Charles M.C. Lee


Stanford University - Graduate School of Business

Paul Ma


Stanford University - Department of Economics

Charles C. Y. Wang


Harvard Business School

November 21, 2012

Harvard Business School Accounting & Management Unit Working Paper No. 13-048
Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University Working Paper No. 128

Abstract:     
Using Internet traffic patterns from the Securities and Exchange Commission Electronic Data-Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) website, we show that firms appearing in chronologically adjacent searches by the same individual are fundamentally similar on multiple dimensions. In fact, traffic-based peer firms identified by our algorithm significantly outperform peer firms based on six-digit Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) groupings in explaining cross-sectional variations in base firms’ stock returns, valuation multiples, forecasted and realized growth rates, research and development expenditures, and various other key financial ratios. Our results highlight the usefulness of EDGAR data, as well as the latent intelligence in search traffic patterns.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 38

Keywords: peer firms, EDGAR search traffic, revealed preference

JEL Classification: G0, M2

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Date posted: November 6, 2012 ; Last revised: February 21, 2013

Suggested Citation

Lee, Charles M.C., Ma, Paul and Wang, Charles C. Y., Identifying Peer Firms: Evidence from EDGAR Search Traffic (November 21, 2012). Harvard Business School Accounting & Management Unit Working Paper No. 13-048; Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University Working Paper No. 128. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2171497 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2171497

Contact Information

Charles M.C. Lee
Stanford University - Graduate School of Business ( email )
Stanford Graduate School of Business
655 Knight Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5015
United States
650-721-1295 (Phone)

Paul Ma
Stanford University - Department of Economics ( email )
365 Galvez St
Stanford, CA 94305
United States
HOME PAGE: http://stanford.edu/~paulma
Charles C. Y. Wang (Contact Author)
Harvard Business School ( email )
Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States
Feedback to SSRN (Beta)


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