Do Shareholders of Acquiring Firms Gain from Acquisitions?

Dice Center Working Paper No. 2003-4

38 Pages Posted: 15 May 2003

See all articles by Sara B. Moeller

Sara B. Moeller

University of Pittsburgh - Finance Group

Frederik P. Schlingemann

University of Pittsburgh - Finance Group; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

René M. Stulz

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Finance; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

We examine a sample of 12,023 acquisitions by public firms from 1980 to 2001. Shareholders of these firms lost a total of $218 billion when acquisitions were announced. Though shareholders lose throughout our sample period, losses associated with acquisition announcements after 1997 are dramatic. Small firms gain from acquisitions, so that shareholders of small firms gained $8 billion when acquisitions were announced and shareholders of large firms lost $226 billion. We examine the cross-sectional variation in the announcement returns of acquisitions. Small firm shareholders earn systematically more when acquisitions are announced. This size effect is typically more important than how an acquisition is financed and than the organizational form of the assets acquired. The only acquisitions that have positive aggregate gains are acquisitions of subsidiaries.

Keywords: Acquisitions, bidder gains, size effect, organizational form

JEL Classification: G31, G32, G34

Suggested Citation

Moeller, Sara B. and Schlingemann, Frederik Paul and Stulz, Rene M., Do Shareholders of Acquiring Firms Gain from Acquisitions?. Dice Center Working Paper No. 2003-4, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=383560 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.383560

Sara B. Moeller

University of Pittsburgh - Finance Group ( email )

372 Mervis Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States

Frederik Paul Schlingemann

University of Pittsburgh - Finance Group ( email )

368A Mervis Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States
(412) 648 1847 (Phone)
(412) 648 1693 (Fax)

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Rene M. Stulz (Contact Author)

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Finance ( email )

2100 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1144
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/fin/faculty/stulz

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
1,795
Abstract Views
7,175
Rank
12,281
PlumX Metrics