The Desire to Acquire and IPO Long-Run Underperformance

Abstract

We analyze a sample of 4,795 IPOs that went public between 1985 and 2003 to determine the impact of acquisition activity on long-run stock performance. After controlling for relevant factors, we find that IPOs that acquire within a year of going public significantly underperform for three-year holding periods following the first year, whereas non-acquiring IPOs do not significantly underperform over this time frame. In addition, firms that wait for more than a year after the IPO to become an acquirer do not underperform. Our event- and calendar-time results suggest that the acquisition activity of newly public firms plays an important and previously unrecognized role in the long-run underperformance of IPOs.

Keywords: Initial Public Offering (IPO), Long-Run Stock Performance, Merger and Acquisition (M&A)