Shining a Light in a Dark Corner: EDGAR Search Activity Reveals the Strategically Leaked Plans of Activist Investors
60 Pages Posted: 1 Jun 2020 Last revised: 26 Mar 2021
Date Written: May 28, 2020
Abstract
We provide evidence of a network of information flow between activists and other investors prior to 13D filings. We match EDGAR search activity to investor IP addresses, identifying specific investors who persistently download information on an individual activist’s campaign targets in the days prior to that activist’s 13D disclosures. This apparent leaking of activist campaign plans seems to benefit both parties: the informed investor, unnamed in the 13D, increases its holdings in the targeted stock prior to the price surge upon 13D disclosure, while the activist earns voting support that increases their likelihood of pursuing and winning a proxy fight.
Keywords: Activist campaigns, Investor coordination, Investor search activity, Proxy fights
JEL Classification: G14, G30, G34, G38
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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