Inefficiency in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts

Inefficiency in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts PDF Author: John C. Easterwood
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
A rational analysis of analyst behavior predicts that analysts immediately and without bias incorporate information into their forecasts. Several studies document analysts' tendency to systematically underreact to information and are inconsistent with rationality. Other studies indicate that analysts systematically overreact to new information or that they are systematically optimistic. This study discriminates between these three hypotheses by examining the interaction between the nature of information and the type of reaction by analysts. The evidence indicates that analysts underreact to negative information, but overreact to positive information. These results are consistent with systematic optimism in response to information.

Inefficiency in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts

Inefficiency in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts PDF Author: John C. Easterwood
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
A rational analysis of analyst behavior predicts that analysts immediately and without bias incorporate information into their forecasts. Several studies document analysts' tendency to systematically underreact to information and are inconsistent with rationality. Other studies indicate that analysts systematically overreact to new information or that they are systematically optimistic. This study discriminates between these three hypotheses by examining the interaction between the nature of information and the type of reaction by analysts. The evidence indicates that analysts underreact to negative information, but overreact to positive information. These results are consistent with systematic optimism in response to information.

Inefficiency in Analysts' Forecasts

Inefficiency in Analysts' Forecasts PDF Author: John C. Easterwood
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Investment advisors
Languages : en
Pages : 66

Get Book Here

Book Description


Market Perceptions of Efficiency and News in Analyst Forecast Errors

Market Perceptions of Efficiency and News in Analyst Forecast Errors PDF Author: Gia Marie Chevis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Financial analysts are considered inefficient when they do not fully incorporate relevant information into their forecasts. In this dissertation, I investigate differences in the observable efficiency of analysts' earnings forecasts between firms that consistently meet or exceed analysts' earnings expectations and those that do not. I then analyze the extent to which the market incorporates this (in)efficiency into its earnings expectations. Consistent with my hypotheses, I find that analysts are relatively less efficient with respect to prior returns for firms that do not consistently meet expectations than for firms that do follow such a strategy, especially when prior returns convey bad news. However, forecast errors for firms that consistently meet expectations do not appear to be serially correlated to a greater extent than those for firms that do not consistently meet expectations. It is not clear whether the market considers such inefficiency when setting its own expectations. While the evidence suggests they may do so in the context of a shorter historical pattern of realized forecast errors, other evidence suggests they may not distinguish between predictable and surprise components of forecast error when the historical forecast error pattern is more established.

Inefficiency in Earnings Forecasts

Inefficiency in Earnings Forecasts PDF Author: Douglas E. Stevens
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Prior archival studies of analysts' forecasts have found evidence for systematic underreaction, systematic overreaction, and systematic optimism bias. Easterwood and Nutt (1999) attempt to reconcile the conflicting evidence by testing the robustness of Abarbanell and Bernard's (1992) underreaction results to the nature of the information. Consistent with systematic optimism, forecasts are found to underreact to negative earnings information but overreact to positive information. However, Easterwood and Nutt are unable to distinguish between misreaction caused by incentives unique to analysts with misreaction caused by human decision bias that may be typical of investors. We address this issue by analyzing forecast reactions to positive versus negative information in the controlled experimental setting of Gillette, Stevens, Watts, and Williams (1999). This experimental setting has the potential to detect human decision bias because it is void of potentially confounding incentives of analysts, contains a simple forecasting objective (a random-walk series), and provides learning opportunities and economic incentives to minimize forecast error. We find a systematic forecast underreaction to both positive and negative information, and the underreaction is generally greater for positive information than negative information. These results suggest that prior empirical evidence of forecast overreaction to positive information is unlikely to be attributable to human decision bias.

Biased Forecasts or Biased Earnings? The Role of Reported Earnings in Explaining Apparent Bias and Over/Underreaction in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts

Biased Forecasts or Biased Earnings? The Role of Reported Earnings in Explaining Apparent Bias and Over/Underreaction in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts PDF Author: Jeffery S. Abarbanell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 52

Get Book Here

Book Description
We demonstrate the role of three empirical properties of cross-sectional distributions of analysts' forecast errors in generating evidence pertinent to three important and heretofore separately analyzed phenomena studied in the analyst earnings forecast literature: purported bias (intentional or unintentional) in analysts' earnings forecasts, forecaster over/underreaction to information in prior realizations of economic variables, and positive serial correlation in analysts' forecast errors. The empirical properties of interest include: the existence of two statistically influential asymmetries found in the tail and the middle of typical forecast error distributions, the fact that a relatively small number of observations comprise these asymmetries and, the unusual character of the reported earnings benchmark used in the calculation of the forecast errors that fall into the two asymmetries that is associated with firm recognition of unexpected accruals. We discuss competing explanations for the presence of these properties of forecast error distributions and their implications for conclusions about analyst forecast rationality that are pertinent to researchers, regulators, and investors concerned with the incentives and judgments of analysts.Previously titled quot;Biased Forecasts or Biased Earnings? The Role of Earnings Management in Explaining Apparent Optimism and Inefficiency in Analysts' Earnings Forecastsquot.

Interactions Between Analyst Earnings Forecasts and Management Earnings Forecasts

Interactions Between Analyst Earnings Forecasts and Management Earnings Forecasts PDF Author: Lawrence D. Brown
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 38

Get Book Here

Book Description
We examine interactions between analyst earnings forecasts and management earnings forecasts by investigating: (1) managers' comparative efficiency relative to analysts at incorporating past earnings changes, accruals, stock returns and analyst-based earnings surprises into their earnings forecasts; (2) extent to which analyst inefficiencies in incorporating these four pieces of publicly available information into their earnings forecasts prompt managers to issue earnings forecasts; and (3) role of these four pieces of information at improving analyst forecasts after they have observed management forecasts. We show that: (1) unlike analysts, managers do efficiently incorporate information from past returns into their earnings forecasts; (2) analysts' failure to incorporate past returns information into earnings forecasts is the primary trigger for managers to issue their own earnings forecasts; and (3) after management forecasts, analyst forecasts improve most significantly with respect to incorporating past returns information.

The Inefficient Use of Macroeconomic Information in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts in Emerging Markets

The Inefficient Use of Macroeconomic Information in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts in Emerging Markets PDF Author: Gerben J. de Zwart
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Get Book Here

Book Description
This paper presents empirical evidence that security analysts do not efficiently use publicly available macroeconomic information in their earnings forecasts for emerging market stocks. Analysts completely ignore forecasts on political stability, while these provide valuable information for firm-level earnings growth. Analysts do incorporate output growth forecasts, but these actually bear no relevant information for firm-level earnings growth. Inflation forecasts are taken into account correctly. In addition, the information environment appears to be crucially important in emerging markets, as we find evidence that analysts handle macroeconomic information in a better way for more transparent firms.

A Review of Research Related to Financial Analysts' Forecasts and Stock Recommendations

A Review of Research Related to Financial Analysts' Forecasts and Stock Recommendations PDF Author: Sundaresh Ramnath
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 117

Get Book Here

Book Description
This paper reviews research regarding the role of financial analysts in capital markets. The paper builds on the perspectives provided by Schipper (1991) and Brown (1993). We categorize papers published mainly since 1992 and selectively discuss aspects of these papers that address or suggest key research topics of ongoing interest in seven broad areas: analysts' decision processes, the determinants of analyst expertise and distributions of individual analysts' forecasts, the informativeness of analysts' research outputs, analyst and market efficiency with respect to information, effects of analysts' economic incentives on their research outputs, effects of the institutional and regulatory environment (including cross-country comparisons), and the limitations of databases and various research paradigms.

Analysts' Use of Accruals and Cash Flows in Forecasting Earnings

Analysts' Use of Accruals and Cash Flows in Forecasting Earnings PDF Author: Ramesh Narayana Chari
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Get Book Here

Book Description
This research investigates whether financial analysts fully incorporate the information contained in accrual and cash flow components of current earnings when forecasting future earnings. I present evidence that analysts fail to fully incorporate the implications of these components for earnings persistence in their forecasts. Analysts' appear to ignore information in past earnings to a greater extent when the magnitude of accruals in prior year earnings is large relative to cash flows. I find that information in these components can be used to improve analysts' forecasts. This improvement is most evident for firms which have a high incidence of accruals in prior year earnings. I demonstrate the economic significance of improving analysts' forecasts by implementing a trading strategy that predicts stock price changes. This trading strategy yields significantly positive risk-adjusted abnormal returns. These results suggest that analysts' forecasting inefficiency (see Mendenhall, 1991) is potentially rooted in their misperceptions about the implications of accruals and cash flows for earnings persistence. These findings are useful to accounting standard-setters and to capital markets research that uses analysts' forecasts to proxy for earnings expectations.

Financial Analysts' Forecasts and Stock Recommendations

Financial Analysts' Forecasts and Stock Recommendations PDF Author: Sundaresh Ramnath
Publisher: Now Publishers Inc
ISBN: 1601981627
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 125

Get Book Here

Book Description
Financial Analysts' Forecasts and Stock Recommendations reviews research related to the role of financial analysts in the allocation of resources in capital markets. The authors provide an organized look at the literature, with particular attention to important questions that remain open for further research. They focus research related to analysts' decision processes and the usefulness of their forecasts and stock recommendations. Some of the major surveys were published in the early 1990's and since then no less than 250 papers related to financial analysts have appeared in the nine major research journals that we used to launch our review of the literature. The research has evolved from descriptions of the statistical properties of analysts' forecasts to investigations of the incentives and decision processes that give rise to those properties. However, in spite of this broader focus, much of analysts' decision processes and the market's mechanism of drawing a useful consensus from the combination of individual analysts' decisions remain hidden in a black box. What do we know about the relevant valuation metrics and the mechanism by which analysts and investors translate forecasts into present equity values? What do we know about the heuristics relied upon by analysts and the market and the appropriateness of their use? Financial Analysts' Forecasts and Stock Recommendations examines these and other questions and concludes by highlighting area for future research.