Corporate events happen in waves. In this paper, we examine the timing patterns of five different types of corporate event waves (new stock and seasoned equity issues, stock and cash-inanced acquisitions, and stock repurchases) using a comprehensive dataset of more than 151,000 corporate...

Prior literature documents that acquirers earn declining returns to acquisitions as they continue acquiring. Using a novel typology of serial acquirers, we show that subsequent acquisitions by acquirers are predictable ex ante. Controlling for market anticipation, there is little evidence that...

We show that the characteristics of serial acquirers are very different from those studied in prior research. Specifically, we find four major types of acquirers common in the data – loners, occasional acquirers, sprinters, and marathoners. Importantly, these acquirers can be distinguished on...

Serial acquirers conduct the vast majority of acquisitions in the U.S. Serial acquirers appear to strategically shift between methods of payment based on changes in their own characteristics, using overvalued stock in stock-financed acquisitions during short windows of opportunity. Acquirer...

This paper explores the impact of target CEOs' retirement preferences on takeovers. Using retirement age as proxy for CEOs' private merger costs, we find strong evidence that target CEOs' preferences affect merger activity. The likelihood of receiving a successful takeover bid is sharply higher...

Billett and Xue (2007) document that the ex ante (pre-repurchase) takeover probability has a positive and significant impact on share repurchases, but there is no evidence that share repurchases are indeed associated with fewer ex post takeover bids. We examine whether share buyback deters...

We test a prediction from the corporate focus literature that cross-industry spinoff distributions, where the continuing and spunoff units belong to different two-digit Standard Industry Classification codes, create more value than own-industry spinoffs. Our results indicate significant value...

Analysis of the causes of failure has often been shallow. This paper proposes an explanation as to why some mergers fail to achieve, based on the comparison between merging firms' specifics. We argue that cancellation may stem from dividend policy dissimilarity between the acquirer and the...

Various studies have analyzed the main determinants of payment method in M&As since the 1980s. We examine how relative the existing dividend policy of the acquirer affects the choice of the payment method. Based on the contingent-pricing effect of stock offer, we hypothesize that the likelihood...

Various studies have analyzed the main determinants of payment method in M&As since the 1980s. We survey 2,260 US acquisitions to determine how relative the existing dividend policy of the acquirer affects the choice of the payment method. Based on the contingent-pricing effect of stock offer,...