We use earnings forecasts from a cross-sectional model to proxy for cash flow expectations and estimate the implied cost of capital (ICC) for a large sample of firms over 1968-2008. The earnings forecasts generated by the cross-sectional model are superior to analysts' forecasts in terms of...

We correlate analysts' forecast errors with temporal variation in investor sentiment. We find that when sentiment is high, analysts' forecasts of one-year-ahead earnings and long-term earnings growth are relatively more optimistic for “uncertain” or “difficult to value” firms. Adding...

The primary question addressed in this study is whether firm-specific ERCs - i.e., slope coefficients obtained from time-series regressions of abnormal returns on earnings surprises - are helpful in predicting price responses to future earnings surprises. Fundamental analysis involves both...

DuPont analysis, a common form of financial statement analysis, decomposes return on net operating assets into two multiplicative components: profit margin and asset turnover. These two accounting ratios measure different constructs and, accordingly, have different properties. Prior research has...

This paper examines the consequences of expectations management for the usefulness of analyst forecasts in firm valuation. Specifically, I compare the performances of valuation models estimated using manipulated versus non-manipulated forecasts to predict firms' intrinsic values. The results...

We examine the role of investment opportunities as a determinant of the relative importance of cash flows from operations (CFO) and accruals in firm valuation. We find that at low investment-opportunity levels, CFO value-relevance increases with investment opportunities. When investment...

In this paper, we assess the degree to which ERCs reported in the literature may be attenuated due to measurement errors in the proxies for the earnings expected by the market. We use the cross-sectional dispersion of analyst forecasts as a variable to calibrate the measurement error inherent in...

We examine the stock price benefit of meeting or beating earnings expectations. Using a general methodology, we find no compelling evidence that the timing of earnings news benefits firms' stock returns. Our results appear to overturn the findings of previous authors who, using less general...

Manipulation of earnings or analyst earnings expectations is costly to firms. Manipulators of earnings and/or analyst earnings expectations therefore are likely to report earnings that precisely meet or narrowly beat analyst earnings forecasts, resulting in a zero or small positive earnings...

This paper examines whether industry efforts to increase uniformity and improve transparency of a non-GAAP performance measure change manager behavior and market perceptions. We find that the frequency of REITs meeting or beating analysts' expectations of funds from operations (FFO) decreased...