This study's underlying premise is that current pension plan accounting has two important negative effects. First, it distorts the measurement of earnings and net worth in the short run, as well as the pattern of earnings over future periods. Second, this distortion can send incorrect signals to...

In this paper we address three issues in accounting-based equity valuation: (i) How are valuation parameters related to earnings persistence and accounting conservatism when earnings components aggregate, or add up, in valuation? (ii) What does aggregation of earnings components in valuation...

This study empirically investigates the information dynamics of the Ohlson valuation framework. Single-period lagged linear autoregressive relationships among dividends, earnings, and book values of equity are estimated for a sample of stochastically stationary firms and are found not to support...

This article offers a model that articulates how the capitalization of costs affects contemporaneous earnings and the growth path of expected earnings. It makes three points. First, reported earnings under successful efforts are more price-relevant than earnings under full costing or full...

How does the presence of a growth option affect expected earnings growth? This paper analyzes a firm with one growth option and an accrual accounting policy that, in the absence of a growth option, would equate accounting earnings to Hicksian earnings. Under this accounting policy, the presence...

Contrary to the common perception that operating cash flows are better than accounting earnings at explaining equity valuations, recent studies suggest that valuations derived from industry multiples based on reported earnings are closer to traded prices than those based on reported operating...

In an efficient capital market, asset prices vary when investors change their expectations about cash flows, discount rates, or both. Using dividends to measure cash flows, previous research shows that the aggregate dividend-price ratio varies due to changes in expected discount rates (returns)...

In this study we investigate the relation between dividend changes and future profitability. We find that dividend changes are positively associated with future profitability after controlling for (i) past profitability, (ii) the effect of invested equity capital on past, current and future...

The paper demonstrates empirically that GAAP earnings have properties to serve as a substitute for dividends in equity valuation analysis. Dividends reduce subsequent GAAP earnings, and quot;intrinsicquot; equity prices calculated by forecasting earnings are thus reduced by current dividends....

Practitioners and some academics use potential dividends rather than actual payments to shareholders for valuing a firm's equity. We underline the differences between the two methods and present some arguments supporting the thesis that firm valuation with potential dividends overstate the...