Long-run equity performance of firms that restate financial statements

Purpose The authors investigate how the stock market reacts to financial restatements using the restatements data from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO-06-678). In particular, the purpose of this paper is to examine the long-run equity performance of the restating firms, for holding periods of one to five years after the announcements of restatements. Design/methodology/approach This paper measures the long-run stock performance of restating firms with the buy-and-hold abnormal returns and time-series regression analyses based on Fama-French's (1993) three-factor model and Carhart's (1997) four-factor model. Findings The authors find that restating firms significantly underperform in the long run compared with their peers matched by industry, size and book-to-market. Restating firms' underperformance is confirmed with time-series regression analyses based on Fama-French's (1993) three-factor model and Carhart's (1997) four-factor model. Further, the authors find the negative long-run abnormal performance of restating firms is primarily driven by large firms. The authors also report that self-prompted restatements and improper revenue accounting-triggered restatements result in worse long-run abnormal performance. Originality/value This paper is the first paper that thoroughly investigates the long-run stock returns of the firms that restate financial statements by fully considering the size effect.