Selling to buy: Asset sales and acquisitions

Christos P. Mavis, Nathan P. McNamee, Dimitris Petmezas and Nickolaos G. Travlos

Journal of Corporate Finance, 2020, vol. 62, issue C

Abstract: This study explores the impact of joint corporate asset restructuring decisions, where firms sell an asset in order to fund a subsequent acquisition (selling-to-buy). We find that firms with asset sales are associated with increased acquisition probability. The effect is more pronounced for financially constrained firms. We also show that, in addition to the established improved firm efficiency from focus-increasing asset sales, financially constrained firms obtain the necessary funds to conduct focus-increasing acquisitions, improving further their efficiency. This translates into both higher long-run operating performance and stock abnormal returns at the asset sale announcement.

Keywords: Asset sales; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Operating efficiency; Abnormal returns; Financial constraints (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G14 G32 G34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:corfin:v:62:y:2020:i:c:s0929119920300316

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101587

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