Does the quality of acquisitions inform bond rating revisions?

Qi Chang, Harjeet Singh Bhabra and Gurmeet Singh Bhabra

Accounting and Finance, 2020, vol. 60, issue 1, 149-182

Abstract: A bond rating upgrade (downgrade) is more likely when preceded by acquisitions that meet with positive (negative) announcement‐period abnormal returns suggesting that decisions of rating agencies are partly influenced by the quality of investments undertaken by companies. Parsing the sample along takeover motives reveals that rating upgrades are more likely in value‐creating acquisitions motivated by synergy while acquisitions motivated by agency considerations are more likely to elicit a rating downgrade. Following a rating downgrade however, firms seem to significantly alter their investment policies as such firms tend to make fewer but higher quality acquisitions. In addition, value creation through synergy seems to be the dominant motive in acquisitions for downgraded firms post rating downgrade.

Date: 2020
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