The evolution of capital structure and operating performance after leveraged buyouts: Evidence from U.S. corporate tax returns

Jonathan B. Cohn, Lillian Mills and Erin M. Towery

Journal of Financial Economics, 2014, vol. 111, issue 2, 469-494

Abstract: This study uses corporate tax return data to examine the evolution of firms' financial structure and performance after leveraged buyouts (LBOs) for a comprehensive sample of 317 LBOs taking place between 1995 and 2007. We find little evidence of operating improvements subsequent to an LBO, although consistent with prior studies, we do observe operating improvements in the set of LBO firms that have public financial statements. We also find that firms do not reduce leverage after LBOs, even if they generate excess cash flow. Our results suggest that effecting a sustained change in capital structure is a conscious objective of the LBO structure.

Keywords: Leveraged buyouts; Private equity; Capital structure; Corporate governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G32 G34 H25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (35)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304405X13002961
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:111:y:2014:i:2:p:469-494

DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2013.11.007

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Financial Economics is currently edited by G. William Schwert

More articles in Journal of Financial Economics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().