Mergers and Acquisitions and the Valuation of Firms Marcelo Bianconi, Tufts University* Chih Ming Tan, University of North Dakota Yuan Wang, Tufts University Joe Akira Yoshino, FEA-Ecconomics-USP Abstract We use EV/EBITDA as a measure of firm value and the financial fundamental ratios price to sales ratio, debt to equity ratio, market to book ratio and financial leverage as controls to measure the effect of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on firm value. We use a large panel of 65,000 M&A deals globally from the Communications, Technology, Energy and Utilities sectors between the years of 2000 to 2010. First, we find significant contemporaneous effects of the financial fundamental ratios on firm value. Second, we find evidence of negative long-term M&A effects and positive instantaneous M&A impact on firm value because EV moves faster relative to a slow moving EBITDA. Finally, we find that the effect of M&A on firm value in the financial crisis of 2008 is much distinct from the same effect during the recession of 2001. Keywords: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A), firm value, EV/EBITDA, treatment effect, DID estimation, propensity score matching JEL Classification Codes: G34, C31, C33 Contact: * Bianconi: Professor of Economics,
[email protected] Preliminary, October 2014 Comments Welcome We thank Dan Richards for helpful comments and Tufts University for use of the High- Performance Computing Research Cluster. Any errors are our own. ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. Introduction Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a general term used to refer to the consolidation of companies. It is part of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing, spinning and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or new location, without creating a subsidiary, other new entity or using a joint venture.