Characterizing the Risk of IPO Long-Run Returns: The Impact of Momentum, Liquidity, Skewness, and Investment

Financial Management, Vol. 40, pp. 1067-1086, 2011

36 Pages Posted: 27 Aug 2009 Last revised: 3 May 2012

See all articles by Richard B. Carter

Rick Dark

Iowa State University - College of Business

Ioannis V. Floros

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee - Department of Finance

Travis Sapp

Iowa State University - Department of Finance

Date Written: November 24, 2010

Abstract

We study 6,686 IPOs spanning the period 1981-2005 and find that the new issues puzzle disappears in a Fama-French three-factor framework. IPOs do not underperform in the aftermarket on a risk-adjusted basis and do not underperform a matched sample of non-issuers. IPO underperformance is concentrated in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and IPO’s either perform the same as the market, or outperform on a risk-adjusted basis, during 1998-2005. We find that outperformance in the later period is driven by large firms. Factors for momentum, investment, liquidity, and skewness help to explain aftermarket returns, although size and book-to-market tend to proxy for skewness. IPO investors receive smaller expected returns due to negative momentum and investment exposure and in exchange for higher liquidity.

Keywords: Initial public offering, momentum, liquidity, skewness, investment, new issues puzzle

JEL Classification: G12, G24, G30

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Carter, Richard B. and Dark, Frederick H. and Floros, Ioannis V. and Sapp, Travis, Characterizing the Risk of IPO Long-Run Returns: The Impact of Momentum, Liquidity, Skewness, and Investment (November 24, 2010). Financial Management, Vol. 40, pp. 1067-1086, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1463015