Earnings Manipulation and the Cost of Capital

The widespread use of accounting information by investors and financial analysts to help value stocks creates an incentive for managers to manipulate earnings in an attempt to influence short-term stock price performance. This paper examines the role of earnings management in affecting a firm’s cost of capital. Using an agency model with multiple firms whose cash flows are correlated, we demonstrate that the extent of earnings manipulation varies across the business cycle. Managers are more inclined to engage in manipulation during periods of economic expansion. Because of this dependence on the state of the economy, earnings manipulation influences a firm’s cost of capital despite the forces of diversification. In particular, we find that manipulation reduces the correlation between the firms’ cash flows and thus lowers the risk premium required by investors. JEL classification: G12, M41