Avyttringars inverkan på säljande bolags aktiekurs : En studie på den svenska marknaden med hänsyn till branschtillhörighet, finansieringsalternativ och konjunkturläge

Sammanfattning: Background: Previous studies on the subject, contrary to corresponding studies on mergers and acquisitions, have shown significant positive market reactions from all over the world on the announcements of divestitures. However, similar studies have not been done on the Swedish market. There are split opinions on the origin of the abnormal returns from the announcements of divestitures, but the economic cycle, choice of payment method and industry affiliation are recurring explaining variables in event studies. Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate the effect on shareholder wealth from the announcements of a divestiture on the Swedish market during the period from 1997-2017, as well as investigating how the abnormal returns are affected by the economic cycle, choice of payment method and industry affiliation. Completion: The study is conducted using the event study methodology and a deductive approach. Historical time series from divesting companies share prices are used to estimate expected returns which are then compared to actual returns to decide whether the announcement of a divestiture has an impact on shareholder wealth. Results: The study finds significant results that divesting companies’ shareholder wealth are positively affected by the announcement of a divestiture for both event windows (-3, +3) and (-1, +1). For each separate day within the event window the authors find statistically significant returns for day T-2 and T0. The authors find no statistically significant differences between the returns regarding the economic cycle. Regarding the choice of method of payment, it is concluded that payment through stock generates excess returns when compared to other financing alternatives. No differences could be found between different industry affiliations.