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Do Managers Use Meeting Analyst Forecasts To Signal Private Information? Evidence From Patent Citations, Katherine Gunny, Tracey Chunqi Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines whether firms manage earnings to meet analyst forecasts to signal superior future performance. Prior research finds that firms use earnings management to just meet analyst forecasts and that these firms have a positive association with future performance (Bartov et al., 2002). There are two potential explanations for the positive association – signaling and attaining benefits that allow for better future performance (i.e., the real benefits explanation). Prior studies cannot provide evidence of signaling because they do not control for the real benefits explanation. Our research design enables us to control for the real benefits explanation because we …