Accounting concepts dictate that separately disclosed components should contain separate useful information. This paper examines the relations between income statement components and analysts' earnings forecasts and ...Accounting concepts dictate that separately disclosed components should contain separate useful information. This paper examines the relations between income statement components and analysts' earnings forecasts and forecast errors. Regressions explaining earnings forecasts using earnings components provide a better fit than regression using just aggregate income to explain forecasts. We interpret this as consistent with the hypothesis that analysts use incremental information in components not available in aggregate income. However, additional tests based on predictability of forecast errors indicate that analysts do not incorporate all information available in components into earnings forecasts. In addition, this inefficiency appears to increase at longer forecast horizons.展开更多
文摘Accounting concepts dictate that separately disclosed components should contain separate useful information. This paper examines the relations between income statement components and analysts' earnings forecasts and forecast errors. Regressions explaining earnings forecasts using earnings components provide a better fit than regression using just aggregate income to explain forecasts. We interpret this as consistent with the hypothesis that analysts use incremental information in components not available in aggregate income. However, additional tests based on predictability of forecast errors indicate that analysts do not incorporate all information available in components into earnings forecasts. In addition, this inefficiency appears to increase at longer forecast horizons.