The Announcement Effects of Off-Market Share Repurchases in Australia

Abstract

This paper investigates the price and volume behaviour around the announcement of a type of off-market repurchase (equal access repurchases) in Australia. In contrast to US studies which document abnormal returns of around 8% for off-market repurchases, we find much smaller but significant abnormal returns of around 1.2% on the announcement date for equal access repurchases. The evidence suggests that the abnormal returns are related to the discount-to-market price at which the offer is made (which reflects special taxation arrangements). We also document a dramatic increase in trading volume on the announcement and subsequent day and argue that this trading may be motivated by the level of tax benefits passed on to participating shareholders.