Mutual funds' reporting frequency and firms' responses to undervaluation: The role of share repurchases

Abstract

We examine a regulatory change that increased the reporting frequency of mutual funds' portfolios. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that firms with greater ownership by mutual funds increase share repurchases following the regulatory change. We show that these share repurchases are a firm's rational response to undervaluation, which occurs because fund managers become shortsighted following the regulation and sell companies with good long-term prospects. Collectively, our results shed light on an unintended consequence of more frequent reporting in a delegated asset management framework.