Can Mutual Fund Managers Pick Stocks? Evidence from Their Trades Prior to Earnings Announcements

31 Pages Posted: 4 Nov 2008

See all articles by Malcolm P. Baker

Malcolm P. Baker

Harvard Business School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Lubomir P. Litov

University of Oklahoma - Michael F. Price College of Business; University of Pennsylvania - Wharton Financial Institutions Center

Jessica A. Wachter

University of Pennsylvania - Finance Department; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Securities and Exchange Commission

Jeffrey Wurgler

NYU Stern School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 2005

Abstract

We measure the stock-picking skill of mutual fund managers based on the returns realized around the subsequent earnings announcements of the stocks that they hold and trade. Relative to standard methodologies, this approach exploits the most informative segments of the returns data and ameliorates the joint hypothesis problem inherent in tests of stock-picking skill. Consistent with skilled trading, we find that, on average, stocks that funds buy earn significantly higher returns at subsequent earnings announcements than stocks that they sell. According to our measures of skill, certain funds perform persistently better than others, and the best performers tend to have a growth objective, large size, high turnover, and use incentive fees to motivate managers.

Suggested Citation

Baker, Malcolm P. and Litov, Lubomir P. and Wachter, Jessica A. and Wurgler, Jeffrey A., Can Mutual Fund Managers Pick Stocks? Evidence from Their Trades Prior to Earnings Announcements (February 2005). NYU Working Paper No. SC-AM-05-02, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1295166

Malcolm P. Baker

Harvard Business School ( email )

Boston, MA 02163
United States
617-495-6566 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.people.hbs.edu/mbaker

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Lubomir P. Litov

University of Oklahoma - Michael F. Price College of Business ( email )

307 West Brooks
Norman, OK 73019-4004
United States

University of Pennsylvania - Wharton Financial Institutions Center

2306 Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall
3620 Locust Walk
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United States

Jessica A. Wachter

University of Pennsylvania - Finance Department ( email )

The Wharton School
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
215-898-7634 (Phone)
215-898-6200 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
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United States

Securities and Exchange Commission ( email )

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Washington, DC 20549
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Jeffrey A. Wurgler

NYU Stern School of Business ( email )

Stern School of Business
44 West 4th Street, Suite 9-190
New York, NY 10012-1126
United States
212-998-0367 (Phone)
212-995-4233 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~jwurgler/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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