Acquisitions, Profitability, and Growth: A Study of Canadian Firms

Abstract

Large acquisitions in the United States by Canadian firms lower growth prospects and profitability of Canadian companies. Results are driven by post-acquisition performance of the largest Canadian industries, including oil & gas, mining and precious metals, which together account for almost 40 percent of Canadian firms with asset size above 100 million reported in Compustat research files. Cross-border acquisitions of firms in high tech industries do not improve performance of Canadian firms.