Financial Analyst Characteristics and Accuracy in EPS Forecasting

Abstract

Based on the financial data of firms listed in Taiwan Stock Exchange and EPS forecasts from security companies for the listed firms, we explore the effects of analyst characteristics on the accuracy of earnings forecasts, and then discuss if these effects would generate different outcomes under different market environment, nationality of analysts, and industry attributes. The empirical results show that analyst characteristics proposed are important factors to explain the variations of EPS forecast accuracy. Also, the empirical results can make investors in the market clearer about under which circumstances and factors analysts' earnings forecasts would be more accurate so as to avoid making undesirable investment decisions due to incorrect data of earnings forecasts.