Interfirm differences in earnings variability: an analysis of fundamentals, cash flows and accruals

Abstract

Prior research shows that the time-series variability of corporate earnings affects forecasting accuracy and corporate risk, yet little is known about the determinants of earnings variability. This study analyses interfirm differences in earnings variability. Large-sample evidence shows how the ratio of accrual variability to cash-flow variability varies across a cross-section of firms and how these components and the correlation between contemporaneous cash flows and accruals are related to key economic fundamentals.