Successful merger decisions in Greece: Facts or delusions?

Abstract

This study examines the success of merger decision in Greece during the last years through an extensive accounting study. The events of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) that have been performed from all merger-involved firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange in the period from 2005 to 2007 are evaluated using accounting data (financial ratios), and from them the final sample of the study that is finally investigated consists from thirty five Greek firms, which executed one merger or acquisition in the period from 2005 to 2007 as acquirers and have not performed any other important acquiring decision in a three-year-period before or after the examined M&As transactions. For the purpose of the study, a set of sixteen ratios is employed, in order to measure firms’ post-merger performance and to compare pre- and post-merger performance for three years (or two years or one year) before and after the M&As announcements (with data analysis from 2002 to 2010). Furthermore the impact of the means of payment, of international or domestic M&As and of conglomerate or non-conglomerate mergers are evaluated. The results revealed that mergers have not any impact on the post-merger performance of the acquiring firms. Thus, the final conclusion that conducted is that the M&As activities of the Greek listed firms of this research have not lead them to enhanced post-merger accounting performance. Last, from the research results, it is clear that there is no difference from the mean of payment (cash or stock exchange) on the post-merger performance at the acquiring firms, and there is a better performance for international and conglomerate M&As.