Which Matters? Accuracy or Boldness? Analysts Earnings Forecast and Institutional Holdings

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effect of financial analysts' earnings forecast on the institutional trading. In specific, we address three issues regarding the effect of financial analysts earnings forecast on the institutional holdings: (1) Do institutional investors pay more attention and more sensitive to analyst earnings forecast with higher forecast accuracy? (2) Do institutional investors prefer analysts with higher accuracy on earnings forecast? (3) Do institutional investors prefer analysts with bold attitude toward earnings forecast? Firstly, our empirical results show that institutional investors do pay attention to the accuracy of financial analysts earnings forecast. That is, firms with higher accuracy of analysts' earnings forecast tend to attract more institutional investors' attention and thus higher institutional holdings. Secondly, our results evidence that institutional investors prefer analysts with higher accuracy in their earnings forecast. That means institutional investors tend to follow more closely those analysts whose earnings forecasts are more accurate. Finally, we find that institutional investors in general are indifferent to the boldness of analysts earnings forecast. However, institutional investors will pay more attention and follow more closely those analysts whose earnings forecasts are not only accurate but also close to the consensus.