Choice of Payment in German Mergers and Acquisitions. An Empirical Analysis of Bidder-Acquisition and Business Cycles

Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Operations Research, European School of Business Reutlingen, language: English, abstract: This thesis investigates the choice of payment method in German M&A. It aims at identifying which determinants are most influential in explaining the choice of payment method in German M&A. The focus, thereby, is on bidder-, acquisition-, and business cycle characteristics. To provide empirical evidence, 207 German acquisitions conducted during January 2003 to December 2010 are closely studied. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are among the most important and influential investment decisions made by a company. Consequently, M&A have attracted immense attention from both academics and professionals. Among the various topics that have been studied in M&A, the method of payment has been the subject of numerous researches both theoretically and empirically. These studies highlight that the method of payment is one of the most critical elements of the M&A process and its choice may well determine both the ability to complete the acquisitions and the future success of the merged entities. The choice of payment method in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has significant diverse implications for the bidder, the target, and the shareholders of both parties. Therefore, it is driven by distinct factors. This becomes evident when examining the choice of payment method in M&A more closely. Consistent with earlier empirical studies, the logistic regressions'analysis shows that there are several characteristics that affect the choice of payment method. Particularly, the findings suggest that the characteristics of the bidder are most influential in determining the payment method for German M&A. That is to say, the larger a bidder’s total assets, a bidder’s cash holdings, and the relative size of the bidder to the target, the higher the probability of cash payments in German M&A. On the contrary, the higher a bidder’s leverage ratio and the higher a bidder’s tangible assets, the more likely share payments are employed. In addition, a rising stock market index also indicates a higher probability of cash payment in German M&A. Overall, the findings of this paper corroborate common theories and empirical studies. However, similar to other studies on the choice of payment method the analysis shows inconsistent results for some characteristics. This can be partly explained by country-specific characteristics. However, it can also be justified by the selection of the samples, the time, and the undertaking of the study.