The purpose of our study is to find out if insiders in Sweden generate abnormal earnings through insider trades. We want to pinpoint the cause for abnormal earnings by dividing transactions after company market value, size of the trade and type of insider. A quantitative approach using the market model have been used. We have conducted an event study over two short term event windows. We conclude that insiders in Sweden generate positive abnormal earnings for sales and negative for purchases in our ?long? event window.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if the stock market reacts differently to accounting information, depending on the stock market climate. The study focuses solely on stocks listed on the OMX Stockholm 30 during each year from 2005 to 2009. By applying the concept of Earnings Response Coefficient we can estimate how the market reacts to accounting information. The dependent variable in the equation is the market reaction on unexpected earnings, in the study described as the abnormal return on stock. For quality purposes we measure this on a ±1,5,10 and 20 days basis.

In this thesis we study the development of post-earnings announcement drift (PEAD) in the Swedish equity market from 2000 to 2009. By forming portfolios based on the stock price reaction to quarterly reporting we show that the characteristics of PEAD have changed. We demonstrate that negatively surprising companies show a positive drift during a holding period of six months sufficiently large to render the trading strategy unprofitable. This development holds from 2005 and onwards and these results contradict many a study which finds the same portfolio construction to be indeed profitable. We argue that this development is a trend that will not only affect our study but future studies as well..

This paper seeks to investigate whether there is a positive relationship between bonus as a part of total executive compensation and lower accounting quality among Swedish companies. In this study, accounting quality is defined as the degree by which a company's earnings are subject to earnings management. To detect earnings management accrual-based modified Jones model is applied to companies listed on the Large-, Mid- and Small-Cap lists on the Stockholm stock exchange during 2011. We find a statistically significant positive relationship between bonus as a part of total executive compensation and lower accounting quality. Thus, in line with prior research, our results suggest that managers, interested in maximizing their bonus, will select income increasing accruals to manage earnings upwards.

In line with Sloan (1996) but on European data (STOXX 600) we are investigating whether stock prices reflect information about future earnings contained in the accrual and cash flow components. The extent to which current earnings performance persists into the future earnings performance is shown to depend on the relative magnitudes of the cash and accrual components of current earnings. Moreover, we still find a significant positive excess return (Jensen?s alpha and size-adjusted return) by replicating Sloans (1996) hedge portfolio by taking a long position in the stock of firms reporting relatively low levels of accruals and a short position in the stock of firms reporting relatively high levels of accruals. However, we find no evidence of negative excess returns for companies with relatively high accruals, this somewhat lower the total excess returns for all the portfolios.

In line with Sloan (1996) but on European data (STOXX 600) we are investigating whether stock prices reflect information about future earnings contained in the accrual and cash flow components. The extent to which current earnings performance persists into the future earnings performance is shown to depend on the relative magnitudes of the cash and accrual components of current earnings. Moreover, we still find a significant positive excess return (Jensen?s alpha and size-adjusted return) by replicating Sloans (1996) hedge portfolio by taking a long position in the stock of firms reporting relatively low levels of accruals and a short position in the stock of firms reporting relatively high levels of accruals. However, we find no evidence of negative excess returns for companies with relatively high accruals, this somewhat lower the total excess returns for all the portfolios.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate if the companies listed on Nasdaq/OMX Stockholm Large Cap use the earnings management phenomenon Big Bath Accounting to a greater extent when a change of management (CEO) is made.Management tends to use earnings management when there is a bonus plan linked to the result of the company. To gain maximum bonus the management will try to manipulate the result in a way that in a long term maximize their utility. Through the earnings management technique Big Bath the management is given the possibility to take one large cost as a one-time expend, even though the cost is supposed to run over several financial years. This, of course, within the legal framework. A big bath may occur when there is an impairment of goodwill, tangible and/or intangible assets or larger provisions for future expense, or both of them at the same time..

Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka huruvida det går att skapa överavkastning påden svenska aktiemarknaden genom att använda sig av strategin 52?week highmomentum. Uppsatsen syftar även till att undersöka huruvida eventuell överavkastningkan härledas till bolagsstorlek. Metod: Aktierna i dataurvalet rangordnas i förhållande till sina årshögsta. Portföljenkonstrueras genom att gå lång i de 30 % av aktierna som ligger närmast sitt årshögstaoch gå kort i de 30 % av aktierna som ligger längst ifrån sitt årshögsta.

A multivariate cross-sectional model is used in this thesis to proxy for expected earnings and to estimate return on equity for 214 companies over the period 2009-2013, using Swedish data. The model, which has never been tested on Swedish data before, is first confirmed to function as a forecasting model for expected return. Furthermore, the model is evaluated through a comparison with two univariate models based on the assumption that return on equity follows a mean reversion process. Forecast accuracy is calculated as the difference of estimated returns and actual returns. The results show that the univariate models' forecasts are superior to the multivariate model's..

Background: Goodwill has always been frequently discussed and a lot of scientific research has been done regarding factors that affect companies? impairment of goodwill. Previous research has concluded that companies reporting low results are more prone to do impairments of goodwill than companies reporting better results which possibly can be seen as a form of earnings management.Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to examine if goodwill impairments occur to a greater extent among Swedish listed companies when the companies are reporting lower earnings. A subsidiary purpose is to see if there has been an improvement since 2008 regarding the size of reported goodwill in comparison to equity in the years 2009-2011. And to analyze the development of the companies goodwill impairments in relation to reported goodwill.Methodology: Three quantitative studies have been performed for the years 2009-2011 where all the listed companies on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm have been included.

Resultaten visar på att abnormal earnings model är en mertillförlitlig modell i förhållande till dividend growth model. Dettafrämst då abnormal earnings model grundar sig på mer tillgängliginformation samt att tillväxträntan i dividend growth model harkonstaterats vara orealistiskt hög. Analytikers prognoser tenderaratt vara optimistiska i början av undersökningsperioden 2000-2002. Perioden 2003-2007 präglas mer av pessimistiskavinstprognoser. Marknadens riskpremie fluktuerar mindre underperioden 2005-2007, vilket kan förklaras utav införandet av IFRSår 2005..

This is a study to see the relationship between earnings per share and dividends during a period of both boom and depression. The study will focus on companies listed on Stockholm stock exchange and see if they follow theories from the past and if the dividend is smooth over times with a fluctuant economy. To see this we had this problem:Is it a relationship between earnings per share and dividend during a fluctuant economy, also if there is a difference between the different Caps on Stockholm stock exchange?We studied 163 stocks of the 293 listed stock on Stockholm stock exchange during a period of 8 years. The study is focused on the time period between year 2005 and year 2012.

SammandragProblematisering: Tilla?ter kvinnliga revisorer en la?gre ma?ngd av earnings management a?n sina manliga kollegor? En va?ldigt liten del av den befintliga kvantitativa forskningen inom earnings management har fokuserat pa? om det finns skillnader i hur kvinnliga respektive manliga revisorer va?ljer att begra?nsa earnings management i ett fo?retag. Dessa underso?kningar har gjorts i la?nder som enligt World Economic Forum (WEF, 2013) rankas bland de ho?gsta i va?rlden na?r det kom- mer till ja?msta?lldhet, och det finns da?rfo?r en osa?kerhet ifall deras empiriska resultat kan appliceras i andra la?nder. A? andra sidan finns det forskning som tyder pa? att sociala strukturer sa?som ja?m- sta?lldhet pa?verkar inte bara skillnaderna mellan kvinnor och ma?n utan ocksa? synen pa? resultat manipulering.

SammandragProblematisering: Tilla?ter kvinnliga revisorer en la?gre ma?ngd av earnings management a?n sina manliga kollegor? En va?ldigt liten del av den befintliga kvantitativa forskningen inom earnings management har fokuserat pa? om det finns skillnader i hur kvinnliga respektive manliga revisorer va?ljer att begra?nsa earnings management i ett fo?retag. Dessa underso?kningar har gjorts i la?nder som enligt World Economic Forum (WEF, 2013) rankas bland de ho?gsta i va?rlden na?r det kom- mer till ja?msta?lldhet, och det finns da?rfo?r en osa?kerhet ifall deras empiriska resultat kan appliceras i andra la?nder. A? andra sidan finns det forskning som tyder pa? att sociala strukturer sa?som ja?m- sta?lldhet pa?verkar inte bara skillnaderna mellan kvinnor och ma?n utan ocksa? synen pa? resultat manipulering.

Bakgrund och problem: Årsredovisningar har till syfte att redovisa information om företagets finansiella situation. Om det finns felaktigheter i denna information påverkar det företagets intressenter. Idag finns det möjligheter för vd:n att påverka resultatet via olika tekniker i den riktning som han/hon anser är lämplig.  Det kan finnas olika anledningar bakom dessa aktioner och en som uppmärksammats är att vd:ns relation till styrelsen kan ha inverkan på användandet av earnings management. I denna studie har vår avsikt varit att undersöka om det finns något samband i användandet av earnings management och vd:ns inblandning i styrelsen.Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka om earnings management förekommer i större omfattning i företag där vd:n är invald i styrelsen än företag där vd:n inte är med i styrelsenMetod: Studien har använts sig av en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi, där utgångspunkten har varit en deduktiv forskningsansats. I insamlandet av data har vi använt oss av en metod som heter innehållsanalys.