The performance effects of European demergers

This paper examines security price reactions of European demergers. For a period ranging from one and a half years prior to the demerger announcement through to three years after the execution date, the relative performance of the parent, spin-off and the combined effect is analysed relative to the overall market performance. Significant announcement effects were established for a sample of 48 European demergers. In addition, significant positive long-term value creation, in particular in year 2 after the demerger, was found for the spin-off but not for the parent firm. While size has, on average, a decisive but inverse impact on performance for both parent and spin-off, takeover activity does not.