Is the U.S. public corporation in trouble?

Kathleen Kahle and René Stulz

No 22857, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We examine the current state of the U.S. public corporation and how it has evolved over the last 40 years. After falling by 50 percent since its peak in 1997, the number of public corporations is now smaller than 40 years ago. These corporations are now much larger and over the last twenty years have become much older; they invest differently, as the average firm invests more in R&D than it spends on capital expenditures; and compared to the 1990s, the ratio of investment to assets is lower, especially for large firms. Public firms have record high cash holdings and, in most recent years, the average firm has more cash than long-term debt. Measuring profitability by the ratio of earnings to assets, the average firm is less profitable, but that is driven by smaller firms. Earnings of public firms have become more concentrated – the top 200 firms in profits earn as much as all public firms combined. Firms’ total payouts to shareholders as a percent of earnings are at record levels. Possible explanations for the current state of the public corporation include a decrease in the net benefits of being a public company, changes in financial intermediation, technological change, globalization, and consolidation through mergers.

JEL-codes: D22 G24 G30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-acc and nep-his
Note: CF
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published as Kathleen M. Kahle & René M. Stulz, 2017. "Is the US Public Corporation in Trouble?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(3), pages 67-88, Summer.

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Journal Article: Is the US Public Corporation in Trouble? (2017)
Working Paper: Is the U.S. Public Corporation in Trouble? (2017)
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