The impact of divestitures on companies share price and operating performance for companies listed on the JSE

Abstract

The backdrop of this study is derived from a paper by Dranikoff et al (2002). To illustrate their point, Dranikoff et al argue that farm owners actively and continuously prune dead and weak branches from their farm tress in order to keep them healthy. However, in comparison, Dranikoff argues that executives spend a lot of time acquiring business (planting trees and growing them) but rarely devote any attention to divesting them. As a consequence, their empirical findings indicate that the executives end up selling the business often too late and at a low price, sacrificing shareholder value. This study investigates company’s portfolio restructuring activities. Specifically, the study aims to analyse company’s listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) Stock Exchange. As in the analogy of a farmer, do these company’s keep planting trees and growing them? If they keep growing, is there any evidence that executives engage in pruning activities, to what extent and the overall impact of those activities. Overall, divestitures have been researched across varying fields of study. Researchers have investigated the topic from a Strategic, Finance and Operational perspective. Their findings have returned varying results respectively. On their impact on company’s share price, these studies have indicated both positive and negative (although on a less regular basis) impact. Copyright