Federal ID: 91-6001537
ISSN: 0022-1090 (Print) | 1756-6916 (Online)
Uncovering Financial Constraints
Matthew Linn and Daniel Weagley
♦ We use a random forest model to classify firms’ financial constraints using only financial variables. Our methodology expands the range of classified firms compared to text-based measures while maintaining similar levels of informativeness. We construct two versions of our constraint measures, one using many firm characteristics and the other using a small set of more primitive characteristics. Using our measures, we find that institutional investors hold a lower percentage of shares in equity-focused constrained firms, while retail investors show a preference for them. Equity issuance and investment of constrained firms also increases during periods of high investor sentiment.
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