The market value of cash holdings from related-party sales: The role of source of cash flows

Abstract

This paper finds that investors evaluate cash holdings differently based on the source of cash flows. Using cash flows from related-party sales as a proxy for diverse sources, we find that shareholders discount the value of cash holdings for firms with higher cash flows from related-party sales. We find that firms use related-party sales cash flows differently; cash flows from related-party sales are more likely to be retained as internal cash reserves or distributed as dividends, rather than utilised for necessary investments. We further document a negative valuation of investments for firms with more related-party sales.