Initial Offer Precision and M&A Outcomes

Building on recent research in social psychology, this paper analyzes the link between the precision of initial cash offers and mergers and acquisition (M&A) outcomes. About one-half of the offers are made at the precision of one or five dollars per share, while an additional one-third are made at the precision of a half dollar or one quarter. The practice of making offers at round price-per-share levels is associated with a higher purchase price for target shares and a lower probability of deal completion.