The Impact of Integrated Reporting on Analysts’ Forecasts

Shareholders are very interested in the relationship between Integrated Reporting and analyst forecast accuracy. Integrated Reporting is deemed to reduce information asymmetry between the company and shareholders. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence on the relationship between Integrated Reporting and analyst forecast accuracy. Analyst forecast accuracy is examined for a global sample of companies that adopted Integrated Reporting, companies that get assurance on Integrated Reporting, companies that receive assurance on their integrated reports by one of the Big 4, and for a south african sample, companies that are mandated to use Integrated Reporting. Information for analysts' forecasts is retrieved from the I/B/E/S database and information for Integrated Reporting is retrieved from the GRI Sustainability Disclosure Database. We do not find a significant impact of Integrated Reporting on analyst forecast errors. Similarly, attestation of the reports by bigger or smaller audit firms does not seem to affect analysts' forecast accuracy. In South Africa however, a positive impact on analysts' forecast accuracy is observed suggesting that the effect of mandatory integrated disclosures is important for analysts' forecasts.