Abstract/Summary

Using real estate investment trusts as a unique laboratory, we investigate the impact of investor sentiment on seasoned equity offering (SEO) price dynamics. Evidence indicates that investor sentiment is positively related to pre-SEO overpricing and probability of issuance. SEOs issued in high sentiment periods have larger discounts and higher first day returns. We also find that high sentiment periods are followed by low long-run returns, suggesting that sentiment does not proxy for unobservable fundamentals. Overall, our findings are consistent with market timing and behavioral explanations for equity offerings.