Timeliness of goodwill impairment in Brazilian companies

Abstract

This article aimed to examine the timeliness of goodwill impairment perceived by the Brazilian capital market. Despite it being widely studied internationally, the timeliness of goodwill impairment has not yet been empirically investigated in Brazil, given that previous studies focus on the determinants of this loss, on its disclosure, or on manager behavior. This question is relevant primarily due to the context of standardization of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which has discussed possibilities for altering the treatment of goodwill. It is also important for investors, since a lack of timeliness affects the utility of accounting information for these users. The study provides indications that the discretion of the impairment test is used opportunistically, altering the moment of recognition of a goodwill loss. This shows the need for a joint effort between monitoring agents and standard-setting bodies to guide the use of discretion, as well as changes in manager behavior. It also indicates that the current rule for recording impairment fails in providing timely information, as it provides a shielding effect against losses. The study used non-financial companies listed on the B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão that had goodwill recognized in the 2010-2020 period. The analysis considered two dependent variables, applying a logistic regression to explain the recognition or not of goodwill impairment and a tobit model to predict its value. To examine timeliness, the current and lagged annual returns on shares were used. The findings suggest that losses through goodwill impairment are not recognized in a timely manner and that managers delay recording them by at least one to two years, with stronger indications of late recognition in two years. In addition, the loss amount can be influenced by returns occurring up to three years before its recording.