Disclosure regulations work: The case of regulation G

Regulators and standard setters strive to enhance the transparency of corporate disclosures. To address concerns regarding the improper use of non-GAAP financial measures, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) implemented Regulation G and related amendments in 2003. US firms that report non-GAAP earnings must now reconcile them with the most directly comparable GAAP earnings, which are presented with equal or greater prominence than non-GAAP earnings. This paper examines the effect of Regulation G on analysts’ information environment for non-GAAP reporting firms. Before Regulation G, non-GAAP earnings reporting is associated with less accurate, more positively biased, and more dispersed analysts’ earnings forecasts. By contrast, the quality of analysts’ earnings forecasts for non-GAAP reporting firms is enhanced by higher accuracy, less bias, and lower dispersion after Regulation G. The case for Regulation G making non-GAAP disclosures more transparent may be relevant for regulators and standard setters when considering future disclosure regulations.