Did the Recognition of Operating Leases Cause a Decline in Equity Valuations?

We examine whether investors display a lack of attention by not incorporating relevant public information into equity valuations. Beginning in 2019, ASC 842 requires the recognition of operating leases, which were previously only disclosed in the financial statement footnotes. This change in accounting standard results in firms with significant operating leases recognizing a considerable increase in debt. We find that firms with significant operating leases, on average, earned negative stock returns around the initial recognition of their operating leases. We find that the negative reaction to operating lease recognition does not vary with firm-level proxies for investor attention, which suggests a pervasive lack of attention to operating lease disclosures prior to ASC 842. Our results provide new evidence consistent with investors suffering from limited attention and equity prices reflecting a lack of fundamental analysis.