Small cap financial reporting: Determinants of emphasis and placement of non-GAAP disclosures

This study examines the determinants of emphasis on non-GAAP disclosures in the earnings announcements of small cap companies. Two proxies of non-GAAP information emphasis are investigated—placement of the first non-GAAP disclosure and placement of the non-GAAP to GAAP reconciliation required by Regulation G. Using hand-collected data from fourth quarter press releases, we find evidence indicating that small cap firms place a higher level of emphasis on non-GAAP financial measures when GAAP earnings suggest lower value-relevance and when their shares are owned by a higher proportion of institutional investors. We also find that small cap companies decrease the level of emphasis placed on non-GAAP information as their listing tenure increases.