Question

A pharmaceutical company announces that it has received Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a new allergy drug that completely prevents hay fever. The consensus analyst forecast for the company’s earnings per share (EPS) is $5.00, and insiders agree with analyst expectations. They too expect that, with this new drug, earnings will drive the EPS to $5.00. If the markets are assumed to exhibit strong form efficiency, what will happen when the company releases its next earnings report?

a. There will be some volatility in the stock price when the earnings report is released; it is difficult to determine the impact on the stock price.
b. The stock price will not change, because the market had already incorporated the information about the FDA approval announcement in the stock price.
c. The stock price will increase and settle at a new equilibrium level.

Answer 1

b. The stock price will not change, because the market had already incorporated the information about the FDA approval announcement in the stock price.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the markets are strong form efficient, it means the consensus of the market related to future impact of FDA approval on earnings would be correct, the stock price of today correctly estimates the future earnings, and therefore the stock price would not change when the earnings are released.