Skip to main content

Tobin’s q

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
  • 54 Accesses

Abstract

Tobin’s q is the ratio of the market value of a firm to the replacement cost of its assets, a statistic that depends on the firm’s profitability and financial markets’ required rate of return. Although there are a variety of measurement issues, including the distinction between marginal and average q, Tobin’s q can be used to predict investment spending or to control for a firm’s current and future profitability in empirical studies of corporate structure and behaviour.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 8,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Abel, A. 1983. Optimal investment under uncertainty. American Economic Review 73: 228–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abel, A., and O. Blanchard. 1986. The present value of profits and cyclical movements in investment. Econometrica 54: 249–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, P., and E. Ofek. 1995. Diversification’s effect on firm value. Journal of Financial Economics 37: 39–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, O., C. Rhee, and L. Summers. 1993. The stock market, profit, and investment. Quarterly Journal of Economics 108: 115–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, S., and J. Cummins. 2000. The stock market and investment in the new economy: Some tangible facts and intangible fictions. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2000(1): 61–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brainard, W., J. Shoven, and L. Weiss. 1980. The financial valuation of the return to capital. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1980(2): 453–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brainard, W., and J. Tobin. 1968. Pitfalls in financial model-building. American Economic Review 58: 99–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung, K., and S. Pruitt. 1994. A simple approximation of Tobin’s q. Financial Management 23: 70–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, J., K. Hassett, and S. Oliner. 2006. Investment behavior, observable expectations, internal funds. American Economic Review 96: 796–810.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denis, D., D. Denis, and A. Sarin. 1994. The information content of dividend changes: Cash flow signaling, overinvestment, and dividend clienteles. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 29: 567–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, T., and T. Whited. 2000. Measurement error and the relationship between investment and q. Journal of Political Economy 108: 1027–1057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, W. and Mayer, C. 2006. What can we learn about the sensitivity of investment to stock prices with a better measure of Tobin’s q? Working paper, Columbia University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilchrist, S., and C. Himmelberg. 1995. Evidence on the role of cash flow in reduced-form investment equations. Journal of Monetary Economics 36: 541–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gomes, J. 2001. Financing investment. American Economic Review 91: 1263–1285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayashi, F. 1982. Tobin’s marginal q and average q: A neoclassical interpretation. Econometrica 50: 213–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, R. 1998. Capital market imperfections and investment. Journal of Economic Literature 36: 193–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keynes, J.M. 1936. The general theory of employment, interest, and money. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang, L., and R. Litzenberger. 1989. Dividend announcements: Cash flow signaling vs. free cash flow hypothesis? Journal of Financial Economics 24: 181–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang, L., R. Stulz, and R. Walkling. 1989. Managerial performance, Tobin’s q, and the gains from successful tender offers. Journal of Financial Economics 24: 137–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D., and J. Tompkins. 1999. A modified version of the Lewellen and Badrinath measure of Tobin’s q. Financial Management 28: 20–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewellen, W., and S. Badrinath. 1997. On the measurement of Tobin’s q. Journal of Financial Economics 44: 77–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindenberg, E., and S. Ross. 1981. Tobin’s q ratio and industrial organization. Journal of Business 54: 1–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas Jr., R., and E. Prescott. 1971. Investment under uncertainty. Econometrica 39: 659–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, J., and H. Servaes. 1990. Additional evidence on equity ownership and corporate value. Journal of Financial Economics 27: 595–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morck, R., A. Shleifer, and R. Vishny. 1988. Management ownership and market valuation: An empirical analysis. Journal of Financial Economics 20: 293–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morck, R., A. Shleifer, and R. Vishny. 1990. The stock market and investment: Is the market a sideshow? Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1990(2): 157–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mussa, M. 1977. External and internal adjustment costs and the theory of aggregate and firm investment. Economica 44: 163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opler, T., and S. Titman. 1993. The determinants of leveraged buyout activity: Free cash flow vs. financial distress costs. Journal of Finance 48: 1985–1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perfect, S., and K. Wiles. 1994. Alternative constructions of Tobin’s q: An empirical comparison. Journal of Empirical Finance 1: 313–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rajan, R., H. Servaes, and L. Zingales. 2000. The diversification discount and inefficient investment. Journal of Finance 55: 35–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salinger, M. 1984. Tobin’s q, unionization, and the concentration-profits relationship. RAND Journal of Economics 15: 159–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Servaes, H. 1991. Tobin’s q and the gains from takeovers. Journal of Finance 46: 409–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. 1981. Investment and q in a stock valuation model. Southern Economic Journal 47: 1007–1020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Summers, L. 1981. Taxation and corporate investment: A q-theory approach. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1981(1): 67–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Titman, S., and R. Wessels. 1988. The determinants of capital structure choice. Journal of Finance 43: 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, J. 1969. A general equilibrium approach to monetary theory. Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking 1: 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Furstenberg, G. 1977. Corporate investment: Does market valuation matter in the aggregate? Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1977(2): 347–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yermack, D. 1996. Higher market valuation of companies with a small board of directors. Journal of Financial Economics 40: 185–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Smith, G. (2018). Tobin’s q. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2829

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics