Control variables for M&A announcement returns as dependent variable. In testing the relationship between LSM and M&A announcement returns, we include the following deal-level control variables. We first control for related deals. Prior research suggests that acquiring related firms is associated with positive market reactions (King et al., 2004). This control variable receives a value of “1” if the acquirer and the target firms operate in the same industry, specified by the two-digit SIC code, and “0” otherwise. The market may perceive hostile takeovers differently from friendly takeovers (Jarrell, Brickley, & Netter, 1988); thus, we control for whether a deal is hostile, with hostile deals coded as “1” and “0” otherwise. We classify a deal as a hostile takeover if the SDC records the bid as “hostile” or “unsolicited.” Research suggests that acquisitions of public and private firms are associated with different stock market reactions (Capron & Shen, 2007). We therefore control for public target firms, which receive a value of “1” if the target firms are public and “0” if the target firms are private. Research finds that relative size between acquiring firms and target firms influences M&A announcement returns (Moeller, Schlingemann, & Stulz, 2004). We control for relative size using the ratio of transaction value to acquirers’ market value. We control for acquisition experience because acquisition experience may shape firm acquisitiveness (Haleblian & Finkelstein, 1999).Acquisition experience is measured as the number of completed M&As made by the acquiring firm during the preceding four years (Bruton, Oviatt, & White, 1994). We take the natural logarithm of this variable plus one to address skewness.