Financial Constraints, R&D Investment, and Stock Returns

Through the interaction between financial constraints and R&D, I study two asset pricing puzzles: mixed evidence on the financial constraints-return relation and the positive R&D-return relation. Unlike capital investment, R&D is more inflexible. A financially constrained R&D-intensive rm is more likely to suspend/discontinue R&D projects. Therefore, R&D-intensive firms’ risk increases with their financial constraints. Conversely, constrained firms’ risk increases with their R&D intensity. I find a robust empirical relation between financial constraints and stock returns, primarily among R&D-intensive firms. Moreover, R&D predicts returns only among financially constrained firms. This evidence suggests financial constraints potentially drive the positive R&D-return relation.