Is Client-Specific Information Useful to Investors? Evidence From Key Audit Matter Reports

The goal of the mandatory disclosure of Key Audit Matters (KAMs) in the extended audit report is to provide relevant, client-specific information and thereby add value to the audit report. But mixed results fuel debate about the informativeness of expanded audit reports, particularly the disclosure of KAMs. This study employs text analysis to examine whether and how the information content of KAMs is associated with investor perceptions of financial reporting quality, as proxied by earnings response coefficients. Specifically, using a sample of KAMs disclosed in Taiwanese audit reports (for fiscal years 2016 and 2017), companies with KAMs that contain more client-specific information are perceived as having lower reporting quality. We further note that this association is driven by the risk-related description in KAMs. Additional analyses indicate that our textual measure is associated with actual financial reporting quality, as proxied by abnormal accruals and the likelihood of misstatements. Overall, our results provide evidence supporting the information value of KAMs in the Taiwanese audit market. This study contributes by suggesting the value of the expanded audit report.