"Analysis on a broad cross-section of companies that were publicly traded on US financial markets between 1981 and 2000 reveals that business turnarounds among businesses that remained independent entities were rare despite investor expectations to the contrary.
...
In light of the very low prospects for turnaround, investor enthusiasm for very low performing businesses that are not acquired appears mistaken.
...
The data also shows that very high performance is much more persistent than other kinds of performance."