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Who is greener, more social and better-governed? Dual ownership by SRI mutual funds stands out

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  • Joliet, Robert
  • Titova, Yulia

Abstract

This study sheds new light on ESG performance and financial characteristics of companies that are constituents of portfolios of U.S. socially responsible investing (SRI) funds. We categorize SRI fund participation into three distinct types: debt-only, equity-only, and dual ownership of debt and equity. Companies with dual ownership tend to be held by relatively bigger and more concentrated SRI funds. Our holdings-based analysis reveals that these investee companies deliver superior ESG performance across all dimensions and have larger size, higher degree of financial safety, and higher profitability compared to those in equity-only or debt-only categories.

Suggested Citation

  • Joliet, Robert & Titova, Yulia, 2024. "Who is greener, more social and better-governed? Dual ownership by SRI mutual funds stands out," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:243:y:2024:i:c:s016517652400418x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2024.111934
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Tao & Dong, Hui & Lin, Chen, 2020. "Institutional shareholders and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(2), pages 483-504.
    2. Joliet, Robert & Titova, Yulia, 2018. "Equity SRI funds vacillate between ethics and money: An analysis of the funds’ stock holding decisions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 70-86.
    3. Stefano Bonini & Ali Taatian, 2023. "Dual holding and bank risk," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 58(4), pages 735-763, November.
    4. Dyck, Alexander & Lins, Karl V. & Roth, Lukas & Wagner, Hannes F., 2019. "Do institutional investors drive corporate social responsibility? International evidence," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(3), pages 693-714.
    5. Sabastian Utz & Maximillian Wimmer, 2014. "Are they any good at all? A financial and ethical analysis of socially responsible mutual funds," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(1), pages 72-82, February.
    6. Keswani, Aneel & Tran, Anh & Volpin, Paolo, 2021. "Institutional Debtholder Governance," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(6), pages 2103-2135, September.
    7. Chava, Sudheer & Wang, Rui & Zou, Hong, 2019. "Covenants, Creditors’ Simultaneous Equity Holdings, and Firm Investment Policies," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(2), pages 481-512, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Equity mutual funds; Fixed-income mutual funds; Socially responsible investments (SRI); Equity stake; Debt stake; ESG performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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