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Stock returns in relation to environmental, social and governance performance: Mispricing or compensation for risk?

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  • Cristiana Mǎnescu

Abstract

Using detailed data on seven environmental, social and governance (ESG) attributes for a long panel of large publicly traded US firms during July 1992–June 2008, only community relations were found to have had a positive effect on risk-adjusted stock returns, which effect was not compensation for risk but could be due to mispricing. Additionally, a changing effect of employee relations was found, from positive during July 1992–June 2003 to negative during July 2003–June 2008. The positive effect could be due to mispricing, whereas there is some evidence that the negative effect was compensation for low non‐sustainability risk. A weak negative effect of human rights and product safety indicators on risk‐adjusted stock returns in the more recent period was also found to be likely due to mispricing. The implications are that certain ESG attributes might be value relevant but they are not efficiently incorporated into stock prices. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/sd.510
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Article provided by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. in its journal Sustainable Development.

Volume (Year): 19 (2011)
Issue (Month): 2 (March/April)
Pages: 95-118

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Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:19:y:2011:i:2:p:95-118
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719

Keywords: SRI ; sustainability ; risk‐factor test ; market efficiency ;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
  • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
  • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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Cited by:

  1. Cellier, Alexis & Chollet, Pierre, 2016. "The effects of social ratings on firm value," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 656-683.
  2. Marco Nicolosi & Stefano Grassi & Elena Stanghellini, 2011. "How to measure Corporate Social Responsibility," Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia, Finanza e Statistica 96/2011, Università di Perugia, Dipartimento Economia.
  3. Crifo, Patricia & Forget, Vanina D. & Teyssier, Sabrina, 2015. "The price of environmental, social and governance practice disclosure: An experiment with professional private equity investors," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 168-194.
  4. Halbritter, Gerhard & Dorfleitner, Gregor, 2015. "The wages of social responsibility — where are they? A critical review of ESG investing," Review of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 25-35.
  5. S. Sudha, 2015. "Risk-return and Volatility analysis of Sustainability Index in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability- A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 1329-1342, December.

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