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The salience of ESG ratings for stock pricing: Evidence from (potentially) confused investors

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  • Rzeźnik, Aleksandra
  • Hanley, Kathleen Weiss
  • Pelizzon, Loriana

Abstract

We exploit a modification to Sustainalytics' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating methodology, which is subsequently adopted by Morningstar, to study whether ESG ratings are salient for stock pricing. We show that the inversion of the rating scale but not new information leads some investors to make incorrect assessments about the meaning of the change in ESG ratings. They buy (sell) stocks they misconceive as ESG upgraded (downgraded) even when the opposite is true. This trading behavior exerts transitory price pressure on a↵ected stocks. Our paper highlights the importance of ESG ratings for investors and consequently for asset prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Rzeźnik, Aleksandra & Hanley, Kathleen Weiss & Pelizzon, Loriana, 2021. "The salience of ESG ratings for stock pricing: Evidence from (potentially) confused investors," SAFE Working Paper Series 310, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, revised 2021.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:safewp:310
    DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3801703
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    Cited by:

    1. Becker, Martin G. & Martin, Fabio & Walter, Andreas, 2022. "The power of ESG transparency: The effect of the new SFDR sustainability labels on mutual funds and individual investors," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    2. Sirio Aramonte & Frank Packer, 2022. "Information governance in sustainable finance," BIS Papers, Bank for International Settlements, number 132.
    3. Daniel Garrett & Ivan T. Ivanov, 2023. "Gas Guns and Governments: Financial Costs of Anti-ESG Policies," Working Paper Series WP 2023-07, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    4. Franzen, Philipp, 2022. "Einflussanalyse des Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index auf den Unternehmenswert: Eine Ereignisstudie," Wismar Discussion Papers 02/2022, Hochschule Wismar, Wismar Business School.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate social responsibility; ESG rating agencies; sustainable investments; socially responsible investing; ESG; portfolio choice;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G59 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Other
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

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