Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/308045 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
SAFE Working Paper No. 439
Publisher: 
Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, Frankfurt a. M.
Abstract: 
This study examines the impact of ESG ratings on fund holdings, stock returns, and firm behavior. First, we show that among five major ESG ratings, only MSCI ESG can explain the holdings of US funds with an ESG mandate. We document that downgrades in the MSCI ESG rating substantially reduce firms' ownership by such funds, while upgrades increase it. However, this response in ownership is slow, unfolding gradually over a period of up to two years. This suggests that fund managers use ESG ratings mainly to comply with ESG mandates rather than treating them as updates to firms' fundamentals. Accordingly, we also find a slow and persistent response in stock returns. For a one-year holding period, downgrades lead to an abnormal return of -2.37%. For upgrades, we find a positive but weaker effect. Yet, the extent to which ESG ratings matter for the real economy seems limited. We find no significant effect of up- or downgrades on firms' subsequent capital expenditure. We find that firms adjust their ESG practices following rating changes, but only in the governance dimension
Subjects: 
Responsible investing
social impact
ESG ratings
asset prices
corporate investment
corporate governance
JEL: 
G11
G12
G32
G34
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.