Common and Fundamental Risk Factors in Shareholder Returns of Norwegian Salmon Producing Companies

Abstract

Salmon farming companies are increasingly gaining attention from investors and portfolio managers. The last decade has seen a substantial growth in the securitization of salmon farming assets and prices. A growing literature demonstrates that industry-specific fundamental, as well as market-wide risk factors help explain stock returns. However, very little is known about the pricing of salmon stocks and especially the contribution of industry-specific fundamental risk factors. Using a multifactor model, we find that stock returns for salmon farming firms are significantly associated with both common market-wide risks and industry-specific risk factors.