Firm Stock Research Articles

Corporate Social Responsibility, Data Breach Disclosures and Firm Stock Performance

Corporate Social Responsibility, Data Breach Disclosures and Firm Stock Performance

Establishment of environmental courts and corporate green innovation

In this study, we empirically examine the impact of establishing environmental courts on corporate green innovation and further explore the underlying channels driving our findings. Using A-share listed firms in China's stock markets from 2008 to 2022, we show that the establishment of environmental courts is positively correlated with corporate green innovation and corporate investment efficiency can partially mediate this above relationship. Overall, our results provide clear policy implications for institutional design and firm practices on green activities.

Path dependence in environment-related innovation: evidence from listed firms in China

ABSTRACT This paper studies the path dependence effect in corporate innovation based on the patent data of Chinese listed firms. The results provide robust evidence of the path dependence in technology innovation. The accumulated stock of brown patents reduces the ratio of green patents to total patents newly granted, thus inhibiting green structural changes in innovation. The accumulated stock of green patents increases the ratio of green patents in total patents granted, promoting structural change towards green innovation. The path dependence effect exists in both green inventions and green utility model patents. The heterogeneity analysis shows that both brown and green patent stocks of heavy polluting firms have a weaker effect on the ratio of green inventions than non-heavy polluting firms. The negative path dependence effect of brown patents on green innovation is stronger in firms with large scale, state ownership, and a high level of environmental regulation. However, the negative path dependence effects on green innovation can be alleviated for firms with superior environmental and financial performance. This suggests that the government has to create economic incentives to break the path dependence and encourage firms to engage in green innovation.

Charity begins at the office: issuing cheap stock and stock options to employees and insiders before going public

PurposePress reports have indicated that firms frequently underprice restricted stock and employee stock options. I test for underpricing of stock and options.Design/methodology/approachI examined a sample of 5,333 private firm stock and option issuances between 1985 and 2017. I tested for underpricing using two approaches: assuming investors have no special market-timing ability and assuming instead they have perfect market-timing ability.FindingsI find evidence of widespread stock and option underpricing by private firms before they go public reflecting large discounts that exceed reasonable compensation for lack of marketability. Unreported underpricing is more frequent in the last pre-IPO private equity transactions that offer the last opportunity to give such discounts before the stock is publicly traded, but the discounts are greater in the earlier pre-IPO transactions where unreported discounts are presumably tougher for the SEC to detect. Underpricing is still detected even when the actual DLOMs are tested against a benchmark that assumes investors have perfect market-timing ability.Research limitations/implicationsFirms frequently underprice restricted stock and employee stock options. Firms tend to underprice stock options more frequently than restricted stock, but restricted stock tends to be priced at deeper discounts when recipients are assumed not to have any special market-timing ability.Practical implicationsPrivate firms issue restricted stock and options as incentive compensation. Lowballing the valuation transfers wealth from outside stockholders to employees/insiders. Wealth transfers take place through the issuance of equity claims to employees/insiders before firms go public. I found that more than a quarter of the DLOMs exceed the theoretical maximum by, on average, between 16% (median) and 20% (mean). This finding raises two questions worthy of investigation. First, to what extent do the frequency and magnitude of DLOMs above the theoretical maximum depend on whether a board of directors obtains an independent appraisal of a stock’s fair market value? Second, if DLOMs above the theoretical maximum are observed even when the stock is independently appraised, how do appraisers justify such large DLOMs?Social implicationsThe wealth transfers that take place through the issuance of equity claims to employees/insiders before firms go public benefit employees/insiders at the expense of outside shareholders.Originality/valueMy paper is the first to furnish evidence of widespread stock and option underpricing by private firms before they go public; demonstrate that the unreported underpricing is more frequent in the last pre-IPO private equity transactions that offer the last opportunity to give such discounts before the stock is publicly traded and show that the discounts are greater in the earlier pre-IPO transactions where unreported discounts are presumably tougher for the SEC to detect.

CEO GENDER AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The COVID 19 pandemic precipitated an unprecedented deceleration of economic activities and a stock market crash. The unparalleled shock and the altered risk attitudes present a distinctive opportunity to examine whether the well-established concept of the "glass ceiling" is indicative of latent gender differentials in company performance. Utilizing US financial data, the study employs a range of methodologies to examine whether firms led by female CEOs exhibited the same performance as firms led by male CEOs during 2020-2021. Our empirical results confirm previous findings from the finance literature, as we neither find a systematic difference in returns to holding stock in female-led firms, nor a difference in accounting returns between female-led and male-headed firms.

The Size Effect Anomaly in the Indian Stock Market

The size effect in stock market implies that small firm stocks generate higher risk-adjusted returns from that of large firm stocks. We did not find a size effect in the Indian stock market for the period of October 2005 to September 2023. We also examined the prevalence of size effect separately by calendar months. Small firm stocks generated significantly higher returns from than of large firms in April and December. Alternately, we did not find a size effect during January, November-December and March to May. We conclude only April and December months’ exhibit a size effect in the Indian stock market.

Green-adjusted share prices: A comparison between standard investors and investors with green preferences

We employ the green revenue factors of firms, used in the computation of the FTSE Russell 1000 Green Revenues index to create corresponding green-adjusted share prices. We compute the firm betas, under both the standard and the green-adjusted share pricing. Our findings suggest that tilting of firm stock returns towards green finance could change temporarily asset pricing views. The Fama-French risk factors display very high correlations between the two settings. Nevertheless, there are some significant differences between standard and green-adjusted betas during periods associated with green activism and positive political decisions of financially supporting the global climate action.

Shared analyst coverage, 52-week high, and cross-firm return predictability

In this study, we show that the return predictability of analyst-connected firms is positively correlated with nearness to 52-week high stock prices. Our results are robust to tax loss selling and penny stocks and when controlling for market factors and macroeconomic conditions. The impact of the 52-week high on the analyst-connected momentum effect is stronger among focal stocks of smaller firms, those with lower institutional ownership, and those with less analyst coverage. Moreover, the greater the number of shared analysts, the stronger the relationship between firm fundamentals, resulting in stronger return predictability. When both focal and analyst-connected firms have stock prices near (far from) their 52-week highs, there is a stronger underreaction to good (bad) news about analyst-connected firms.

Corporate Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic: the Role of ESG Performance and Financial Flexibility

Stocks of substantial ESG firms have been claimed to perform better during crisis periods and consequently serve as an "equity vaccine" for investors. This study explores ESG ratings and financial flexibility's impact on stock performance. We test these hypotheses in the ASEAN-5 setting by assessing the relation between ESG and financial flexibility to stock price resilience in terms of time to recover during 2020 and 2021. The method used in this study is a cross-sectional data regression analysis. In a sample of 142 stocks from 5 countries consisting of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Singapore, we found that firms with higher ESG ratings had a better stock market performance. They tend to recover faster to achieve their lowest price in 2019. We also discovered that having more cash and liquid assets before Covid-19 doesn't make a company better at dealing with the impacts of the pandemic compared to other companies. Keywords: ASEAN-5; corporate resilience; covid-19; ESG; financial flexibility

The Valuation of Loss Firms: A Stock Market Perspective

The proportion of exchange‐listed firms with negative earnings has increased to over 40% in recent years. Previous research shows that the valuation of these loss firms is comparably difficult due to their uncertain future earnings path. Given these valuation issues, we argue that the stocks of loss firms should be particularly prone to mispricing such that simple firm value proxies might allow the prediction of subsequent stock returns. Supporting this hypothesis empirically, we find that book‐to‐market and revenue‐to‐price positively predict the cross‐section of loss firms’ stock returns. In particular, these value effects are significantly stronger compared to gain firms. Our further analyses support a behavioural mechanism for the empirical observations as the return predictability is disproportionately strong around earnings announcements and as analysts are too optimistic for loss firms with low values of book‐to‐market and revenue‐to‐price. Our analyses on short selling and option trading indicate that sophisticated investors are aware of the documented return predictability, but limits to arbitrage prevent an immediate correction of mispricing.

Does reform policy of municipal bonds raise firm risk? A quasi-natural experiment from China

Does reform policy of municipal bonds increase firm risk? We address this question by examining the effects of the ‘Local Issuance and Local Repayment’ (LILR) reform policy launched by the Chinese central government on firm stock return volatility between 2009 and 2019. We find that the LILR reform policy increases the volatility of firms' stock returns. Possible explanations for the effect of reform policy are that it exacerbates firms' financial constraints and reduces the effectiveness of fiscal policy. Consistently, we find that the aggravating effect of reform policy is more pronounced in regions characterized by worse financial environment, worse fiscal condition, firms in growth and decline stages and in downstream and service and support industries. We provide empirical evidence from a Chinese quasi-natural experiment to address the long-term economic development issues of local government debts.

ESG combined score effects on stock performance of S&P 500-listed firms

The influence of ESG combined scores on the stock performance (excess return, volatility, and liquidity) of S&P 500-listed firms was examined from June 2013 to May 2023. Ordinary least squares and heterogeneity analyses were used, with robustness checks performed through the use of endogenous treatment and fixed-effects models. Results indicated that ESG combined scores are negatively correlated with returns and liquidity but positively correlated with volatility. The stocks of low-ESG firms were more ESG-sensitive than those of high-ESG firms. The impact of COVID-19 on stock price volatility was also considerable. The results contradicted the view that ESG enhances market performance, highlighting the need for active, sustained stakeholder engagement concerning ESG practices.

The carbon premium: Correlation or causality? Evidence from S&P 500 companies

In the context of whether investors are aware of carbon-related risks, it is often hypothesized that there may be a carbon premium in the value of stocks of firms, conferring an abnormal excess value to firms’ shares as a form of compensation to investors for their transition risk exposure through the ownership of carbon intensive stocks. However, there is little consensus in the literature regarding the existence of such a premium. Moreover few studies have examined whether the correlation that is often observed is actually causal. The pertinent question is whether more polluting firms give higher returns or do firms with high returns have less incentive to decarbonize? In this study, we investigate whether firms’ emissions is causally linked to the presence of a carbon premium in a panel of 141 firms listed in the S&P 500 index using fixed-effects analysis, with propensity score weighting to control for selection bias in which firms increase their emissions. We find that there is a statistically significant positive carbon premium associated with Scope 1 emissions, while there is no significant premium associated with Scope 2 emissions, implying that risks associated with direct emissions by the firm are priced, while bought emissions are not.

The Evaluation of Impacts of Multi Factor Model on TTC Stock Price: a Case in Real Estate Industry in Vietnam

Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of macroeconomic factors on the stock price of a real estate firm, specifically Thanh Cong TCC, in Vietnam from 2014 to 2020. The study aims to assess both positive and negative influences of five macroeconomic variables on stock prices and to understand the overall business health reflected by stock fluctuations. Methods: This study utilizes a data collection method involving statistics, analysis, synthesis, comparison, and quantitative analysis to generate qualitative comments and discussion. Econometric methods, particularly regression analysis, are employed to evaluate the quantitative results and assess the impact of macroeconomic factors on stock prices. Results: The quantitative research reveals several key findings. Firstly, the stock price of Thanh Cong TCC (Y) exhibits a negative correlation with the lending rate (R) and GDP growth, indicating that higher lending rates and lower GDP growth negatively impact stock prices. Conversely, there is a positive correlation between stock prices and the risk-free rate (Rf), consumer price index (CPI), and VNINDEX, suggesting that these factors positively influence stock prices. Furthermore, the study identifies GDP growth and lending rates as having the highest impact on firm stock prices. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of considering macroeconomic factors in understanding stock price fluctuations in real estate firms in developing countries like Vietnam. The findings emphasize the significant impact of lending rates and GDP growth on stock prices, indicating their pivotal role in shaping the business health and overall economic conditions. By recognizing these influences, firms like Thanh Cong TCC can better navigate market dynamics and make informed strategic decisions to enhance their performance and resilience in the face of macroeconomic challenges.

Politically Affiliated Analysts

Government ownership of financial intermediaries is pervasive around the world. In this study, we examine the impact of common government ownership between the brokerage and listed firms on the information production role of brokerage firms. We show that affiliated analysts tend to issue more optimistic recommendations for stocks of firms controlled by the same government entity that controls their brokerage firms. This optimistic bias is particularly pronounced during periods of economic shocks. Our study demonstrates this by utilizing additional tariff impositions and tariff exemptions during the U.S.–China trade war as exogenous negative and positive shocks, respectively. Additionally, our study indicates that stocks recommended by politically affiliated analysts tend to underperform those recommended by independent analysts, implying that the optimism stems from conflicts of interest rather than superior information. Furthermore, our research highlights that sophisticated investors perceive the potential bias and incorporate it into their trading. Consistent with an exchange of favors story, politically affiliated brokerage firms receive a larger allocation during the issuance of local government debt, whereas governments subscribe for more shares during seasoned equity offerings by these affiliated brokerage firms. This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance. Funding: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71972088, 72132002, and 71991473], the National Social Science Foundation of China [Grants 21ZDA010 and 22VRC145], and the Innovation and Talent Base for Digital Technology and Finance [Grant B21038]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.00579 .

Environmental regulation and corporate financial risk: The role of credit guarantees

This research explores the relationship between environmental regulation and corporate financial risk in the face of increasing public environmental concerns worldwide. Taking advantage of public-listed firms in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets from 2010 to 2022, this study finds strong evidence that environmental regulations inversely affect corporate financial risk after controlling for various firm-specific variables. The findings are robust to a series of robustness tests. In addition, this study further demonstrates that credit guarantees positively moderate the relationship between environmental regulation and firms’ financial risk. Overall, our study contributes to the fast-growing literature on the impact of environmental-related issues on firm outcomes and generates profound policy implications.

채권내재등급(BIR)의 가치관련성에 관한 연구

[Purpose]This study aims to analyze whether bond implied ratings affect the value relevance of accounting information by conveying information about firms’ future cash flows, or whether optimistic(pessimistic) information is presented to the capital market and biased investor sentiment intervenes in stock price determination using only certain information. [Methodology]We select a sample of 531 firm－year listed on the KOSPI from 2015 to 2020 for which credit ratings and bond implied ratings is available. They are divided into three groups based on the relative grade of credit ratings and bond implied ratings, and a dummy variable identifying these groups is added to the Ohlson(1995) model. [Findings]The results are as follows. First, we find that the difference between credit ratings and bond implied ratings does not in itself convey information about stock price. However, it does lead to differences in the extent to which accounting information provided by firms is reflected in firms stock price. Second, we observe that for groups with implied bond ratings higher than credit ratings(optimistic), EPS is more relevant and BPS is less relevant compared to other groups. We also observe that for the group with implied bond ratings lower than credit ratings(pessimistic) BPS is more relevant that other groups. These results suggest that investor sentiment generated by implied bond ratings disclosure affect the value relevance of accounting information. [Implications]This study is more closely reflective of the actual process in that it considers the direction of credit ratings as opposed to previous study, which defined rating inflation as the situation where the credith ratings is higher that the bond implied rating and considered it as the object of analysis.

Global de-diversification and stock returns

Using international firm-level data, we show that when a multinational corporation reported zero total sales made by its foreign operations, it constitutes a salient signal of global de-diversification. A simple long-short strategy portfolio that buys stocks of multinational firms and sells stocks of ex-multinational firms that report zero foreign sales earns up to 85 basis points per month (over 10% per year). Further examination suggests that investors’ inattention and limits to arbitrage could explain this return predictability. This paper is among the first to document evidence of the impact of global de-diversification on stock returns.

Investing Cash Flow Volatility and Firm Stock Market Value of the Companies Quoted at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

There are a multiple number of determinants of investor perceptions about firm value which in turn influence demand for and supply of firm securities and therefore market prices and the corresponding firm market value as indicated by firm market capitalization. Extant literature reveals that it is not clear whether or not the volatility in the investing cash flows of a firm is priced information risk factor for companies listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). This lack of literature consensus arises from the conflicting theoretical and empirical evidence on the influence of such volatility on firm market capitalization. This study sought to establish if the annual fluctuations in cash flows from investing activities affects the market values of companies listed at the NSE. Market value was measured using the firm market capitalization ratio while the investing cash flow volatility was based on the 3-year rolling standard deviations of the investing cash flow ratios. The relevant theories that try to explain the interlinkage between investing cash flow volatility information with firm stock market valuations are the functional fixation theory; the random walk theory; the efficient market hypothesis and the MM value relevance theory. The research was undertaken as a census quantitative descriptive study based on all the 66 listed companies at the NSE. From these, 45 met the secondary data requirements resulting in 450 firm year observations for the 2011 to 2022 study period. Diagnostic tests for normality, heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation and model specification tests were undertaken. Hausman specification test provided a preference for the fixed effects model that was then used in the panel regression analysis. P-value and t-test were used in hypothesis testing at 95% confidence interval. The results of the study revealed that the volatility of the cash flows from investing activities had a negative influence on firm market valuation for the firms quoted at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The findings support the MM value relevance theory; the Efficient Market Hypothesis and the Random Walk Theory but fail to support the Functional Fixation Theory. Since the study finds that the volatility in the cash flows from investing activities to be a priced information risk factor at the NSE, it recommends that more disclosures on information about cash flows in general and cash flows from investing activities in particular should be reported in the financial statements of listed companies in Kenya to aid investors in their investment decision making.

The impact of green finance on the peer effect of corporate ESG information disclosure

In this paper, we empirically examine the impact of green finance on the peer effect of ESG information disclosure based on listed firms in China's stock markets between 2012 and 2021. We show that green finance plays a significant role in promoting the peer effect of firm ESG information disclosure, which is specifically driven by access to green credit, in comparison to other green finance financing options. Green finance can amplify the peer effect of ESG information disclosure by alleviating financing constraints. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the interaction mechanism between green finance and firm ESG information disclosure, offering policy implications for enhancing firm-level ESG information disclosure.