Who is greener, more social and better-governed? Dual ownership by SRI mutual funds stands out

Abstract

This study sheds new light on ESG performance and financial characteristics of companies that are constituents of portfolios of U.S. socially responsible investing (SRI) funds. We categorize SRI fund participation into three distinct types: debt-only, equity-only, and dual ownership of debt and equity. Companies with dual ownership tend to be held by relatively bigger and more concentrated SRI funds. Our holdings-based analysis reveals that these investee companies deliver superior ESG performance across all dimensions and have larger size, higher degree of financial safety, and higher profitability compared to those in equity-only or debt-only categories.