Impact of Environmental Investments on Corporate Financial Performance: Decomposing Valuation and Cash Flow Effects
Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics
38 Pages Posted: 18 Nov 2021
Date Written: October 22, 2021
Abstract
Environmentally-sustainable investment can impact firm financial performance through multiple channels. We concentrate on disentangling the related cash flow and valuation impacts. By using an instrumental variable approach, we find that U.S. REITs with a more environmentally-sustainable portfolio attract premiums to their market valuation beyond operating benefits, carry lower systematic risk, and are subject to less uninformed trading (for office and retail portfolios). Such firms also experience both higher asset-level rental revenues and net operating income, and lower interest costs. Importantly, the equity market premium exceeds the property market premium, which is partially explained by reputational effects. Results also confirm valuation findings in office and retail portfolios.
Keywords: Environmental performance, corporate performance, valuation, cash flows, real estate, retail
JEL Classification: G31, G32, O30, R33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation