ESG Reputational Risk, Corporate Payouts and Firm Value
Corporate Payouts and Firm Value. Br. J. Manag, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12745
39 Pages Posted: 11 Aug 2022 Last revised: 7 Aug 2023
Date Written: September 16, 2020
Abstract
This study explores the relationship between ESG reputational risk, corporate payouts and firm value. Using a sample of 2021 US-listed firms between 2007 and 2019, we provide robust evidence that ESG reputational risk relates to higher payouts, and that free cash flows amplify this relationship. Turning to payout composition, we document that ESG reputational risk associates with a payout mix comprising a higher analogy of share repurchases versus dividends; and that this relationship is more pronounced under financial constraints. Furthermore, we show that the market places a premium on payouts from high ESG reputational risk firms. Our findings are in line with the notion that ESG reputational risk represents agency problems and raises financial risk, inducing firms to disgorge cash via a more flexible payout regime. Results are robust to several estimation techniques that address endogeneity, self-selection and censored observations.
Keywords: ESG, payout policy, agency costs, financial constraints, reputation risk, financial flexibility
JEL Classification: E22; G30; G32; G10; G12; G14; G30
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