Risk-Adjusted Returns of ESG Stock Portfolios

In this thesis, I investigate the risk characteristics and returns of equity portfolios screened based on Environmental, Societal and Governance criteria (ESG). Investment flows into ESG assets have rapidly increased in recent years, yet the risks and returns of these assets have not been exhaustively or consensually determined. To evaluate the returns of ESG investments relevant for European consumer investors, I construct high-minus-low ESG portfolios of the STOXX 600 constituents. I evaluate the returns of these portfolios and the returns of common broad equity indices using a risk-factor model with the factors of the Fama-French five-factor model, a momentum factor, and a quality factor. For comparison, I repeat the same testing for US stock indices with ESG screening or weighting and compare the results to comparable market indices without any ESG criteria. I find that the high-minus-low ESG portfolios have significant positive abnormal excess returns, which are not explained by the seven-factor model. In addition, they exhibit significant sensitivities to risk-factors indicating that high ESG stock differ from low ESG stocks in riskcharacteristics. European ESG screened indices also have significant alphas in the factor model, whereas their non-ESG counterparts do not. In US indices, neither the seven-factor model nor the q5 model result in significant alphas or sensitivities to risk-factors other than market risk