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Financial analyst coverage and corporate social performance: Evidence from natural experiments

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  • Cuili Qian
  • Louise Y. Lu
  • Yangxin Yu

Abstract

Research summary This study examines the impact of financial analysts on a firm's corporate social performance (CSP). We integrate research on time horizons with stakeholder theory and argue that, in response to short‐term pressure from financial analysts, firms and their managers become more short‐term focused and limit investment in socially responsible activities. Using broker mergers and closures in the United States as exogenous shocks to analyst coverage and a difference‐in‐differences research design, we find that an exogenous decrease in analyst coverage leads to better CSP, establishing a causal relationship between analyst coverage and the level of a firm's CSP. The impact of financial analysts on a firm's CSP is exacerbated if the terminated analyst works for a larger brokerage house and has more general‐ and firm‐specific experiences. Managerial summary This study looks at the relationship between financial analysts, a key stakeholder group of the capital market, and a firm's socially responsible activities. Using a sample of U.S. publicly listed firms during the period of 2001–2013, our study finds novel evidence that the pressure to meet earnings target set by financial analysts hinders a firm's socially responsible performance. In addition, this pressure is more salient for firms with analysts that work for large brokerage houses and have more experiences. This study provides new insights to corporate social responsibility research by evaluating the impact of financial analysts on firms' social engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Cuili Qian & Louise Y. Lu & Yangxin Yu, 2019. "Financial analyst coverage and corporate social performance: Evidence from natural experiments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(13), pages 2271-2286, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:40:y:2019:i:13:p:2271-2286
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.3066
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    Cited by:

    1. Park, Moon Deok & Han, Seung Hun, 2023. "Pay dispersion and CSR," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    2. Syeda Khiraza Naqvi & Faisal Shahzad & Ijaz Ur Rehman & Fiza Qureshi & Usama Laique, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility performance and information asymmetry: The moderating role of analyst coverage," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1549-1563, November.
    3. Rong Gong, 2023. "How firms respond to external valuation: Evidence from the monitoring role of media," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4657-4681, December.
    4. Sirui Wu & Guangming Gong & Xin Huang & Haowen Tian, 2022. "The Interaction Between Suppliers and Fraudulent Customer Firms: Evidence from Trade Credit Financing of Chinese Listed Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(2), pages 531-550, August.
    5. Bolognesi, Enrica & Burchi, Alberto, 2023. "The impact of the ESG disclosure on sell-side analysts’ target prices: The new era post Paris agreements," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    6. Lili Ding & Zhongchao Zhao & Lei Wang, 2020. "Executive Incentives Matter for Corporate Social Responsibility under Earnings Pressure and Institutional Investors Supervision," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Nazari, Jamal A. & Poursoleyman, Ehsan, 2024. "Analysts’ recommendations on peer-relative comparable sustainability disclosure," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    8. Charl de Villiers & Jing Jia & Zhongtian Li, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility: A review of empirical research using Thomson Reuters Asset4 data," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4523-4568, December.
    9. Cheng Li & Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, 2024. "How subsidiary and supplier misbehavior lead to corporate social responsibility performance improvements in multinationals," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(4), pages 470-491, June.
    10. Jiawen Chen & Tong Xiao & Feng Zhang, 2023. "Paradox of CSR distinctiveness: The tension between stakeholder legitimacy evaluation and stakeholder integration efficiency," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 2906-2923, November.
    11. Ying Zhang & Li Tong & Ji Li, 2020. "Minding the gap: Asymmetric effects of pay dispersion on stakeholder engagement in corporate environmental (Ir)responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2354-2367, September.
    12. Jongwon Park & Sunyoung Kim & Albert Tsang, 2023. "CEO Personal Hedging and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 199-221, January.
    13. Xiao, Fenglong & Shen, Yinjie, 2024. "Wolves at the door to the unknown: Innovation search and hedge fund activism," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(2).
    14. Rahman, Mahabubur, 2023. "The virtuous circle between green product innovation and performance: The role of financial constraint and corporate brand," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    15. Roger, Tristan, 2024. "Do financial analysts care about ESG ?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    16. Zheng Lei & Guo Xuemeng & Fu Xiangfei, 2022. "How Does Analyst Coverage Affect Corporate Social Responsibility? Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(7), pages 2036-2049, May.
    17. Xie, Lingmin & Chen, Zhian & Li, Donghui & Tan, Hongping, 2022. "Foreign analysts and managerial investment learning from stock markets," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    18. Liu, Lewis, 2024. "Analyst monitoring and information asymmetry reduction: U.S. evidence on environmental investment," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(1).
    19. Jonathan M. Karpoff, 2021. "On a stakeholder model of corporate governance," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 50(2), pages 321-343, June.
    20. Gong, Rong, 2024. "Does Rivals’ product recall increase Firm’s product related corporate social Responsibility?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    21. Xuan Wu & Yueting Li & Yangxin Yu, 2023. "CEO Inside Debt and Employee Workplace Safety," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 159-175, January.
    22. Hu, May & Xiong, Wanfang & Xu, Cheng, 2021. "Analyst coverage, corporate social responsibility, and firm value: Evidence from China," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).

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