The End of South African Sanctions, Institutional Ownership, and the Stock Price Performance of Boycotted Firms

Abstract

The authors studied the impact of social-ethical investing on firms targeted during the South African boycott. Findings indicate that the average percentage of institutional ownership of the stocks of the firms with equity interests in South Africa increased at a significantly greater rate than the rest of the market following the end of sanctions. Using event study methodology, the authors find that these stocks significantly outperform the market in this period. This study provides evidence of the stockmark et impact of social-ethical investing and of a positive relationship between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance as measured in stockmarket returns.