Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the relationship between financial performance and the ESG of Brazilian publicly traded companies

Autores

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21680/2176-9036.2025v17n1ID38668

Palavras-chave:

Covid-19. ESG. Financial Performance

Resumo

Purpose: To analyze the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the relationship between ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) scores and the financial performance of Brazilian publicly traded companies.

Methodology: The sample of this study consists of 100 Brazilian non-financial companies listed on B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) with information about ESG. The data collection spanned a time series from 2018 to 2021. ESG scores were collected from the Refinitiv Eikon® database, using ROA (Return on Assets) as a proxy for financial performance. Two research hypotheses were tested: the first regarding the association between ESG and financial performance, and the second examining the effect of Covid-19 on this relationship. The hypotheses were tested using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model, with controls for time and sector.

Results: The results show that the financial performance of firms with ESG Score, Combined, and Environmental classifications demonstrated a positive and significant relationship, meaning that firms with higher ESG scores offered better financial performance on average. However, the non-significant result for the relationship between financial performance and ESG during the Covid-19 period indicates that it cannot be said whether firms with higher ESG scores were more or less impacted by this pandemic period.

Contributions of the Study: This study utilized three types of ESG scores (Score, Combined, and Controversies), as well as the ESG pillars: Social, Governance, and Environmental. This allowed for a more comprehensive examination of the ESG indicators available to investors in the selection of companies for resource allocation. This joint analysis also contributes to the advancement of recent literature by analyzing all available ESG indicators for publicly traded companies in Brazil.

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Biografia do Autor

Douglas Laurindo da Silva, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

Graduate in Accounting from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Renato Henrique Gurgel Mota, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

PhD and Professor of the Accounting course at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Angelica Maria Constantino de Moura, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

Master in Accounting from Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

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Publicado

02-01-2025

Como Citar

SILVA, D. L. da .; MOTA, R. H. G. .; MOURA, A. M. C. de . Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the relationship between financial performance and the ESG of Brazilian publicly traded companies. REVISTA AMBIENTE CONTÁBIL - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte - ISSN 2176-9036, [S. l.], v. 17, n. 1, 2025. DOI: 10.21680/2176-9036.2025v17n1ID38668. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufrn.br/ambiente/article/view/38668. Acesso em: 6 jan. 2025.

Edição

Seção

Seção 7: Internacional (S7)