Company performance and optimal capital structure: evidence of transition economy (Russia)

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladislav Spitsin ◽  
Darko Vukovic ◽  
Sergey Anokhin ◽  
Lubov Spitsina

PurposeThe paper analyzes the effects of the capital structure on company performance (return on assets). The analysis is conducted in a large sample of high-tech manufacturing and service companies in the transition economy (Russian Federation). In addition to the aggregated analysis, separate investigations are conducted to scrutinize the impact of company age, size and location factors (the effects of agglomerations). This research postulates the existence and variability of the optimal capital structure and its dependence on economic crisis.Design/methodology/approachWe utilized a large sample that includes 1,826 enterprises over the period from 2013 to 2017. The estimation was performed using the panel-corrected standard error estimation technique (Prais–Winsten regression) to account for the panel nature and distributional properties of our data. The existence of the optimal capital structure was assessed based on a curvilinear (quadratic) function.FindingsThe results are consistent with the Static Trade-off Theory and show that this theory is applicable to countries with transition economy. They demonstrate that effective management of the capital structure can increase return on assets by 16–22%. The optimal share of borrowed capital is higher for small businesses compared to larger ones and for enterprises located in agglomerations compared to those located in other regions. A greater increase in profitability can be achieved by larger firm companies compared to smaller ones. High share of borrowed capital leads to negative profitability, i.e. to losses by enterprises. No significant differences in profitability growth were identified between young and mature enterprises. The optimal share of borrowed capital that maximizes return on assets is in the range of 0–21%.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the SPARK policies, our access to the data has been limited to a five-year window, which imposed certain limitations on the choice of econometric methods we could have employed and somewhat limited our ability to contrast the effect of the crisis period with the period of stability. In this sense, although our results pertaining to the effect of the crisis could be treated as conservative, future research should consider extending the panel to include more years into consideration.Practical implicationsWe identified significant differences between optimal capital structures and actual capital structures for high-tech enterprises. The contribution of this study is that the calculations were made for a country with a transition economy under crisis conditions. Countries with transition economies and developing countries tend to be characterized by a high level of interest rates on loans and a high proportion of borrowed capital in total assets. This poses difficulties for companies relying on borrowed capital to finance their operations. At the same time, our results demonstrate that in transition economies, enterprises in high-tech industries do have an optimal capital structure that allows maximizing firm performance. That is, Static Trade-off Theory is applicable to transition economies characterized by high interest rates on loans.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study lies in the detailed analysis of high-tech industries in Russian Federation. This analysis makes use of sophisticated econometric techniques for the first time in this context.

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengwei Wang ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
Michael Keefe

In Chinese transition economy, compared with state-owned firms, private firms face higher financial friction in financing activities, but have more incentive to adjust toward optimal capital structure to maximize the shareholders‟ benefit. Based on panel data of China’s listed firms from 1998 to 2007, we compare the capital structures of state-owned and privately-owned listed firms. The empirical results show that there is structural difference in static capital structure between state-owned and private listed firms while controlling for firm characteristics. We then investigate the difference in dynamics of the capital structure between these two groups of firms. Further study results tell us that the adjustment to an optimal capital structure to be faster for the private firm than for the state-owned firm.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olanike Akinwunmi Adeoye ◽  
Sardar MN Islam ◽  
Adeshina Israel Adekunle

Purpose Determining the optimal capital structure becomes more complicated by the presence of an agency problem. The issuance of debt as a corporate governance mechanism introduces the asset substitution problem – the agency cost of debt. Thus, there is a recognized need for models that can resolve the agency problem between the debtholder and the manager who acts on behalf of the shareholder, leading to optimal capital structure choice, and enhanced firm value. The purpose of this paper is to model the debtholder-manager agency problem as a dynamic game, resolve the conflicts of interests and determine the optimal capital structure. Design/methodology/approach As there is no satisfactory model for dealing with the above issues, this paper uses a differential game framework to analyze the incongruity of interests between the debtholder and the manager as a non-cooperative dynamic game and further resolves the conflicts of interests as a cooperative game via a Pareto-efficient outcome. Findings The optimal capital structure required to minimize the marginal cost of the agency problem is a higher use of debt, lower cost of equity and withheld capital distributions. The debtholder is also able to enforce cooperation from the manager by providing a lower and stable cost of debt and a greater debt facility in the overtime framework. Originality/value The study develops a new dynamic contract theory model based on the integrated issues of capital structure, corporate governance and agency problems and applies the differential game approach to minimize the agency problem between the debtholder and the manager.


2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke Schorr ◽  
Markus Lips

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a novel way of determining optimal capital structure, applied to sub-groups of Swiss dairy farms from 2003 to 2014. Optimization of capital structure is carried out with respect to two performance indicators from an economic value added perspective.Design/methodology/approachOptimal values of capital structure are obtained based on a minimization of correlation between economic performance indicators and a distance function of the debt-to-asset ratio distribution to its quantiles. The approach differs from existing approaches in relying solely on empirical data and in using fewer external parameters, which are difficult to estimate, such as risk aversion coefficients. An unbalanced panel data set from the Swiss Farm Accounting Network with almost 14,000 dairy farm observations serves as input data to the model.FindingsConcise optimal values of capital structure result for regional and temporal sub-groups of Swiss dairy farms. Comparing the evolution of optimal values for these sub-groups with existing models of optimal capital structure, the authors infer that dairy farmers in the mountain region are less risk averse than their counterparts in the valley region and that falling interest rates increase the optimal value of debt-to-asset ratio.Originality/valueThe straightforward computation of optimal values for capital structure without intermediate parameters is useful and new. In addition, the authors’ model can be used as a tool for comparison and validation of previous models with the same aim, e.g. for comparison of risk aversion coefficients or qualitative behavior of optimal values for capital structure.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Royer ◽  
Gregory McKee

PurposeThis paper presents a model for determining the optimal capital structure for cooperatives and explores the relationship between financial leverage and the ability of cooperatives to retire member equity.Design/methodology/approachA model is developed to determine the optimal capital structure and explore the relationship between capital structure and the rate at which a cooperative can retire member equity. Using data from cooperative financial statements, ordinary least-squares regressions are conducted to test two hypotheses on capital structure and equity retirement.FindingsThe model shows that the optimal capital structure is determined by the ratio of the rate of return on capital employed to the interest rate on borrowed capital and the required level of interest coverage. The regressions suggest that cooperatives choose their capital structure largely according to the rate of return on capital employed and the interest rate in a manner consistent with maximizing the rate of return on equity and that the rate at which cooperatives can retire member equity is directly related to leverage.Research limitations/implicationsThe model does not consider unallocated earnings. Analysis of the relationship between leverage and equity retirement yields results contrary to the assumptions of earlier studies.Practical implicationsCooperatives can use the model because the necessary parameters are easily understood and readily available from financial statements, lenders and industry sources.Originality/valueThe model is developed specifically for determining the capital structure of cooperatives and differs substantially from the corporate model. A theoretical basis is provided for the relationship between leverage and equity retirement.


2001 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 491-509
Author(s):  
M. SHAHID EBRAHIM ◽  
IKE MATHUR

Using an agency theoretical framework, this paper extends the optimal capital structure literature by modeling the rivalry between equity and debt to arrive at some very fundamental results involving endogeneity of bankruptcy, equilibrium interest rates, pricing of risk-free/risky debt and pareto-optimal financing techniques.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Natashia Natashia ◽  
Indra Widjaja

An optimal capital structure is an important financial result because it increases the performance and value of a company. Good company performance on stock prices in the capital market, so that returns obtained by shareholders can be obtained optimally. In making decisions about companies consider several factors before choosing both internal and external namely: company size, profitability and liquidity. In this study, shows the size of the company, profitability and liquidity of the company's capital structure in 2014 - 2018


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1348-1366
Author(s):  
Yuning Wang ◽  
Xiaohua Jin

Purpose Various factors may influence project finance when a multi-sourced debt financing strategy is used for financing capital investments, in general, and public infrastructure investments, in particular. Traditional indicators lack comprehensive consideration of the influences of many internal and external factors, such as investment structure, financing mode and credit guarantee structure, which exist in the financing decision making of BOT projects. An effective approach is, thus, desired. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops a financial model that uses an interval number to represent the uncertain factors and, subsequently, conducts a standardization of the interval number. Decision makers determine the weight of each objective through the analytic hierarchy process. Through the optimization procedure, project investors and sponsors are provided with a strategy regarding the optimal amount of debt to be raised and the insight on the risk level based on the net present value, as well as the probability of bankruptcy for each different period of debt service. Findings By using an example infrastructure project in China and based on the comprehensive evaluation, comparison and ranking of the capital structures of urban public infrastructure projects using the interval number method, the final ranking can help investors to choose the optimal capital structure for investment. The calculation using the interval number method shows that X2 is the optimal capital structure plan for the BOT project of the first stage of Tianjin Binhai Rail Transit Z4 line. Therefore, investors should give priority to selecting a capital contribution ratio of 45 per cent for this investment. Research limitations/implications In this paper, some parameters, such as depreciation life, construction period and concession period, are assumed to be deterministic parameters, although the interval number model has been introduced to analyze the uncertainty indicators, such as total investment and passenger flow, of BOT rail transport projects. Therefore, more of the above deterministic parameters can be taken as uncertainty parameters in future research so that calculation results fit actual projects more closely. Originality/value This model can be used to make the optimal investment decision for a project by determining the impact of uncertainty factors on the profitability of the project in its lifecycle during the project financial feasibility analysis. Project sponsors can determine the optimal capital structure of a project through an analysis of the irregular fluctuation of the unpredictable factors in project construction such as construction investment, operating cost and passenger flow. The model can also be used to examine the effects of different capital investment ratios on indicators so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce risks and maximize profit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (01) ◽  
pp. 73-85
Author(s):  
Imam Akbar Ilham Arif ◽  
Muhammad Umar Mai

Every company has a long-term goal to maximize the value of the company, which also means to maximize  the prosperity of its shareholders. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to determine the optimal capital structure. The optimal capital structure allows the company to bear the low average cost of the capital. Therefore, the decision of capital structure is one of the most important decisions.Go public manufacturing companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange are divided into two groups; the sharia and non-sharia companies. Sharia companies, including the sharia manufacturing ones, have specific rule in the use of funds as the company capital. The rule states that the maximum use of usury-based debt is by 45%. At the same time, the theories about capital structure and research results support the use of debt as the main source of funds. This study used data obtained from the Indonesian Capital Market Directory and Summary of Company Performance for the period of 2011-2017. They were analyzed by using panel data for multiple regression analysis and difference tests. The results show significant differences between sharia and non-sharia manufacturing companies with a probability of 0,000. Moreover, almost all determinant factors such as Size, Tangibility, Profitability, and Gross Domestic Product have significant effects on Book Leverage as an indicator of Capital Structure for both groups of companies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhua Hou ◽  
Lun Wang

PurposeWith the majority of highway projects in China having entered their operational phases, the maintenance and repair of the pavement is receiving increasing attention. One problem that needs to be addressed urgently is that of how to raise the proper funds for highway maintenance to ensure the sustainable operation of the project. To this end, the aim of this study is to investigate the capital demand for operation and maintenance of a project by means of a refinancing scheme, in order to reduce the possibility of project bankruptcy and to enhance the economic value of the project.Design/methodology/approachBased on an analysis of the dynamic complexity of the highway pavement maintenance system, a Markov model is used to predict pavement performance, and an optimal capital structure decision model is proposed for highway public–private partnership (PPP) project refinancing, using the method of system dynamics (SD). The proposed model is then applied to a real case study.FindingsResults show that the proposed model can be used to predict accurately the dynamic changes in the demand for road maintenance funds and refinancing during the period of operation, before making the optimal decision for the refinancing capital structure.Originality/valueAlthough many scholars have studied the optimal refinancing capital structure of PPP projects, the dynamic changes inherent in the demand for maintenance funds for highway PPP projects are seldom considered. Therefore, in the approach used here the influence of the dynamic change of road maintenance capital demand on refinancing is investigated, and SD is used for the optimal capital structure decision-making model of highway PPP project refinancing, to make the decision-making process more reasonable and scientific.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 716-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Brendea ◽  
Fanuta Pop

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the financing behavior of Romanian listed firms with regard to their tendency to exhibit herding behavior, more specifically to follow the mean capital structure of the sector they belong to. Design/methodology/approach A panel data model was employed to examine the herding financing behavior of Romanian listed firms over the period 2007–2014. The dependent variable of the model is firms’ debt ratio (DR) and the independent variables are: the first lag of the mean DR in each sector of the analysis, firm-specific characteristics and the average characteristics of the firms from the sector they belong to. Findings The results of the study indicate that Romanian listed firms have a herding behavior and try to reach the mean DR of the sector they belong to, moving away from the optimal capital structure that maximizes firms’ value. In addition, the results of the model estimation suggest that Romanian firms’ capital structure depends on both firms’ characteristics (i.e. profitability, firm size and asset tangibility) and the average characteristics of the firms from the same sector they belong to (i.e. average profitability and average size). Practical implications Acting with the herd determines firms to move away from the optimal capital structure and to miss in this way the maximization of the firm value. Consequently, it is in managers’ best interest to avoid herding behavior and try to act rationally when they decide firms’ financing sources. Originality/value To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study in the literature that finds support for the herding financing behavior in an Eastern European country.


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