The Influence of Profitability on an Enterprise’s Capital Structure – The Example of Joint-stock Companies Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange Cover Image

Wpływ rentowności przedsiębiorstwa na strukturę kapitału na przykładzie spółek akcyjnych notowanych na Giełdzie Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie
The Influence of Profitability on an Enterprise’s Capital Structure – The Example of Joint-stock Companies Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange

Author(s): Magdalena Jerzemowska, Agnieszka Hajduk
Subject(s): Economy
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Krakowie
Keywords: capital structure; profitability; joint-stock companies; dependency analysis

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents an analysis of the relationship between a company’s capital structure and its profitability. Current theories of capital structure suggest that such a relationship exists, but there is no agreement as to where it may lead. The Pecking Order Theory predicts that high profitability is accompanied by a lower level of debt. Signalling Theory, on the other hand, holds that the relationship between a company’s profitability and its debt will be positive. The paper attempts to determine which of these two theories is supported by the Polish circumstances through the prism factor: the profitability of the company. The study uses the financial statements of 196 companies listed on the Stock Exchange in Warsaw and was carried out for two macro-sectors: industry, and trade and Services. Multiple linear regression method was used for the empirical analysis. A positive relationship is shown between the capital structure and profitability of companies in the Trade and Services macro-sectors.

  • Issue Year: 938/2015
  • Issue No: 02
  • Page Range: 45-57
  • Page Count: 13