The Impact of Capital Structure on Profitability of Listed Companies in Vietnam Stock Market: A Non-Linear Analysis
Authors: Cuc, Thi Thu Nguyen; Anh, Thi Dieu Ho; Thuy, Thi Bich Nguyen
Cuadernos de Economía
: 46, Issue 130 : 56-63
Publishing year: 6/2023
This study assesses the impact of capital structure on the profitability of companies
listed on the Vietnam Stock Exchange. Specifically, 342 companies (from various industries) listed
on the Hanoi Stock Exchange of Vietnam were chosen for this purpose between 2016 and 2022. The
capital structure is measured by the ratios of total debt to assets, short-term debt to assets, and
long-term debt to assets. In contrast, profitability is measured by return on equity. The information
for the abovementioned variables is extracted from the publicly available quarterly financial
statements of the selected companies for 2016-2022. For empirical evaluation, this research
employs panel ARDL and panel non-linear ARDL (NARDL) estimation methods, making it a novel
contribution to the literature. The findings of the panel ARDL estimation indicate that short-term
debt-to-asset ratio and total debt-to-asset ratio positively impact the companies' profitability. In
contrast, the long-term debt-to-asset ratio has a negative impact. The results of the panel NARDL
estimation indicate that positive shocks in capital structure increase the profitability of companies,
while negative shocks in capital structure decrease it. The study provides policies for Vietnamese
businesses based on its findings.
Capital structure; profitability; Vietnam; Hanoi stock exchange; panel ARDL & panel NARDL.