EFFECTS OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE ON INSOLVENCY RISK AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC MODERATING EFFECT

Authors

  • Taís Rodrigues da Costa Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)
  • José Willer do Prado Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)
  • Ednilson Sebastião de Ávila Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)
  • Lélis Pedro de Andrade Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais (IFMG)
  • Paulo Henrique Sales Guimarães Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22561/cvr.v36i2.8567

Keywords:

Indebtedness, Bankruptcy risk, COVID-19

Abstract

Studies on insolvency were developed mainly to elaborate on forecast models; however, identifying the determinant factors of insolvency risk contributes to understanding how this problem arises and helps with its prevention. A company’s capital structure influences insolvency risk; however, different views of the effects of capital structure on the value and risk of the company are found. Additionally, when dealing with insolvency risk, the pandemic period can be considered a relevant event, because the consequences of COVID-19 impacted financial markets around the world. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the influence of capital structure on the insolvency risk of nonfinancial Brazilian companies listed on B3 and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this relationship. Multilevel regression of quarterly panel data from 2010 to 2021 was used to develop the study. The results showed that some of the indebtedness variables had significant positive effects, corroborating trade-off theory. The variable financial indebtedness and its quadratic term had significant results, confirming the existence of a quadratic relationship (U-shaped) between financial indebtedness and the insolvency risk. Regarding the moderating effect of the pandemic, the results show that in some cases the COVID-19 pandemic was relevant to relation between debt and insolvency risk.

Author Biographies

Taís Rodrigues da Costa, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)

Mestra em Administração pela Universidade Federal de Lavras (PPGA/UFLA), Doutoranda do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Universidade Federal de Lavras, Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, CEP: 37203-202 - Lavras/MG. (37) 99864-8858. E-mail:taisrodriguesdacosta@gmail.com.

José Willer do Prado, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)

Doutor em Administração pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Universidade Federal de Lavras (PPGA/UFLA), Professor da Universidade Federal de Lavras (PPGA/UFLA), Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, CEP: 37203-202 - Lavras/MG. (35) 3829-1763. E-mail: jose.prado@ufla.br.

Ednilson Sebastião de Ávila, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)

Doutor em Economia Aplicada pela Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz - Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ/USP). Professor da Universidade Federal de Lavras, Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, CEP: 37203-202 - Lavras/MG. (35) 3829-1448. E-mail: ednilson.avila@ufla.br

Lélis Pedro de Andrade, Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais (IFMG)

Doutor em Administração pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Professor do Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais Campus Formiga, Rua Padre Alberico, s/n, Bairro São Luiz, CEP: 35570-000 – Formiga/ MG. (37) 3321-4094. E-mail: lelis.pedro@ifmg.edu.br

Paulo Henrique Sales Guimarães, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)

Doutor em Estatística e Experimentação Agropecuária pela Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA). Professor da Universidade Federal de Lavras, Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, CEP: 37203-202 - Lavras/MG. (35) 2142-2141. E-mail: paulo.guimaraes@ufla.br

References

Albanez, T. (2012). Efeitos do market timing sobre a estrutura de capital de companhias abertas brasileiras. (Tese de Doutorado) Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 251.

Ahmed, A. M., Nugraha, D. P., & Hágen, I. (2024). Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Capital Structure Dynamics: Evidence from GCC Economies. In Economies (Vol. 12, Issue 5). https://doi.org/10.3390/economies12050103

Alhajjeah, D., & Besim, M. (2024). Firms’ Capital Structure during Crises: Evidence from the United Kingdom. In Sustainability (Vol. 16, Issue 13). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135469

Ali, M., Alam, N., & Rizvi, S. A. R. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19)-an epidemic or pandemic for financial markets. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2020.100341.Altman, E. (1968). Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy. The Journal of Finance, 23(4), 589–609.

Altman, E. (1968). Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy. The Journal of Finance, 23(4), 589–609.

Altman, E. I., Baidya, T. K. N., & Dias, L. M. R. (1979). Previsão de problemas financeiros em empresas. In Revista de Administração de Empresas, 19(1), 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-75901979000100002

Alves, P., & Francisco, P. (2015). The impact of institutional environment on the capital structure of firms during recent financial crises. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 57, 129–146. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2014.12.001

Arianpoor, A., & Naeimi Tajdar, S. S. (2024). The relationship between firm risk, capital structure, cost of equity capital, and social and environmental sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Facilities Management, 22(2), 234–255. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-11-2021-0148

Avelar, E. A., Ferreira, P. O., Silva, B. N. E. R., & Ferreira, C. O. (2021). Efeitos Da Pandemia De Covid-19 Sobre A Sustentabilidade Econômico-Financeira De Empresas Brasileiras. Revista Gestão Organizacional, 14(1), 131–152. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22277/rgo.v14i1.5724

Azhari, N. K. M., Mahmud, R., & Shaharuddin, S. N. H. (2022). Capital Structure Of Malaysian Companies: Are They Different During the COVID-19 Pandemic? The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 9(4), 239–250. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.13106/JAFEB.2022.VOL9.NO4.0239

Baker, M., & Wurgler, J. (2002). Market Timing and Capital Structure. The Journal of Finance, 57(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6261.00414

Bastos, D. D., & Nakamura, W. T. (2009). Determinantes da estrutura de capital das companhias abertas no Brasil, México e Chile no período 2001-2006. Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, 20(50), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1519-70772009000200006

Bittencourt, W. R., & Albuquerque, P. H. M. (2018). Estrutura de capital: uma revisão bibliográfica das publicações dos periódicos nacionais. Revista Contemporânea de Contabilidade, 15(34 SE-Artigos), 94–114. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8069.2018v15n34p94

Brito, G. A. S., Corrar, L. J., & Batistella, F. D. (2007). Fatores determinantes da estrutura de capital das maiores empresas que atuam no Brasil. Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, 18(43), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1519-70772007000100002

Bryan, D., Dinesh Fernando, G., & Tripathy, A. (2013). Bankruptcy risk, productivity and firm strategy. Review of Accounting and Finance, 12(4), 309–326. https://doi.org/10.1108/RAF-06-2012-0052

Campos, A., & Nakamura, W. T. (2013). Folga Financeira Avaliada como Endividamento Relativo e Estrutura de Capital. Revista de Finanças Aplicadas, 1–19.

Carvalho, P. V, Curto, J. D., & Primor, R. (2022). Macroeconomic determinants of credit risk: Evidence from the Eurozone. International Journal of Finance & Economics, 27(2), 2054–2072. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2259

Cepal. (2021). Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe. https://statistics.cepal.org/yearbook/2021/statistics.html?lang=es&theme=economicas

Chaia, A. J. (2003). Modelos de gestão do risco de crédito e sua aplicabilidade ao mercado brasileiro. Universidade de São Paulo.

CNN. (2021). Lucro das empresas de capital aberto cai 82% no segundo trimestre. CNN Brasil. https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/business/lucro-das-empresas-de-capital-aberto-cai-81-no-segundo-trimestre/

Costa, T. R., Prado, J. W., Guimarães, P. H. S., Andrade, L. P., & Ávila, E. S. (2023). Risco de Insolvência: Uma Análise Comparativa de Diferentes Técnicas de Previsão para o Período de Pandemia. 23o USP International Conference on Accounting.

Cuervo-Cazurra, A. (2016). Multilatinas as sources of new research insights: The learning and escape drivers of international expansion. Journal of Business Research, 69(6), 1963–1972. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.142

DeAngelo, H., & Masulis, R. W. (1980). Optimal capital structure under corporate and personal taxation. Journal of Financial Economics, 8(1), 3–29. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(80)90019-7

Duran, M. M., & Stephen, S. A. (2020). Internationalization and the capital structure of firms in emerging markets: Evidence from Latin America before and after the financial crisis. Research In International Business And Finance, 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2020.101288

Durand, D. (1952). Costs of Debt and Equity Funds for Business: Trends and Problems of Measurement. In Conference on Research in Business Finance (pp. 215–262). National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. https://econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:nbr:nberch:4790

Durand, D. (1959). The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance, and the Theory of Investment: Comment. American Economic Review., 49(4), 639–655.

Elizabetsky, R. (1976). Um modelo matemático para decisão no banco comercial. Universidade de São Paulo.

Fahlenbrach, R., Rageth, K., & Stulz, R. M. (2021). How Valuable Is Financial Flexibility when Revenue Stops? Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis. The Review of Financial Studies, 34(11), 5474–5521. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhaa134

Fávero, L. P. L., Belfiore, P. P., Silva, F. L. da, & Chan, B. L. P. P.-R. de J. (2009). Análise de dados: modelagem multivariada para tomada de decisões. Elsevier.

Fávero, L. P., & Belfiore, P. (2017). Manual de análise de dados: estatística e modelagem multivariada com Excel, SPSS e Stata (1st ed.). Elsevier.

Freire, M. D. de M., Machado, M. R. R., Machado, L. S., Souza, E. S., & de Oliveira, J. J. (2012). Aderência às normas internacionais de contabilidade pelas empresas brasileiras. Revista de Contabilidade e Organizações, 6(15 SE-), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.11606/rco.v6i15.52654

Gao, C., & Tsusaka, T. W. (2023). Economic Uncertainty and Firms’ Capital Structure: Evidence from China. In Risks (Vol. 11, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.3390/risks11040066

Governo Do Brasil. (2020). Brasil confirma primeiro caso do novo coronavírus.. https://www.gov.br/pt-br/noticias/saude-e-vigilancia-sanitaria/2020/02/brasil-confirma-primeiro-caso-do-novo-coronavirus#:~:text=O Brasil confirmou%2C nesta quarta,para Itália%2C região da Lombardia.

Gujarati, D. N., & Porter, D. C. (2011). Econometria Básica (5th ed.). McGraw Hill Brasi.

Hackbarth, D., Miao, J., & Morellec, E. (2006). Capital structure, credit risk, and macroeconomic conditions. Journal of Financial Economics, 82(3), 519–550. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2005.10.003

Hair, J., Black, W., Babin, B., Anderson, R., & Tatham, R. (2006). Análise Multivariada de Dados (6a edição). Bookman Companhia Editora.

Haron, R., Nomran, N. M., Abdullah Othman, A. H., Md Husin, M., & Sharofiddin, A. (2021). The influence of firm, industry and concentrated ownership on dynamic capital structure decision in emerging market. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 15(5), 689–709. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-04-2019-0109

Horváthová, J., & Mokrišová, M. (2018). Risk of Bankruptcy, Its Determinants and Models. In Risks (Vol. 6, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.3390/risks6040117

Hovakimian, A., Kayhan, A., & Titman, S. (2012). Are Corporate Default Probabilities Consistent with the Static Trade-off Theory? The Review of Financial Studies, 25(2), 315–340. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhr101

Hsiao, C. (2007). Panel data analysis—advantages and challenges. TEST, 16(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11749-007-0046-x

Huang, H., & Ye, Y. (2021). Rethinking capital structure decision and corporate social responsibility in response to COVID-19. Accounting & Finance, 61(3), 4757–4788. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12740

Lott, V. F. (2019). Fatores Determinantes do Endividamento e Predição de Insolvência: Um Estudo Comparativo entre Brasil e Estados Unidos. (Dissertação de mestrado), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 86.

Lott, V. F., Tenenwurcel, D. R., & Camargos, M. A. de. (2021). Determinants of indebtedness of Brazilian companies listed in B3 with and without insolvency risk. Revista de Administração Da UFSM, 14(1 SE-Articles), 79–99. https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465933892

Machado, K. G., & Freitas, T. R. (2023). Impacto Da Alavancagem Financeira No Desempenho Das Empresas Brasileiras Durante A Pandemia Da Covid-19. Revista Liceu On-Line, 13(1), 75–95. https://liceu.emnuvens.com.br/LICEU_ON-LINE/article/view/1918

Machado, M. A. V., Medeiros, O. R. de, & Eid Júnior, W. (2010). Problemas na mensuração da estrutura de capital: evidências empíricas no Brasil. BBR - Brazilian Business Review, 7(1), 24–47. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=123016768002

Mateus, R. (2010). Análise de insolvência empresarial: uma abordagem financeira fundamentalista com aplicação do método estatístico multivariado e da técnica discriminante. Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão.

Matias, A. (1978). Contribuição às técnicas de análise financeira: um modelo de concessão de crédito. Universidade de São Paulo.

Miller, M. H. (1977). Debt and taxes. The Journal of Finance, 32(2), 261–275. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1977.tb03267.x

Modigliani, F., & Miller, M. H. (1958). The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and the Theory of Investment. The American Economic Review, 48(3), 261–297. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1809766

Modigliani, F., & Miller, M. H. (1963). Corporate Income Taxes and the Cost of Capital: A Correction. The American Economic Review, 53(3), 433–443. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1809167

Myers, S. (1984). The capital structure puzzle. Journal of Finance, 39(3), 575–592.

Myers, S. C. (2001). Capital structure. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(2), 81–102.

Nenu, E. A., Vintilă, G., & Gherghina, Ş. C. (2018). The Impact of Capital Structure on Risk and Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence for the Bucharest Stock Exchange Listed Companies. In International Journal of Financial Studies (Vol. 6, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijfs6020041

Ohlson, J. A. (1980). Financial Ratios And The Probabilistic Prediction Of Bankruptcy. Journal Of Accounting Research, 18(1), 109–131. Https://Doi.Org/10.2307/2490395

Oz, I. O., & Simga-Mugan, C. (2018). Bankruptcy prediction models’ generalizability: Evidence from emerging market economies. Advances in Accounting, 41(September 2017), 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adiac.2018.02.002

Pamplona, E., Ames, A. C., & Silva, T. P. da. (2020). Estrutura de capital e financial distress em empresas familiares e não familiares brasileiras. Revista Contemporânea de Contabilidade, 17(44), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8069.2020v17n44p17

Prado, J. W., Alcântara, V. C., Carvalho, F. M., Vieira, K. C., Machado, L. K. C., & Tonelli, D. F. (2016). Multivariate analysis of credit risk and bankruptcy research data: a bibliometric study involving different knowledge fields (1968–2014). Scientometrics, 106(3), 1007–1029. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1829-6

Prado, J. W. do. (2019). Determinantes e implicações da estrutura de capital, da estrutura de propriedade e da governança corporativa: um modelo multiteórico de análise. (Tese de Doutorado), Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras,194.

Prado, J. W., Vilamaior, A. G., Campos, A. C., & Nascimento, T. B. P. (2020). Previsão da Insolvência Eemresarial Utilizando Redes Neurais Artificiais. Revista Gestão e Desenvolvimento, 17(2 SE-Artigos Livres), 136–162. https://doi.org/10.25112/rgd.v17i2.1777

Ricca, L. T., Jucá, M. N., & Hadad Junior, E. (2021). Tax benefit and bankruptcy cost of debt. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 81, 82–92. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2021.05.003

Scott, J. H. (1976). A Theory of Optimal Capital Structure. Bell Journal of Economics, 7(1), 33–54. https://econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:rje:bellje:v:7:y:1976:i:spring:p:33-54

Rosa, A. A. S., Forti, C. A. B., & Dias, V. F. M. B. (2022). Impact of internationalization on the working capital requirement of Brazilian companies. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 23(4), eRAMF220017. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-6971/eRAMF220017.en

Shaari, S. N. M., & Kamarudin, N. (2024). The Moderating Effect of the Pandemic on Capital Structure and Firm Performance in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Journal, 19(1), 25-49. https://www.doi.org/10.24191/APMAJ.V19i1-02

Tao, Q., Zahid, Z., Mughal, A., & Shahzad, F. (2020). Does operating leverage increase firm’s profitability and bankruptcy risk? Evidence from China’s entry into WTO. International Journal of Finance and Economics, November, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2395

The World Bank. (2022). O crescimento global deve desacelerar até 2023, aumentando o risco de um declínio rápido e indesejado nas economias em desenvolvimento. COMUNICADO À IMPRENSA No 2022/038/EFI.

Tinoco, M. H., & Wilson, N. (2013). Financial distress and bankruptcy prediction among listed companies using accounting, market and macroeconomic variables. International Review of Financial Analysis, 30, 394–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2013.02.013

Tsoy, L., & Heshmati, A. (2019). Impact of Financial Crises on the Dynamics of Capital Structure: Evidence from Korean Listed Companies. The Singapore Economic Review, 68. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217590819500498

Zeitun, R., Temimi, A., & Mimouni, K. (2017). Do financial crises alter the dynamics of corporate capital structure? Evidence from GCC countries. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 63, 21–33. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2016.05.004

Published

2025-11-24

How to Cite

COSTA, T. R. da; PRADO, J. W. do; ÁVILA, E. S. de; ANDRADE, L. P. de; GUIMARÃES, P. H. S. EFFECTS OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE ON INSOLVENCY RISK AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC MODERATING EFFECT. Contabilidade Vista & Revista, [S. l.], v. 36, n. 2, p. 139–172, 2025. DOI: 10.22561/cvr.v36i2.8567. Disponível em: https://revistas.face.ufmg.br/index.php/contabilidadevistaerevista/article/view/8567. Acesso em: 19 jan. 2026.