CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND SHAREHOLDER WEALTH MAXIMIZATION IN INDIAN AUTOMOBILE COMPANIES: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i7.2024.6544Keywords:
Capital Structure, Shareholder Wealth Maximization, Automobile Industry in India, Debt-Equity Ratio, Profitability (Roa, Roe, Eps), Dividend Policy, Cost of Borrowing, Trade-Off Theory, Pecking Order Theory, Structural Equation Modeling (Sem)Abstract [English]
The automobile industry in India is one of the most capital-intensive sectors, making financing decisions crucial for sustaining growth and competitiveness. This study investigates the impact of capital structure on shareholder wealth maximization in Indian automobile companies over a ten-year period (2012–2022). Using data from 30 listed firms, the research applies descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, ANOVA, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships between debt-equity ratios, cost of borrowing, profitability measures (ROA, ROE, EPS), dividend policy, and shareholder wealth indicators (market price, EPS, dividend per share). The results demonstrate that capital structure significantly affects shareholder wealth both directly and indirectly through profitability. Excessive leverage negatively impacts returns and market valuation, while moderate debt enhances value by balancing tax benefits and financial risk, consistent with trade-off theory. The study also finds that profitability is the strongest mediator linking financing choices to investor wealth, cost of borrowing exerts a detrimental effect, and dividend policy serves as a positive signal of financial stability. The findings contribute to the literature on corporate finance in emerging markets by providing sector-specific evidence from India’s automobile industry. Managerial and policy implications suggest that firms should maintain an optimal debt-equity mix, manage borrowing costs efficiently, and adopt stable dividend policies to maximize long-term shareholder wealth.
References
Agwan, A. (2017). Empirical analysis of the impact of capital structure on the profitability of automobile industry. International Journal of Management, IT & Engineering, 7(4), 190–217.
Bhatnagar, V., Kumari, M., & Sharma, N. (2015). Impact of capital structure and cost of capital on shareholders’ wealth maximization. Chanakya International Journal of Business Research, 1(1), 28–36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15410/cijbr/2015/v1i1/61401
Handoo, A., & Sharma, K. (2014). A study on determinants of capital structure in India. IIMB Management Review, 26(3), 170–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2014.07.009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2014.07.009
Khan, A., & Hussaine, S. (2018). Impact of capital structure on firm performance: Evidence from Indian companies. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 8(2), 221–226.
Khan, R. U., & Ghayas, H. (2020). Firm-specific determinants of capital structure: Evidence from Indian listed companies. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 21(2), 87–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/10599231.2020.1724308
Malinic, D., Jovanovic, D., & Milic, M. (2013). Capital structure and profitability of companies in transition economies. Economic Annals, 58(199), 29–56.
Mujahid, M., & Akhtar, K. (2014). Impact of capital structure on firms’ financial performance and shareholders’ wealth. International Journal of Learning and Development, 4(2), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v4i2.5511 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v4i2.5511
Pandey, N., & Prabhavathi, M. (2016). The impact of leverage on shareholders' wealth of automobile industry in India. Pacific Business Review International, 8(11), 79–92.
Pathak, R., & Chandani, A. (2020). Determinants of capital structure of Indian firms: A panel data analysis. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 15(6), 1123–1145. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-09-2018-0461
Popli, G. S., & Jaiswal, S. (2012). Capital structure decisions: An empirical study of Indian corporate sector. Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, 4(1), 119–131.
Sethi, M., & Tiwari, R. (2016). Determinants of capital structure: A study of Indian manufacturing sector. Global Business Review, 17(3S), 705–720. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150916631204
Singh, N., & Bagga, M. (2019). The effect of capital structure on profitability: An empirical panel data study. Jindal Journal of Business Research, 8(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/2278682119853244 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2278682118823312
Sureshkumar, V. (2019). Impact of capital structure on profitability of automobile companies in India. Journal of Composition Theory, 12(3), 1105–1114.
Tripathi, S., Gupta, A., & Sharma, V. (2024). Moderating role of capital structure in the governance–firm value nexus: Evidence from Indian non-financial firms. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 18(2), 305–322.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Ayush Kansal, Dr. Swati Oza Sharma

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.