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Abstract:The aim of the study was to investigate the impacts of capital structure on the performance of Nigerian listed non-financial firms and how these firms adjust to the target capital structure. We tested the Trade-off theory and the pecking order theory and the relevance of these theories to Nigerian firms is confirmed. The speed of adjustment to the target capital structure is determined using both pool OLS and GMM to ensure the robustness of the finding. The descriptive statistics show that leverage constitute 63 percent of the capital structure of Nigerian firms, while leverage is dominated with the short term leverage. We observed that profitability and asset structure were negatively related to leverage while the size of the firm and non-debt tax shield were positively related to leverage. The adjustment speed of Nigerian firms is very high 47% that compares well with studies on non-financial firms done in most developed countries.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there are differences between the determinants of the capital structure in financial and manufacturing firms and also assess how the speed of adjustment differs. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed balanced panels data procedure using pooled ordinary least square, the random effects and fixed effects on manufacturing firms and banks that are listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange. The use of the three estimation method is in order to make a meaningful comparison between the models. Findings – The findings indicate that there are similarities and differences in the capital structure determinants on the two sets of firms: banks tend to be more leveraged when they are more profitable and manufacturing firms tend to be less leveraged when they are profitable. In addition, banks adjust their leverage faster at a speed of 69 per cent than manufacturing firms at 46 per cent. The study also shows that changes in the economy influence the capital structure of financial firms more than that of manufacturing firms. Research limitations/implications – The study only focused on one economy. Practical implications – As a result of 2008 global financial crisis, there has been intense debate on the significance of regulatory capital. The study demonstrate the need for regulatory capital in banks to be procyclical rather than being static. Originality/value – To the best of the knowledge, this is the first paper to empirically test how capital structure differ between banks and non-financial institutions.

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Pecking order theory of capital structure demonstrates how managers could reduce inefficiency in the presence of information asymmetry in the source of finance. This study aims at a critical evaluation of the relevance of pecking order theory to firms, using the panel data of the listed firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The study adopt the fixed effect model for the determination of the target capital structure and the decision is based on the result of the Hausman test. The study applies the Vector error correction model to establish causality between the variables. The outcome indicates that the capital structure of Nigerian firms is positively related to asset structure while it is negatively related to profitability and liquidity. The study also shows that there is a causal relationship ranging from profitability and liquidity to the capital structure.