Corporate sustainable growth rate: The potential impact of COVID-19 on Malaysian companies

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic slowdown have negatively impacted various industries and will cause losses, defaults in debt obligations, and significantly increase the risk of insolvency. An excessive level of debt could lead to unsustainable growth, financial distress, and insolvency. Sustainable growth rate (SGR) may have a significant impact on corporate financial distress. Sustainable growth in a business context is the maximum limit for a company to increase its revenue without depleting its financial resources. Sustainable growth rate depends on the earnings retention rate (R) and the return on equity (SGR = R × ROE). The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors affecting the SGR by segregating the positive and negative profitability of Shariah-compliant companies in Malaysia. Using STATA software, we conducted a static estimation model to analyse data from 181 Shariah-compliant companies in Malaysia collected from 2007 to 2016. The research based on ROE analysis by segregating positive and negative ROE as the potential impact of COVID-19 in Malaysia. For companies of positive ROE, the decrease in the dividend payout and the company’s efficiency, and an increase in profitability will increase the sustainable growth rate. The company with negative ROE shows that the decrease in leverage and an increase in the company’s profitability and the company’s efficiency will result in the increased company’s sustainable growth rate. This research can be a guide for companies to the potential or experimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic either for the company that gains profit or faces the financial losses. This paper also provides an understanding of the corporate sustainable growth rate facing negative and positive profitability in Malaysia.