Bankruptcy Risk and Financial Performance of Companies Listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand

Abstract

Financial performance is an important issue for entrepreneurs and investors. So far the number of studies on the effect of bankruptcy risk on financial performance of firms is small. Hence, this research investigates the impact of bankruptcy risk on financial performance of companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the relevant data cover the period between 2015 and 2019. Excluded are companies operating in the finance industry. The data are analyzed by multiple regression analysis. Altman’s Z-score (1968) is used as a proxy for bankruptcy risk while ROA, ROE, and Tobin’s Q serve as proxies for financial performance. The control variables in this study are liquidity, capital structure, firm size, and inflation rate. Results reveal that Altman’s Z-score and firm size statistically and positively affect financial performance proxied by both accounting-based-measures, i.e. ROA and ROE; and market-based measures, i.e. Tobin’s Q. These results confirm that companies listed on Thailand’s Stock Exchange have low bankruptcy risk and large size is financially performed well.