The Relationship between Financial Leverage and Financial Performance: Emphasizing Financial Distress and Currency Crisis in the Tehran Stock Exchange

ObjectiveThe main objective of this article is to examine the relationship between financial leverage and financial performance. After identifying this relationship, the moderating effect of financial distress on the strengths and weaknesses of this relationship will be investigated. Then, due to the importance of the effect of the currency crisis on the financial performance of companies, the effect of this moderating variable on the relationship between financial leverage and financial performance is also examined. MethodsThe statistical population investigated in this research comprises companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period from 2013 to 2022. The data needed to analyze the relationships were collected using the library research method, utilizing databases from the Central Bank of Iran, the World Bank, and Codal. Systematic elimination was employed in the population to account for limitations, resulting in a final sample of 114 companies from various sectors of the Tehran Stock Exchange, excluding the financial and investment sectors. In this research, financial leverage is considered the independent variable, while financial performance measures such as return on assets, return on equity, Tobin's q, return on sales (ROS), and return on cash flow are treated as dependent variables. Financial distress and the currency crisis serve as moderating variables. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and multivariate regression, with the Estimated Generalized Least Squares (EGLS) method applied to fit the model. ResultsThe findings indicate that financial leverage has a significant negative impact on financial performance, and this effect is attenuated in companies that face a higher risk of financial distress. Furthermore, the results suggest that a currency crisis intensifies the negative relationship between financial leverage and financial performance. ConclusionThe negative relationship between financial leverage and a company's financial performance indicates that as a company increases its debt level, the rise in borrowing costs outweighs the benefits. Managers can enhance the company's financial performance by reducing financial leverage levels and planning to increase internal funds, which should be considered an essential strategy to improve performance and mitigate external financing constraints. In high-risk financial distress conditions, the negative effect of financial leverage on financial performance tends to diminish. Management issues and the absence of operational and control systems are more pronounced in companies at a higher risk of financial distress; therefore, monitoring, limiting, and enhancing company efficiency due to high financial leverage will have a significantly positive effect on the financial performance of companies facing a high risk of financial distress (including payment defaults, bankruptcy, and liquidation). It can be asserted that higher financial leverage can improve the financial performance of companies due to its disciplinary role. Additionally, during a currency crisis, which typically results in higher inflation, investment costs and the utilization of loans and financial resources will increase. Reducing financial leverage during such crises, when access to foreign financial resources becomes more expensive and difficult, may lead to improved financial performance for the company.