INFLUENCE OF INDEBTEDNESS ON PROFITABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA.

Different capital structures and their impact on firm performance are one of the most studied topics in the finance literature. This study is an attempt to assess the impact of financial structure on profitability of agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Serbia, with the aim of evaluating the importance and nature of the contribution of the total, short-term and long-term aspects of debt to the success of the company. The financial performance of the selected sample of 38 medium and large agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Serbia was analysed in the period from 2018 to 2021. The findings of this paper indicate that total debt and short-term debt significantly determine the return on equity, while the effect of long-term debt is insignificant. The nature of the impact of all three aspects of financial structure is negative. The inclusion of size and growth of sales in the regression models showed that only annual sales growth significantly positively determines profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]