Capital Structure, Capital Intensity and Profitability of Insurance Firms Quoted at Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya

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Date
2024-10
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
The profitability of insurance firms has been unstable during the preceding ten years, mostly due to the insurance industry's bad investment and financing choices. Despite widespread agreement that choosing a financing framework is a major component in determining financial success, there is a lack of empirical research on the topic, especially in the insurance industry. The study's guiding research team set out to compare the financial health of insurance firms trading on Kenya's stock market based on characteristics related to their funding arrangements. Several factors were considered in order to arrive at an evaluation of the specified insurance firms' financial performance. Various forms of finance, including short-term and long-term loans, as well as internal and external funds, were taken into account. In this specific context, the study set out to assess how the degree of capital intensity affects the relationship between the financial framework and economic performance. The ideas of financial structure, agency theory, and Modigliani and Miller's pecking order theory formed the basis of the research. The inquiry was grounded on these ideas, which provided the empirical basis. The study used an explanatory research design in line with the principles of positivist research approach. The goal of this inquiry was to examine six separate insurance firms. From 2012 through 2019, a total of eight years, all of these businesses were traded on the national stock exchange. Using a checklist for systematic reviews, we combed through secondary materials that may be useful for our investigation. Data analysis made use of many statistical methodologies, including descriptive statistics, panel regression analysis, and Pearson correlation. To identify the issues with the data, many diagnostic procedures were performed. Among these tests were the following: the normality test (Shapiro-Wilk), the stationarity test (Hausman), the serial correlation test (Woollard), the heteroscedasticity test (Breusch-Pagan/Cook-Welsberg), the panel unit root test (Levin-Lin-Chu), and the multicollinearity test (pairwise correlation analysis). Data analysis allows one to conclude that long-term loans significantly hinder one's ability to become financially successful. In addition, the effect is substantial from a statistical standpoint (p < 0.05). Statistical significance (p < 0.05) shows that short-term loans, internal and external funding, and both have a significant impact on economic performance. Since the p-value was greater than 0.05, it was concluded that capital intensity did not have a statistically significant influence on the link between financing structure and financial performance. The study's results showed that long-term loans were only slightly associated with better financial outcomes. However, there was a far stronger correlation between internal and external finance and financial performance. Additionally, financial performance improved in tandem with the amount of short-term loans. It turned out that this was true. Finally, for insurance businesses registered on the national stock market in Kenya, the amount of capital investment did not significantly affect the connection between the financing structure and economic performance (p > 0.05). It was ultimately decided upon that. According to the report, insurance businesses that are Quoted on the national stock market might streamline their funding and boost their financial performance by renegotiating their loans
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted to the School of Economics in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Economics of Kenyatta University October, 2024 Supervisor: 1.Mungai john 2.Job Omagwa
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