Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the corporate financial performance? A case study of Slovak enterprises

Abstract

Research background: The corporate debt situation can be considered a crucial factor influencing the future development of the financial performance of the firm. It is essential for every business entity to know its financial health, its strengths and weaknesses, and how its business has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and all the changes it has brought. Purpose of the article: The main aim of this paper is to explain and quantify the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, analyze changes in the growth of crucial determinants, and identify new trends in Slovak enterprises throughout the monitored period of 2018‒2021. Methods: Hence, a statistically significant difference between the individual indicators due to the period in which the firms achieved these values was determined using the Friedman test. It determined whether the average values of the financial indicators remained constant over the period under review (the years 2018 and 2019 are considered pre- COVID-19 years, while 2020 and 2021 are years when the globe was already being impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic) or whether the individual values of the indicators differed significantly. Findings & value added: Considering that there are statistically significant differences in the indicators of self-financing ratio, current indebtedness ratio, and equity leverage ratio in all monitored periods except for the years 2020 and 2021, where the average values of these debt indicators are the same, the results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic also negatively impacted the indebtedness of Slovak enterprises. Although this research paper, focusing on the financial performance of the firms in the post-pandemic period, is pioneering in Slovakia, the biggest contribution of the study is the application of the latest information, which could help in more precise monitoring of corporate financial stability and debt policy during the current challenging period. The obtained results provide important universal guidelines for building financial strategies improving long-term financial resilience of enterprises.