Capital Structure and Sensitivity in SME Definition: A Panel Data Investigation

We provide an empirical examination of the pecking order theory on capital structure in the field of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). We mainly investigate if the results are sensitive to different definitions commonly used for these types of companies. Our evidence offers strong support for the growth opportunities and cash flow hypotheses. Firms that have many growth opportunities and small cash flows clearly show more debt in their capital structure. Moreover, results do not change when different SME definitions or sample sizes are used.