Impact of Ownership Structure on Firm Performance in the MENA Region: An Empirical Study

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of ownership structures on firm financial performance in the MENA region.  The sample covers nine MENA countries (Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Tunisia, UAE, Morocco, Oman and Jordan) for the year 2014. We examine the impact of ownership structures on firm performance. Performance is proxied by Tobin-Q, ROE and ROA, while ownership structure is proxied using insider ownership, governmental, and blockholders. We control for risk, size, country effect and industry type. Our results suggest that blockholders, insider ownership and governmental ownership play a crucial role in firm performance measured by Tobin-Q, ROE and ROA respectively. Our results suggest that insider ownership negatively effects firm’s return on equity, while blockholder ownership has a positive impact on a firm’s Tobin-Q. Finally we find that governmental ownership plays a positive role on a firm’s return on assets in the MENA region.