The Impact of Financi ng Structure on Financial Performance of Listed Companies in Damascus Securities Exchange (2007 - 2016)

This study aims at testing the impact of financing structure (financial leverage) on the performance of listed companies in Damascus Security Exchange, according to accounting performance measures namely: Earning Per Share (EPS); Dividends Per Share (DPS); Stock book Value (BV); Stock Market Value (MV); Return on Assets (ROA); and Return on Equity (ROE). By focusing on two time series: the first series before the current crisis (2007-2011); and the second series during the crisis (2012-2016). In order to analyze and test the hypothesis, the researcher used two models: the static model (Panel data analysis); and the dynamic model (Distributed lag model). The results show that the financing structure (debt ratio) has a positive and significant impact on the return on assets; and the return on equity, and this impact extends for several years later. Finally, no evidence has been provided by the study about the impact of the financing structure on earnings per share; dividends per share; book value per share; and market value per share, as measures of financial performance of the Syrian listed firms.