The Role of Ownership Concentration, its Types and Firm Performance: A Quantitative Study of Financial Sector in Pakistan

The issue of ownership concentration has attracted a lot of attention in an emerging economy. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of ownership concentration and its different types on the performance of a firm. For this purpose a panel data of 27 firms of banking and financial services sector of Pakistan listed at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) is used as a sample for the period from 2007 to 2011. Ownership concentration and types of ownership are used as independent variables. Tobin’s Q is used as a proxy for the firm performance. The results of regression show that ownership concentration has a negative impact on the performance of a firm. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that bigger size, individual and family ownership and bank and institutional ownership improve the value of shareholders in the selected market. The types of ownership have a positive relationship with the firm performance supporting stewardship theory. On the contrary, higher leverage and aged firms deteriorate the shareholder’s value in Pakistan. The results of incremental regression analysis show that the firm size is the most important variable in affecting the value of a firm. These results are valuable to researchers and policy makers in Pakistan.