Changes in the financial ratios of the wholesale and retail sector companies arising from the new accounting of the operating lease

Abstract

In a recent study, released by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB), changes in lease accounting criteria will add $ 2 trillion to the balance sheets of US companies. This impact is mainly due to the accounting characteristics that the operating lease has, off balance item. In this sense, this research analyzed the operating leasing operations of the wholesale and retail companies, qualified as lessees, and the impacts of the publication of IFRS 16 as its determinant. The study was based on the extraction of the accounting information published in the financial statements of the companies listed on the Brazilian BMF & Bovespa stock exchange. The statistical technique used in the study was the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The obtained results with use of the Liquidity, Debt and Leverage ratios, calculated on the basis of the financial statements published in 2015 and the adjusted statements according to the disclosure, have a significant impact on the equity structure of these companies. They revealed an increase of debt level, financial leverage and in liquidity, observed by the recognition of new assets and liabilities.