Our results suggest that although past profits are an important predictor of
observed debt ratios, firms often make financing and repurchase decisions that
offset these earnings-driven changes in their capital structures. Specifically, when
firms either raise or retire significant amounts of new capital, their choices move
them toward the target capital structures suggested by the static tradeoff models,
often more than off setting the effects of accumulated profits and losses. This
qualitative pattern persists regardless of the maturity or the convertibility of the
debt being issued.