Análise da influência da pandemia de COVID-19 na situação econômico-financeira de empresas do setor de comércio e distribuição alimentícia no Brasil

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the economic and financial situation of companies listed on B3 in the food trade and distribution sectors. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology was used, based on the analysis of financial indicators from the Economatica platform, such as liquidity, debt, and profitability, in the pre-, during, and post-pandemic periods. It is noteworthy that several challenges, such as changes in supply chains and changes in demand, cause indicators such as liquidity, debt, and profitability to be impacted. In order to identify such impacts more accurately and objectively, this research allowed us to verify the performances of such indicators, using the Economatica tool, before and after the pandemic. The results showed that the pandemic negatively affected liquidity and increased the debt of several companies, while some of them showed high adaptability and resilience; such information is very relevant for stakeholders, since it supports their decision-making in crisis scenarios and provides a clearer view of the prospects of the Brazilian food sector for the future. In this way, it was possible to understand the level of resilience and the companies' ability to adapt to such adverse scenarios.