Companies' growth vs. growth opportunity: Evidence from the regular and alternative stock markets in Poland.

The article discusses the ability of potential growth measures calculated basing on market share prices to predict the future growth of the companies listed on the primary and alternative exchange markets in Poland. Analysing the Polish exchange market and dividing the sample of companies due to the markets they are listed – the Warsaw Stock Exchange Main Market or the NewConnect Alternative Market – brought conclusive results. Company growth measured as the growth of total assets, equity, sales and, what is the most important, earnings per share, is related to the growth opportunity measures and other factors taken into account in the tested models. The differences between the results for the two separate markets are evident and the relationship between growth opportunity measures and the future growth seems to be stronger for larger companies listed on the main market, while the NewConnect smaller companies' growth is less predictable. We add to the theory of the growth prediction a modified approach by sampling companies according to the exchange they are listed that helps to solve the companies' "growth puzzle" and supplement the growth theory in the field of factors affecting this process in different growth stages. The originality of the paper is reflected in the modified approach to the problem and distinguishing the stages of development of the company taking into account the Polish stock market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]