THE EFFECT OF FREE CASH FLOW ON COMPANY VALUE IN MINING SECTOR COMPANIES ON THE INDONESIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

Abstract

The mining sector plays a crucial role in the Indonesian economy, and understanding the factors that influence the value of mining companies is of great importance for investors and policymakers. One such factor is free cash flow, which represents the surplus cash generated by a company after meeting its operating expenses and capital expenditures. Companies with higher free cash flow may have more resources available for investment, debt reduction, or returning value to shareholders, which can potentially enhance their overall value. However, it is essential to investigate whether this relationship holds true specifically for mining sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period of 2020-2021. This study aimed to assess the impact of free cash flow on the value of mining sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange between 2020 and 2021. This study is explanatory research with a quantitative approach. Secondary data was utilized, and the research focused on a population of 55 mining sector companies listed during that specific period. The sample, consisting of 38 companies, was selected using purposive sampling. The analysis employed descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analysis using IBM SPSS version 21 software. The findings revealed that although free cash flow demonstrated a positive relationship with firm value, this relationship was not statistically significant. The regression coefficient for the free cash flow variable was 0.013, indicating a positive effect. However, the partial T test resulted in a t-statistic value of 1.766 for the coefficient of the free cash flow variable, which was lower than the critical t-table value of 1.995. Therefore, the null hypothesis (Ho) was accepted, and the alternative hypothesis (H₁) was rejected.