Liquidity and Profitability of Retail Companies: Evidence from Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to examine effect of liquidity on profitability of publicly listed retail companies on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX). This study uses firm size and Working Capital Management (WCM) efficiency as control variables. The sample in this study consisted of 15 publicly listed retail companies in the period of 2014-2019. All variables are measured by a ratio scale. Profitability is proxied by return on assets. Data was analyzed with panel data regression using a fixed effect model. This study shows that liquidity has a positive and significant effect on profitability when measured using the current ratio. In addition, company size has a significant positive effect on profitability. A higher composition of current assets to current liability improves profitability. On the other hand, Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) as a proxy of WCM efficiency has a significant negative correlation with profitability. This research findings contribute to understanding of the impact of liquidity, firm size and CCC on profitability in retail industry.