The Effect of Profitability, Leverage, and Firm Size on Income Smoothing in Food and Beverage Companies Listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the 2020–2024 Period

Abstract

Background: Financial performance in the food and beverage sector remained uneven through the pandemic and recovery, creating potential incentives to stabilize reported earnings. Objective: This study tests profitability, leverage, and firm size as determinants of income smoothing in Indonesian food and beverage firms during 2020–2024. Methods: Using a causal-comparative quantitative design, secondary financial data from 23 purposively selected firms produced 112 observations. ROA, DAR, log total assets, and the Eckel Index represented the study variables. Logistic regression was used to test the hypotheses. Results: The three predictors were jointly significant (Nagelkerke R² = 0.122). Profitability and leverage were positively significant, while firm size was negatively significant. Conclusion: The findings indicate that earnings-smoothing behavior varies with profitability, debt exposure, and company scale and provide evidence relevant to assessing financial-reporting quality.