PENGARUH LEVERAGE, ARUS KAS OPERASI, FEE AUDIT, UKURAN PERUSAHAAN, DAN KUALITAS AUDIT TERHADAP MANAJEMEN LABA PADA PERUSAHAAN PROPERTI DAN REAL ESTATE YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA (BEI) PERIODE 2021-2025

Abstract

This study was motivated by the persistence of earnings management practices in property and real estate companies, which may reduce the quality of financial reporting. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of leverage, operating cash flow, audit fees, firm size, and audit quality on earnings management in property and real estate companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during the 2021–2025 period. This study employed a quantitative approach. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling technique, resulting in 15 companies with a total of 75 observations. The study utilized secondary dataobtained from the companies’ financial statements and annual reports. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression with the assistance of IBM SPSS Statistics version 29. The results indicate that leverage (Sig. = 0.315) and audit fees (Sig. = 0.187) do not have a significant effect on earnings management. In contrast, operating cash flow (Sig. = 0.020), firm size (Sig. = 0.021), and audit quality (Sig. = 0.008) have a significant effect on earnings management. Simultaneously, all independent variables have a significant effect on earnings management (F = 3.577; Sig. = 0.007), with an Adjusted R² value of 0.159. The findings suggest that earnings management practices are more strongly influenced by a company's operating conditions, firm size, and audit quality than by leverage and audit fees. These findings are expected to provide valuable insights for companies in improving the quality of financial reporting and to serve as a reference for investors, auditors, and future researchers.