Maulita, Erika; Nyale, M Hendri Yan
In the investment world, stock returns are the leading indicator of a company’s performance and the basis for investor decision-making in the capital market. Fluctuations in stock returns reflect market expectations of the company’s prospects. The retail sector in Indonesia is facing significant pressure from post-pandemic shifts in consumer behavior and increased competition. This study aims to analyze the effect of financial distress, company size, liquidity, operating cash flow, and accounting profit on stock returns in retail sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during the period 2021 to 2023. This type of research is causally associated with a quantitative approach. The data used is secondary, in the form of financial statements from retail companies. The sampling technique used was purposive, yielding a total of 39 data points from 13 retail companies. Data testing was carried out using SPSS version 24. The results showed that partially, the variables of financial distress, company size, liquidity, and accounting profit had no significant effect on stock returns. Meanwhile, operating cash flow positively impacts stock returns. These findings indicate that fundamental indicators are not always the main determinants of stock returns. Therefore, investors are advised also to consider external factors such as market sentiment, macroeconomic conditions, and government policies that may have a greater influence on stock performance in the capital market.