418486

Liquidity-Profitability Trade-off in the UK Insurance Industry: An Empirical Analysis

Article

Last updated: 29 Mar 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

-

Abstract

The study investigates the influence three liquidity metrics including current ratio, quick ratio and cash ratio have on two profitability indicators using ROA and ROE. The study employs panel data analysis of 10 UK insurance companies over a seven-year period (2017-2023). First the study used both random and fixed effect models before the Hausman test showed the fixed effect model should be used for analysis. Firm size and age are among the firm-specific characteristics that appear in the analysis through secondary data sources. Empirical data confirms the existence of connection points between liquidity performance indicators and profitability scores. The fixed effects model shows that current ratio has the most substantial positive influence on ROA (0.222911) and ROE (0.0292598). The association between quick ratio measurements and both profitability indicators (ROA: 0.0548891, p<0.002; ROE: 0.0218762, p<0.006) is identified as moderate and positive. "Research findings depict that cash ratio produces a direct positive connection to ROE (0.1590604, p<0.000) while creating an inverse relationship with ROA (-0.0913818, p<0.003). This contrasting effect can be explained through the trade-off theory perspective, where excess cash holdings benefit shareholders' returns by providing financial flexibility and reducing reliance on costly external financing during uncertain market conditions. However, the negative impact on ROA suggests that maintaining high cash reserves represents an opportunity cost, as these liquid assets generate lower returns compared to potential investments in productive operational assets specific to insurance underwriting. This divergence highlights the multifaceted nature of liquidity management decisions in insurance firms.

DOI

10.21608/msamsj.2025.362042.1089

Keywords

Liquidity Ratios, profitability, Insurance Industry, United Kingdom, Liquidity-Profitability Trade-off

Authors

First Name

Yassin

Last Name

Sherif

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Faculty of Management, Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI)

Email

yassinnazmy@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

0009-0001-4164-9223

Volume

4

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

51237

Issue Date

2025-04-01

Receive Date

2025-02-19

Publish Date

2025-04-01

Page Start

31

Page End

53

Print ISSN

2974-3028

Online ISSN

2974-3036

Link

https://msamsj.journals.ekb.eg/article_418486.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=418486

Order

418,486

Type

Original Article

Type Code

2,535

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

MSA-Management Sciences Journal

Publication Link

https://msamsj.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Liquidity-Profitability Trade-off in the UK Insurance Industry: An Empirical Analysis

Details

Type

Article

Created At

29 Mar 2025