LIQUIDITY AND PROFITABILITY OF MEAT PROCESSING ENTERPRISES IN POLAND

The research aimed to identify changes in the level of liquidity and profitability of meat industry enterprises and determine the relationship between liquidity and profitability in this industry. The authors made a hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between the liquidity and profitability of meat enterprises, which means that along with the increase in financial liquidity the profitability of enterprises increased. The research used information from meat processing and preservation companies, except poultry, employing more than nine persons. The analysis covered companies that were obliged to submit financial statements to the National Court Register. In 2007, there were 467 such enterprises in Poland and 316 in 2018. The descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression analysis were used in the data analysis. The analyses show that the number of meat businesses in Poland is decreasing as a result of their consolidation and winding-up due to the difficult financial situation. The average current liquidity ratio of the enterprises analyzed between 2007 and 2018 remained at a satisfactory level from 1.054 to 1.49. The research shows a significant correlation between current and quick liquidity ratios and returns on assets and equity. The highest level of correlation occurred between the quick liquidity ratio and the asset profitability ratio. The profitability of meat enterprises in the long term is associated with maintaining financial liquidity. In turn, maintaining the ability to meet current obligations requires a rational management of profit and working capital.