Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. We note that Cardno Limited (ASX:CDD) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Cardno

What Is Cardno's Debt?

As you can see below, Cardno had AU$22.3m of debt at June 2021, down from AU$58.3m a year prior. But on the other hand it also has AU$37.3m in cash, leading to a AU$15.0m net cash position. debt-equity-history-analysis

A Look At Cardno's Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Cardno had liabilities of AU$181.7m falling due within a year, and liabilities of AU$94.4m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of AU$37.3m as well as receivables valued at AU$175.6m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling AU$63.2m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Since publicly traded Cardno shares are worth a total of AU$595.7m, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Cardno boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!



One way Cardno could vanquish its debt would be if it stops borrowing more but continues to grow EBIT at around 19%, as it did over the last year. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Cardno will need earnings to service that debt. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.

Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. Cardno may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last three years, Cardno actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.

Summing up

While Cardno does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of AU$15.0m. The cherry on top was that in converted 157% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in AU$58m. So is Cardno's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Be aware that  Cardno is showing  2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about...

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this freelist of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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