Yahoo Finance Bird Construction (TSE:BDT) Could Easily Take On More Debt
Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' 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 can see that Bird Construction Inc. (TSE:BDT) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.
Check out our latest analysis for Bird Construction
How Much Debt Does Bird Construction Carry?
You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Bird Construction had CA$63.5m of debt in June 2021, down from CA$163.1m, one year before. But on the other hand it also has CA$100.2m in cash, leading to a CA$36.7m net cash position.
How Strong Is Bird Construction's Balance Sheet?
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Bird Construction had liabilities of CA$611.0m due within 12 months and liabilities of CA$148.7m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CA$100.2m as well as receivables valued at CA$643.9m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CA$15.6m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
Given Bird Construction has a market capitalization of CA$556.8m, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Bird Construction also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.
In addition to that, we're happy to report that Bird Construction has boosted its EBIT by 86%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Bird Construction's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.
But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. While Bird Construction has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. Over the last three years, Bird Construction actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash conversion gets us as excited as the crowd when the beat drops at a Daft Punk concert.
Summing up
We could understand if investors are concerned about Bird Construction's liabilities, but we can be reassured by the fact it has has net cash of CA$36.7m. And it impressed us with free cash flow of CA$63m, being 144% of its EBIT. So is Bird Construction's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For example - Bird Construction has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
