Yahoo Finance Is CommScope Holding Company (NASDAQ:COMM) Using Too Much 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 CommScope Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:COMM) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.
What Risk Does Debt Bring?
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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.
View our latest analysis for CommScope Holding Company
What Is CommScope Holding Company's Net Debt?
As you can see below, at the end of June 2019, CommScope Holding Company had US$10.3b of debt, up from US$4.37b a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, it also had US$348.0m in cash, and so its net debt is US$10.00b.
How Strong Is CommScope Holding Company's Balance Sheet?
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that CommScope Holding Company had liabilities of US$2.29b due within 12 months and liabilities of US$11.2b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$348.0m in cash and US$2.26b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$10.9b.
This deficit casts a shadow over the US$2.21b company, like a colossus towering over mere mortals. So we definitely think shareholders need to watch this one closely. After all, CommScope Holding Company would likely require a major re-capitalisation if it had to pay its creditors today.
We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.
Weak interest cover of 1.4 times and a disturbingly high net debt to EBITDA ratio of 10.0 hit our confidence in CommScope Holding Company like a one-two punch to the gut. The debt burden here is substantial. Another concern for investors might be that CommScope Holding Company's EBIT fell 10% in the last year. If that's the way things keep going handling the debt load will be like delivering hot coffees on a pogo stick. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if CommScope Holding Company can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.
But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. During the last three years, CommScope Holding Company produced sturdy free cash flow equating to 52% of its EBIT, about what we'd expect. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.
Our View
To be frank both CommScope Holding Company's net debt to EBITDA and its track record of staying on top of its total liabilities make us rather uncomfortable with its debt levels. But on the bright side, its conversion of EBIT to free cash flow is a good sign, and makes us more optimistic. Taking into account all the aforementioned factors, it looks like CommScope Holding Company has too much debt. While some investors love that sort of risky play, it's certainly not our cup of tea. Given the risks around CommScope Holding Company's use of debt, the sensible thing to do is to check if insiders have been unloading the stock.
When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
