Yahoo Finance Here's Why Metro Mining (ASX:MMI) Has A Meaningful Debt Burden
The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. Importantly, Metro Mining Limited (ASX:MMI) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
Why Does Debt Bring Risk?
Debt is a tool to help businesses grow, but if a business is incapable of paying off its lenders, then it exists at their mercy. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.
View our latest analysis for Metro Mining
How Much Debt Does Metro Mining Carry?
The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Metro Mining had AU$43.9m in debt in June 2019; about the same as the year before. However, because it has a cash reserve of AU$11.4m, its net debt is less, at about AU$32.5m.
A Look At Metro Mining's Liabilities
The latest balance sheet data shows that Metro Mining had liabilities of AU$46.9m due within a year, and liabilities of AU$45.7m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had AU$11.4m in cash and AU$21.1m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by AU$60.1m.
This deficit isn't so bad because Metro Mining is worth AU$173.1m, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up its balance sheet, if the need arose. But it's clear that we should definitely closely examine whether it can manage its debt without dilution.
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.
Even though Metro Mining's debt is only 1.7, its interest cover is really very low at 1.8. This does have us wondering if the company pays high interest because it is considered risky. In any case, it's safe to say the company has meaningful debt. Notably, Metro Mining made a loss at the EBIT level, last year, but improved that to positive EBIT of AU$13m in the last twelve months. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Metro Mining can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.
Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So it is important to check how much of its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) converts to actual free cash flow. Over the last year, Metro Mining reported free cash flow worth 11% of its EBIT, which is really quite low. That limp level of cash conversion undermines its ability to manage and pay down debt.
Our View
Metro Mining's interest cover was a real negative on this analysis, although the other factors we considered cast it in a significantly better light. But on the bright side, its ability handle its debt, based on its EBITDA, isn't too shabby at all. Taking the abovementioned factors together we do think Metro Mining's debt poses some risks to the business. While that debt can boost returns, we think the company has enough leverage now. In light of our reservations about the company's balance sheet, it seems sensible to check if insiders have been selling shares recently.
At the end of the day, it's often better to focus on companies that are free from net debt. You can access our special list of such companies (all with a track record of profit growth). It's free.
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.
