Yahoo Finance Is MACA (ASX:MLD) A Risky Investment?
David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the 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. We note that MACA Limited (ASX:MLD) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?
What Risk Does Debt Bring?
Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.
View our latest analysis for MACA
How Much Debt Does MACA Carry?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at December 2021 MACA had debt of AU$104.0m, up from none in one year. But on the other hand it also has AU$126.2m in cash, leading to a AU$22.2m net cash position.
How Strong Is MACA's Balance Sheet?
The latest balance sheet data shows that MACA had liabilities of AU$397.6m due within a year, and liabilities of AU$221.0m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had AU$126.2m in cash and AU$277.0m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling AU$215.4m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of AU$246.0m. This suggests shareholders would be heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, MACA boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
We saw MACA grow its EBIT by 6.9% in the last twelve months. Whilst that hardly knocks our socks off it is a positive when it comes to debt. 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 MACA 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. While MACA 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. During the last three years, MACA generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 81% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.
Summing up
While MACA does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of AU$22.2m. And it impressed us with free cash flow of AU$79m, being 81% of its EBIT. So we are not troubled with MACA's debt use. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with MACA .
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.
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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.
