Yahoo Finance These 4 Measures Indicate That Canon (NYSE:CAJ) Is Using Debt Safely
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 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. Importantly, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) does carry debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?
When Is Debt A Problem?
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. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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 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 Canon
What Is Canon's Debt?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Canon had debt of JP¥324.7b at the end of March 2022, a reduction from JP¥414.9b over a year. However, it does have JP¥436.4b in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of JP¥111.6b.
How Strong Is Canon's Balance Sheet?
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Canon had liabilities of JP¥1.14t falling due within a year, and liabilities of JP¥607.7b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of JP¥436.4b and JP¥569.3b worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by JP¥740.9b.
This state of affairs indicates that Canon's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the JP¥429t company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Canon 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 Canon has boosted its EBIT by 90%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Canon 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. While Canon 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, Canon generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 83% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.
Summing up
While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Canon has JP¥111.6b in net cash. The cherry on top was that in converted 83% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in JP¥154b. So we don't think Canon's use of debt is risky. Above most other metrics, we think its important to track how fast earnings per share is growing, if at all. If you've also come to that realization, you're in luck, because today you can view this interactive graph of Canon's earnings per share history for free.
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.
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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.
