Yahoo Finance These 4 Measures Indicate That Precision Drilling (TSE:PD) Is Using Debt Extensively
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. We can see that Precision Drilling Corporation (TSE:PD) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.
When Is Debt A Problem?
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. 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.
View our latest analysis for Precision Drilling
How Much Debt Does Precision Drilling Carry?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Precision Drilling had debt of CA$1.51b at the end of June 2019, a reduction from CA$1.74b over a year. However, because it has a cash reserve of CA$80.6m, its net debt is less, at about CA$1.43b.
How Healthy Is Precision Drilling's Balance Sheet?
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Precision Drilling had liabilities of CA$243.0m due within 12 months and liabilities of CA$1.64b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of CA$80.6m and CA$313.4m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling CA$1.49b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
This deficit casts a shadow over the CA$464.2m company, like a colossus towering over mere mortals. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt After all, Precision Drilling would likely require a major re-capitalisation if it had to pay its creditors today.
In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).
While we wouldn't worry about Precision Drilling's net debt to EBITDA ratio of 3.7, we think its super-low interest cover of 0.31 times is a sign of high leverage. It seems that the business incurs large depreciation and amortisation charges, so maybe its debt load is heavier than it would first appear, since EBITDA is arguably a generous measure of earnings. So shareholders should probably be aware that interest expenses appear to have really impacted the business lately. One redeeming factor for Precision Drilling is that it turned last year's EBIT loss into a gain of CA$39m, over the last twelve months. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Precision Drilling 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 business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. So it's worth checking how much of the earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) is backed by free cash flow. Over the last year, Precision Drilling 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.
Our View
On the face of it, Precision Drilling's interest cover left us tentative about the stock, and its level of total liabilities was no more enticing than the one empty restaurant on the busiest night of the year. But on the bright side, its conversion of EBIT to free cash flow is a good sign, and makes us more optimistic. Looking at the bigger picture, it seems clear to us that Precision Drilling's use of debt is creating risks for the company. If all goes well, that should boost returns, but on the flip side, the risk of permanent capital loss is elevated by the debt. In light of our reservations about the company's balance sheet, it seems sensible to check if insiders have been selling shares recently.
If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.
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