Yahoo Finance These 4 Measures Indicate That Ultra Electronics Holdings (LON:ULE) Is Using Debt Reasonably Well
Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Ultra Electronics Holdings plc (LON:ULE) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?
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. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.
See our latest analysis for Ultra Electronics Holdings
What Is Ultra Electronics Holdings's Net Debt?
The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Ultra Electronics Holdings had UK£301.1m in debt in June 2019; about the same as the year before. On the flip side, it has UK£92.9m in cash leading to net debt of about UK£208.2m.
How Healthy Is Ultra Electronics Holdings's Balance Sheet?
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Ultra Electronics Holdings had liabilities of UK£281.5m due within 12 months and liabilities of UK£333.1m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of UK£92.9m as well as receivables valued at UK£201.4m due within 12 months. So its liabilities total UK£320.3m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.
While this might seem like a lot, it is not so bad since Ultra Electronics Holdings has a market capitalization of UK£1.54b, and so it could probably strengthen its balance sheet by raising capital if it needed to. 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.
With a debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.7, Ultra Electronics Holdings uses debt artfully but responsibly. And the fact that its trailing twelve months of EBIT was 8.4 times its interest expenses harmonizes with that theme. Importantly Ultra Electronics Holdings's EBIT was essentially flat over the last twelve months. Ideally it can diminish its debt load by kick-starting earnings growth. 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 Ultra Electronics Holdings 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.
Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So we clearly need to look at whether that EBIT is leading to corresponding free cash flow. During the last three years, Ultra Electronics Holdings produced sturdy free cash flow equating to 76% of its EBIT, about what we'd expect. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.
Our View
Ultra Electronics Holdings's conversion of EBIT to free cash flow suggests it can handle its debt as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo could score a goal against an under 14's goalkeeper. And we also thought its interest cover was a positive. All these things considered, it appears that Ultra Electronics Holdings can comfortably handle its current debt levels. On the plus side, this leverage can boost shareholder returns, but the potential downside is more risk of loss, so it's worth monitoring the balance sheet. 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 Ultra Electronics Holdings's earnings per share history for free.
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.
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.
