Yahoo Finance Criteo (NASDAQ:CRTO) Has A Rock Solid Balance Sheet
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.' 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 note that Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ:CRTO) does have debt on its balance sheet. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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 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 Criteo
What Is Criteo's Net Debt?
As you can see below, Criteo had US$3.59m of debt at June 2021, down from US$159.4m a year prior. However, it does have US$543.0m in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of US$539.4m.
How Healthy Is Criteo's Balance Sheet?
The latest balance sheet data shows that Criteo had liabilities of US$556.7m due within a year, and liabilities of US$127.6m falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$543.0m as well as receivables valued at US$528.4m due within 12 months. So it can boast US$387.0m more liquid assets than total liabilities.
This excess liquidity suggests that Criteo is taking a careful approach to debt. Given it has easily adequate short term liquidity, we don't think it will have any issues with its lenders. Simply put, the fact that Criteo has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.
Another good sign is that Criteo has been able to increase its EBIT by 27% in twelve months, making it easier to pay down debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Criteo 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. Criteo may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last three years, Criteo recorded free cash flow worth a fulsome 81% of its EBIT, which is stronger than we'd usually expect. That puts it in a very strong position to pay down debt.
Summing up
While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case Criteo has US$539.4m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. And it impressed us with free cash flow of US$145m, being 81% of its EBIT. The bottom line is that we do not find Criteo's debt levels at all concerning. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Criteo you should know about.
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.
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.
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