Yahoo Finance Here's Why Next Fifteen Communications Group (LON:NFC) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly
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 Next Fifteen Communications Group plc (LON:NFC) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt A Problem?
Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.
View our latest analysis for Next Fifteen Communications Group
What Is Next Fifteen Communications Group's Net Debt?
As you can see below, Next Fifteen Communications Group had UK£12.8m of debt at January 2021, down from UK£38.0m a year prior. However, its balance sheet shows it holds UK£26.8m in cash, so it actually has UK£14.0m net cash.
How Healthy Is Next Fifteen Communications Group's Balance Sheet?
According to the last reported balance sheet, Next Fifteen Communications Group had liabilities of UK£111.7m due within 12 months, and liabilities of UK£93.1m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had UK£26.8m in cash and UK£74.6m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by UK£103.3m.
Of course, Next Fifteen Communications Group has a market capitalization of UK£797.3m, so these liabilities are probably manageable. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Next Fifteen Communications Group boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
The modesty of its debt load may become crucial for Next Fifteen Communications Group if management cannot prevent a repeat of the 35% cut to EBIT over the last year. When it comes to paying off debt, falling earnings are no more useful than sugary sodas are for your health. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Next Fifteen Communications Group's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. 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. Next Fifteen Communications Group 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. Happily for any shareholders, Next Fifteen Communications Group actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last three years. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.
Summing up
Although Next Fifteen Communications Group's balance sheet isn't particularly strong, due to the total liabilities, it is clearly positive to see that it has net cash of UK£14.0m. The cherry on top was that in converted 191% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in UK£60m. So we are not troubled with Next Fifteen Communications Group's debt use. 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. For example - Next Fifteen Communications Group has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.
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. 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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