Yahoo Finance Here's Why One Media iP Group (LON:OMIP) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly
Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. We note that One Media iP Group Plc (LON:OMIP) does have debt on its balance sheet. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?
When Is Debt A Problem?
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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. 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. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.
Check out our latest analysis for One Media iP Group
How Much Debt Does One Media iP Group Carry?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at April 2021 One Media iP Group had debt of UK£1.72m, up from UK£1.64m in one year. But it also has UK£6.37m in cash to offset that, meaning it has UK£4.65m net cash.
How Healthy Is One Media iP Group's Balance Sheet?
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that One Media iP Group had liabilities of UK£939.1k falling due within a year, and liabilities of UK£1.72m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had UK£6.37m in cash and UK£1.39m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it can boast UK£5.10m more liquid assets than total liabilities.
This surplus strongly suggests that One Media iP Group has a rock-solid balance sheet (and the debt is of no concern whatsoever). With this in mind one could posit that its balance sheet means the company is able to handle some adversity. Simply put, the fact that One Media iP Group has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.
Unfortunately, One Media iP Group saw its EBIT slide 6.3% in the last twelve months. If that earnings trend continues then its debt load will grow heavy like the heart of a polar bear watching its sole cub. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if One Media iP Group 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 One Media iP Group 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, One Media iP Group burned a lot of cash. While investors are no doubt expecting a reversal of that situation in due course, it clearly does mean its use of debt is more risky.
Summing up
While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case One Media iP Group has UK£4.65m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. So we don't have any problem with One Media iP Group's use of debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For example - One Media iP Group has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.
Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.
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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