Yahoo Finance Is Victrex (LON:VCT) A Risky Investment?
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.' 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 Victrex plc (LON:VCT) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.
Why Does Debt Bring Risk?
Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. 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 Victrex
What Is Victrex's Net Debt?
You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of March 2022 Victrex had UK£15.6m of debt, an increase on UK£5.50m, over one year. However, it does have UK£45.8m in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of UK£30.2m.
A Look At Victrex's Liabilities
According to the last reported balance sheet, Victrex had liabilities of UK£57.6m due within 12 months, and liabilities of UK£59.9m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of UK£45.8m as well as receivables valued at UK£68.6m due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by UK£3.10m.
This state of affairs indicates that Victrex's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the UK£1.43b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Victrex also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.
Also positive, Victrex grew its EBIT by 25% in the last year, and that should make it easier to pay down debt, going forward. 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 Victrex 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. While Victrex 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. Over the most recent three years, Victrex recorded free cash flow worth 64% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.
Summing up
While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Victrex has UK£30.2m in net cash. And we liked the look of last year's 25% year-on-year EBIT growth. So is Victrex's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. 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. We've identified 1 warning sign with Victrex , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
At the end of the day, it's often better to focus on companies that are free from net debt. You can access our special list of such companies (all with a track record of profit growth). It's free.
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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.
