Warren Buffett famously said, ‘Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.’ 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. As with many other companies Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?
When Is Debt A Problem?
Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first step when considering a company’s debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.
Check out our latest analysis for Standex International
What Is Standex International’s Debt?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Standex International had debt of US$217.6m at the end of March 2020, a reduction from US$292.4m over a year. On the flip side, it has US$109.3m in cash leading to net debt of about US$108.3m.
How Strong Is Standex International’s Balance Sheet?
The latest balance sheet data shows that Standex International had liabilities of US$136.8m due within a year, and liabilities of US$353.3m falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$109.3m and US$116.5m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling US$264.4m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
While this might seem like a lot, it is not so bad since Standex International has a market capitalization of US$719.7m, 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.
In order to size up a company’s debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).
With net debt sitting at just 1.0 times EBITDA, Standex International is arguably pretty conservatively geared. And this view is supported by the solid interest coverage, with EBIT coming in at 9.3 times the interest expense over the last year. But the bad news is that Standex International has seen its EBIT plunge 18% in the last twelve months. If that rate of decline in earnings continues, the company could find itself in a tight spot. 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 Standex International’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. So the logical step is to look at the proportion of that EBIT that is matched by actual free cash flow. Looking at the most recent three years, Standex International recorded free cash flow of 45% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we’d expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.
Our View
Standex International’s struggle to grow its EBIT had us second guessing its balance sheet strength, but the other data-points we considered were relatively redeeming. In particular, its interest cover was re-invigorating. Looking at all the angles mentioned above, it does seem to us that Standex International is a somewhat risky investment as a result of its debt. Not all risk is bad, as it can boost share price returns if it pays off, but this debt risk is worth keeping in mind. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we’ve spotted 1 warning sign for Standex International you should know about.
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.
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