Sports Entertainment Group (ASX:SEG) Takes On Some Risk With Its Use Of Debt

Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. As with many other companies Sports Entertainment Group Limited (ASX:SEG) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

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. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Sports Entertainment Group

How Much Debt Does Sports Entertainment Group Carry?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of June 2022 Sports Entertainment Group had AU$24.2m of debt, an increase on AU$16.6m, over one year. On the flip side, it has AU$12.6m in cash leading to net debt of about AU$11.6m.

A Look At Sports Entertainment Group's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Sports Entertainment Group had liabilities of AU$30.4m due within 12 months and liabilities of AU$59.6m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of AU$12.6m as well as receivables valued at AU$20.7m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling AU$56.7m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of AU$73.1m. This suggests shareholders would be heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry.

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). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Sports Entertainment Group has a very low debt to EBITDA ratio of 0.90 so it is strange to see weak interest coverage, with last year's EBIT being only 2.3 times the interest expense. So while we're not necessarily alarmed we think that its debt is far from trivial. Importantly, Sports Entertainment Group's EBIT fell a jaw-dropping 27% in the last twelve months. If that decline continues then paying off debt will be harder than selling foie gras at a vegan convention. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Sports Entertainment Group 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 business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. So the logical step is to look at the proportion of that EBIT that is matched by actual free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, Sports Entertainment Group recorded free cash flow worth 58% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate.

Our View

We'd go so far as to say Sports Entertainment Group's EBIT growth rate was disappointing. But on the bright side, its net debt to EBITDA is a good sign, and makes us more optimistic. Once we consider all the factors above, together, it seems to us that Sports Entertainment Group's debt is making it a bit risky. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but we'd generally feel more comfortable with less leverage. 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. For example Sports Entertainment Group has 4 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think 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.

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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.