Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN) Has Debt But No Earnings; Should You Worry?

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.' 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 Qantas Airways Limited (ASX:QAN) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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. 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. 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 step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Qantas Airways

What Is Qantas Airways's Debt?

As you can see below, Qantas Airways had AU$6.99b of debt, at December 2021, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. However, because it has a cash reserve of AU$2.71b, its net debt is less, at about AU$4.28b.

A Look At Qantas Airways' Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Qantas Airways had liabilities of AU$8.15b falling due within a year, and liabilities of AU$10.1b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of AU$2.71b and AU$843.0m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total AU$14.7b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This deficit casts a shadow over the AU$9.64b company, like a colossus towering over mere mortals. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt. At the end of the day, Qantas Airways would probably need a major re-capitalization if its creditors were to demand repayment. 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 Qantas Airways's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

In the last year Qantas Airways had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 6.2%, to AU$6.7b. That's not what we would hope to see.

Caveat Emptor

Importantly, Qantas Airways had an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss over the last year. Its EBIT loss was a whopping AU$1.7b. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above make us nervous about the company. We'd want to see some strong near-term improvements before getting too interested in the stock. It's fair to say the loss of AU$1.1b didn't encourage us either; we'd like to see a profit. And until that time we think this is a risky stock. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Qantas Airways that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.